I LOVE this place! All of their food is very good and their pizza and wine deals are great. I've never had one complaint. All of the food is wonderful and I love the atmosphere.
I'm sad to find out that this place is moving to another location in February. I spent a lot of time in the summer on their patio as I only live a block away. They play good music and the staff is wonderful. They don't bombard you trying to order. They let you enjoy your time there and even after they close for the night they're patient and let you have a few more drinks as they're doing the same inside. I love it here and I'm sad that I'll have to travel to get their good food and great service.
Met a friend for dinner here on a Friday night. Had a salad (I think it was insalata dell'orto?) and the butternut squash ravioli appetizer. Split a bottle of Malbec. Food was tasty, but nothing blew my mind. I might have set my expectations too high because of the atmosphere/prices. It's an intimate place, with clean modern decor that still manages to feel cozy. I think my friend and I were in the minority not being on a date (I guess it was a lady date), and our conversation was a little livelier than others around us, but not painfully so. (At least I hope not!) Great service, they know what they're doing but it's not at all pretentious. I just wish the food had been a little more memorable - maybe I'll just have to branch out the next time I go...which will hopefully be soon, as it's a great neighborhood spot!
Review Source:My girlfriend and I dined here tonight and overall, it was a great experience mainly because of our server. Â I'm terrible with names but if my memory serves, his name was Ryan and he was a superstar.
It is definitely a comfortable and warm atmosphere (with great music gently playing in the background....Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac etc) but during the winter months when they can't utilize their large outdoor section, it is really a tiny space. Â Therefore, Ryan was manning the whole place and he did not miss a step. Â He stayed constantly active, on top of all of his tables. Â The place was almost packed and yet we felt like we were the only customers on his radar. Â He was able to answer any of our questions and obviously knew the menu up and down. Â Great job, Ryan. Â Geez, I really hope I'm remembering his name correctly!
I docked one star because the food, while very good, was nothing spectacular. Â And yes, as some other reviewers have mentioned, it is not exactly cheap. Â For two apps, two entrees and four glasses of wine, we went a bit over $100.
I'm delighted to report that this place hasn't changed since my last delightful visit.
Came here last night to celebrate a new job. We had a living social for a free appetizer and bottle of wine.
We were warmly greeted and had the best service. He was the only person waiting tables, and possibly is the owner, and he was so nice. He had wonderful recommendations for food. We ordered a bottle of Tempranillo, which was absolutely delicious.
For food, we ordered the grilled calamari. It was in this divine white wine sauce that I literally wanted to drink. We got the Insalata Fontana next, followed by this incredible Scallop dish on special, and then had the Bolognese. The pasta is still homemade and still just as wonderful.
We were too full for dessert, but next time I want to try the Chocolate Mousse.
We will be back...for a 4th time.
Well, after reading all of the 4 and 5 star comments, we decided to try Frontana Grill.
First of all, the ambience is stark, cold, and extremely noisey. No sound absorbant
ceiling or walls. One can hear the party across the room discussing their personal
business. There was a party of six sitting directly across from us and we couldn't
help hearing almost everything they said; quite a distraction from the meal and
each other.
Ah, the wine left a lot to be desired.  A lot of unknown vintages and not  many
Italian wines. Â The name of the restaurant suggests Italian;
but it was difficult to find much Italian food on the menu. It definitely was more
Adriatic - and not Adriatic Italian!!
Extremely overpriced  on all levels. The coffee was good. When we asked for
dessert, the waiter looked perplexed for lack of dessert. He suggested a
chocolate dessert that was delivered in the form of a small cupcake - not very
appealing because it was half frozen and not fresh. Once more, it was
$4.50--outrageous, indeed!!
The waiter was pleasant and the best thing in the house. Â I must add a
few comments: Â the owner really needs to figure out what the theme
of the restaurant should be. Â
Those that gave it  4 or 5 stars, must have suffered a deprived
childhood.  Would  we return?  NO!!!
Unexpectedly charming little place with rather delicious food and friendly service. I shared a bottle of prosecco, a caesar salad, and two pizzas with a dining companion. The salad was fresh and tasty. The pizzas were pretty darn good and, as luck would have it, we came on BOGO pizza night. Score! We had the vegetariana: eggplant, zucchini, onions, baby spinach, roasted red peppers, and mozzarella; and the portobello mushrooms and Italian sausage pizza. Plenty of leftovers to be had for days.
