Settimana Cafe

2056 W. Division St.
773.394.1629
Italian

Poor service, mediocre food. I don't know if I just went on an off night, but from this experience I will not be going back. The up-side of this restaurant is they have outdoor seating, so if it is nice out it is a great atmosphere to dine in. However, when you wait over an hour for your entree and the waittress is barely apologetic, it is hard to want to go back. For the appetizer we had the portobello mushroom topped with goat cheese, which was decent. For my entree, I had a chicken parmesan dish--or something like it, since it had a fancier italian name. It was ok. The chicken parmesan that I make is probably better. So it could have been just a bad experience, but I wouldn't waste my time and go back.

Think Cafe

2235 N. Western Ave.
773.394.0537
Italian

I went to this BYOB Italian restaurant and it was well worth the trip out there! It is a cozy, intimate little restaurant that gets packed so be sure to make reservations. We went on a Saturday night but couldn't get a reservation until 9:30 pm. For the appetizer, I had the sauteed sea scallops with two sauces--red pepper and lemon butter. This dish was good--the scallops were tender but didn't have as much flavor as some other sea scallops I have had before. But the sauces made up for it. I also ordered the Think salad, which had organic greens tossed with balsamic dressing, blue cheese, walnuts and sliced pears. The dressing was just a tad too tangy, otherwise it was perfect! For the entree, I ordered a red wine duck risotto. It was fabulous! It had a robust flavor and there was even enough to take home for lunch the next day! Finally, for dessert I had the banana carmelo. It was sliced bananas, berries and ice cream drenched in a scrumptious caramel sauce. It was definitely a great way to end the meal! So many things on the menu were mouth-watering so I can't wait to go back there. And, since it is BYOB, it is easy on the checkbook. It is a great place to go on a date or an intimate gathering of friends.