Vivere in Chicago

Thursday January 3

Holt is always assiduous in scoping out the restaurant scene when we go to our professional convention, and he did another great job this time. Chicago, of course, is famed for its range of ethnicities/styles of cooking, but we were limited by the fact that most restaurants take their vacations after New Year's, and lots of them were closed (so much for you, Topolobampo!). Also, we didn't feel like having a waiter hold our heads while squirting air from toasted hay into our nostrils (so there, Alinea!).

Instead we went for the Italian village, and Vivere.
It's a nice paneled and stained-glass room, more Vegas-style glitz than clubby or old Italian. Our server was attentive, and the wine steward knowledgeable, despite wearing a tuxedo-like minidress and looking about twelve years old. The specials sounded so good, we had three of them.

We started with fresh lobster ravioli in butter, along with pancetta-wrapped shrimp. Both were carefully prepared and very tasty, though they wouldn't knock your socks off. The wine, an Antinori Campogrande Orvieto, reminded us of previous romantic visits to Orvieto and the Cantinetta Antinori in Florence.

The mains had more razzmatazz. We had excellent pistachio-crusted grouper in lobster broth, and the red pepper and purple cauliflower alongside were standouts. But even more amazing was the venison osso buco, meltingly tender and full of flavor (and marrow), on a black-truffled and luscious risotto cake. This was the best, most original, treatment of venison we had in Chicago, or maybe ever. Of course, that needed a red wine, so we got a glass of Nebbiolo Barolo 2002, and were delighted.

We'd happily go back to Vivere any time.