Small complaints: horrifically bad music right out of the 80s and 90s. Yuck. No way to escape it, folks. It's piped out onto the patio as well. Also, I don't care for paper napkins, plastic drinking glasses, the plastic water pitcher, and the McCormick pepper mill. Small touches would make this an even better experience. I would give them 3-1/2 but not a three star rating. Hence the four stars.
Went out here about a week ago for a birthday dinner. The food was really good, although the service was a bit slow at times, although not enough to be annoying (I would rather have time to sit and talk than feel rushed through my meal anyway). I got a simple pizza which was one of the best personal-sized pizzas I've ever had. The dessert "menu" was actually just one piece of cake, so this isn't a great place to go if you're just looking for a dessert and some wine. The ambiance was nice - the outdoor patio is great in this summer/fall weather!
Review Source:Fontana Grill is a nice little neighborhood spot to sip wine and people watch outside on a summer day. Good wine, decent pizza. The Quattro Formaggi was my favorite surprisingly out of the four pizzas I tried - usually the "just cheese" pizzas are missing out on all of the good stuff, but this one some how pulled it off. Love the outside patio, the ambience of the inside restaurant space is nothing to write home about.
Service was inconsistent. We had a great waiter who was very accommodating when we asked to switch tables mid-meal, but we had an issue with the shift manager who was unwilling to honor a handwritten discount card that my friends had received during a past visit to compensate for a service issue. He said that the handwriting on the card did not seem to match that of the employee who had written it (handwriting analysis must part of the employee training program) and that my friends could take it up with the regular manager next time. That experience ended our otherwise pleasant meal on a bit of a sour note.
First off, I have to hand it to our server. I came here with a VERY picky eater and our server was extremely patient and informative (even brought us samples... sigh).
The food was generally well-prepared and tasty. The calamari was moist and flavorful and our dishes were decent. Â Out of all of our dishes the ORGANIC CHICKEN ROLATTA was the best. The truffle fries didn't live up to the hype but they were good. I would give this place 4 stars, but the atmosphere, although modern and hip, wasn't very conducive for conversation; please get some sound attenuating materials in there ASAP (curtains, wall coverings, something..). I will be coming back as I'm excited to experience the outdoor patio!
Real cute place. Â It will be more fun when its warm outside. Â I enjoyed the red wine flight. Â Since it was the last night of a Groupon it was very busy. Â I had a reservation but it was going to be a bit of a wait. Â They put us at the bar and made up for it. Â We were pretty happy to be there. Â We got the meats and cheeses. Â It was just ok. Â I don't eat meat so my boyfriend cleaned up. Â The cheeses were nothing special. Â We also got the truffle fries which is a bit of a sham. Â They're just fries with truffle oil (and not enough at first) If you watch Anthony Bourdain's show then you know about truffle oil. Â We got the margherita pizza which was tasty. Â This is kind of what you want to eat at a wine bar anyway. Â
Its a little out-of-the-way for me but if I'm in the area I would definitely come back in.
This is a neighborhood joint with with very friendly staff. I was at the bar area only, for wine, but it was enjoyable. Â I didn't have any food.
The interior is pretty pedestrian, and in dire need of an update. Very dated and cheap looking. What is great about this place, and what will require a repeat visit is the outdoor patio, which looks GREAT and very glamourous for outdoor summer imbibing. Can't wait!
The logo of this place is possibly the most hideous logo in the history of logos. A old style water pump pumping out wine into a cheap looking wine glass? That's supposed to suggest "great food and wine" to me? Fail. Redesign needed. And I realize the logo of a place has no bearing on the quality of food and service.
I wish I lived closer, b/c i'd definitely frequent Fontana's patio in these warm months if I did! The staff and owner were so friendly, esp in wine selection for a novice like me. Their patio is very dog friendly (we brought our corgi and he was very welcome and enjoyed himself) and there's nice music playing on the patio too. Inside the restaurant there's a nice bar area and a good amount of seating; overall, including the bathroom, pretty clean.
Caprese Salad: Delicious - huge tomatoes and fresh mozzarella; the balsamic glaze they drizzle on it is so good
Grilled Octopus - I thought i'd really like this since alot of reviews recommended it, but it was a tad less fresh that I would have liked, and the sauce was a little weird.
