Cafe Bionda in Chicago...

These pictures aren't great because of the lighting in the restaurant, but trust me when I say the food was beyond great. This is true Italian cooking on the south side of Chicago. This place was so good that we didn't just eat there once on this trip, but we ate there twice. Everything about this place screams Italian from the locals who frequent the place to decor and attitude. We were fortunate enough to be there last night during their 4th anniversary party. How well connected is this establishment? The original owner of Rosebud, a Chicago institution, was at the party.

Onto the food. The fresh baked bread comes out after you are seated and is served with a spicy marinara sauce. I could drink this sauce...it was that good. On the first trip there we got the Fried Calimari as an app. Quite possibly the best I have ever had. Last night we switched it up and got the Grilled Calimari. The grilled version was dressed in olive oil, crushed red pepper, and maybe some other spices. This was so good that I even used the oil mixture at the bottom of the plate with the bread. Outstanding.

For dinner on the first night I got the Chicken Saltimboca. This is 2 chicken breasts wrapped in Prosciutto, sage, parmesan, and mozzarella with a white wine tomato sauce. Words can't describe just how good this was.

Last night I got the Orecchiette Sausage. This is Spicy Italian sausage, rapini, garlic, chili flakes, and extra virgin olive oil tossed in with fresh made pasta from scratch. Like I said...everything about this place is true homemade Italian. I was torn between this dish, the Chicken Parm and the Veal Francese. This dish was very good and was a lot to eat. I kinda wish I had gotten one of the other dishes, but I still loved every second of this meal.

Drinks that went down with these meals? Dona Paula Malbec from Argentina, Crown & Ginger, and quite a few Sambuca's.