Organic Chicken Rolatta: THIS WAS SO GOOD. The breading is fine, yet so crispy and not oily. The roasted red pepper sauce was so so so good. This was the best stuffed/rolled chicken i've had in a while.
New York Strip w/ Polenta: The NY strip could have been better seasoned; it didn't really taste like an aged steak either, which may have been why it was not very flavorful. The polenta was delicious though.
Dessert was a very big, rich slice of red velvet cake with chocolate ganache between each layer. Delicious!
Went to Fontana last night...little hurt my reservation didn't mean anything, but it wasn't a long wait and we were seated in a timely manner. I thought it was small at first, but after sitting and eating and drinking, the atmosphere is pretty awesome.
Our waitress was new and totally awesome. "And EMO was her name-o!" She was extremely attentive and wasn't too overbearing. I could tell she enjoyed her job and she actually liked people (why do waitresses not like people anymore?? Customers should never ever be a burden to a restaurant when they're holding a tip).
Groupon was $15 for a wine flight and appetizer. I bought it because it was near me (I'm in Rogers Park) and I wanted to try something new.
The food: deelish!!! Flavorful and good [enough] sized portions. I left full but not stuffed. We had three kinds of wine, and they were alllllllll from Yummytown. I never had to wait for anything, and we were even given a complimentary desert cake = STELLAR.
I think the prices were good enough. Even without a Groupon, I'd feel as though the food would be worth the price. Me +1 only had appetizers though, which were all wonderfully prepared.
I'm a Groupon employee, so I see both sides of customer and merchant issues. I would like to believe Fontana's was so packed last night because we were able to bring customers to them. I would also like to believe someone is now a fan of Fontana's because of us and everyone's happy. I don't think we were treated any different than the regular customers, which means a lot to me.
I will definitely be back to try something new. Summertime, patio deck - can't wait. :-)
You know I really wanted to LOVE this place. Â But it was utterly overpriced, and not what it seems. Â The atmosphere is really what gives it any stars. Â I expected it to be more of a wine bar, but our waitress didn't really seem knowledgable or seem like she at all to cared about what wine we picked or to do a wine flight...
Our food was good but very small portions. Â I feel like if I were every to be drawn back in, I should try pizza and only go on half price bottles of wine night. Â I really do want to sit at that patio, however I don't really enjoy the feel of the neighbors watching.
It was late evening and we were trying to decide what to do for dinner. Â I love eating a different restaurants so I was on the look out for a restaurant open late and in the neighborhood (within walking distance).
After calling, the host mentioned that they were packed and it would probably be 20-30 min before a table becomes available.
So, we decided to head on over.
After getting there, it was truly packed. Â We decided to sit at the bar to eat as it was close to 830p. However, after ordering our drinks (like 2 min after), we were told a table became available. Â We packed up and moved over to the table. Â
We ordered grilled calamari as an appetizer. Â As a main, we ordered pesto shrimp pasta and chicken parama.
Oddly enough, our main came out first. Â Then our waitress said she completely forgot to put in the order. Â So, she placed the order and didn't charge us for it.
Then we observed there were only two people working. Â Our waitress happened to apologize for any delays as they were short staffed and she (the GM) has to work to fill in. Â She gave us a free red velvet cake and told us not to worry about the drinks we had at the bar..
Overall, good experience. Â Very cozy restaurant.Even though they were short staffed and over worked, they conducted themselves very well.
Would definitely go back!!
Hubby and I were the first people in on a rainy Wednesday. Place was empty, we had a groupon for a wine flight and app.
The waitress was friendly and laid back, so we sat, got our flight and an antipasti platter (delicious), and hung out.
The restaurant got PACKED while we were there, and there was a solid 45 minutes when no one came to ask us if we needed anything- I was looking around, but the servers were just overwhelmed with the number of people present.
Finally our waitress came over, apologized, and was certain to take our wine and apps round 2. We got the polenta and sausage (absolutely divine) and the chopped salad (a solid choice, but not earth-shattering). Â She even brought us a complimentary slice of vanilla-caramel cake because we had waited without service for so long. The cake was absolutely sublime, and honestly we didn't even mind waiting because the atmosphere was so cozy.
Their adorable patio will absolutely be visited by us often once the weather warms up. We were happy to discover this neighborhood gem, and we WILL be returning!
I've been here a handful of times and have always enjoyed myself. I've also always eaten on the patio, which in my opinion, the only way to go.
It's on the corner of Wilson and Beacon, but you'd never know you were on a fairly busy street. Fontana Grill is a lovely oasis that feels like Lincoln Park, but laid-back and unpretentious.
Each time I've gone, I've ordered a wine flight and I've never been disappointed with the selections. The salads are fantastic. Fresh ingredients and wonderful flavors. The grilled polenta is delicious and unique. Once I ate with someone who wasn't a fan of polenta, but he remarked that he liked the grilled polenta at Fontana. I've probably ordered the chicken pesto pizza at least twice. I should probably branch out, but it's fantastic.
The service has always been phenomenal. Very friendly and unintrusive (they don't try to rush you, so you can really enjoy the meal and the company. Almost European-esque.)
At night the patio (which is surrounded by trees and bushes) is lit up with lights and truly is romantic.
My wife and I visited Fontana Grill for dinner on a Saturday evening. Â I had a Groupon, so I was sure to make a reservation. Â
We started with a bottle of the Terra Rosa Malbec, the Calamari Fritti, and the Mediterranean Salad. Â The calamari was perfectly cooked and not too greasy. Â The salad was visually appealing and tasted just as good. Â For our entrees we went with the Rack of Lamb and the NY Strip Steak. Â The lamb was good, but the portion was a bit small for the price. Â The NY Strip was perfectly cooked and high quality. Â I ordered truffle fries as my side, and they are great!
We really liked the atmosphere and vibe of the restaurant. Â The music was awesome, and the lightly perfect for a wine bar. Â Our server was very friendly and efficient, even with a Groupon, which is always a worry. Â
I really want to return to try a pizza which looked great. Â Congrats Fontana...your Groupon worked! Â I will be back.
Went here for the first time last New Year's Eve because of the convenient location and the ridiculously cheap prix fixe ($59 five course with wine pairing, discounted 15% because we booked early, so the entire meal with tax and gratuity was like $65 a pop. Â Can't beat it!) Â I've been back a few times since and always enjoy the experience, but it's definitely an experience. Â The food, while not the best I've had in my life, has its absolutely delicious moments (currently in love with the margarita pizza), and I can't say I've had a bad meal yet. Â But even if you find the food just average, the friendly staff, delicious wine, relaxing atmosphere, and reasonable prices make it totally worth it. Â
So why the three stars? Â For some reason i cannot get out of this place in under three hours. Â Sometimes the service will start out fast and then disappear, other times it takes a long time to get the first course out. Â I don't know, it's odd. Â But hey, I walk in knowing what to expect and then enjoy a relaxing meal. Â It's an excuse to get out and enjoy some quality food and conversation, you just need to know what you're getting yourself into.
So if you've got the time, I would highly recommend this place for a lovely date night or a group prix fixe adventure (just call ahead, they're more than happy to accommodate your group and make any menu changes you need). Â Oh, and in the summer, the patio is absolutely perfect.
I live right around the corner from Fontana, and I was happy when it opened because now I have a go-to neighborhood spot. The patio is great in the summer, the drinks are always solid, service is top notch, Â the wine list is good, and the food is always fresh ( love their red sauce).
Last Spring I visited Europe, including Belgium. There is a brewery called De Halve Maan in Brugge, and their beer is awesome. My friend and I spent the better part of the day getting drunk on it simply because we were pretty sure we couldnt get it back in the states. (he lives in NYC and hadnt seen it either)
Then, right there, on the Fontana menu, THERE IT WAS! Brugge Zot from De Halve Maan. Awesome! Â Mike, you really have a good eye for beer!
I visited recently with a friend and my handy groupon...
We were able to sit in the patio area since we managed to beat the crowd by about 10 minutes. Â Thankfully, the staff let me sit and wait alone even though my friend wasn't yet there. Â Once my friend showed up, we did see some wildlife in the area, which was interesting.
The wine that I sipped while I waited was quite nice. Â The wine list isn't huge, but it's really good. Â
The food was delicious! Â We split 2 pizzas - both were great. Â Thin and with really fresh ingredients.
The prices were so reasonable - the groupon basically covered a meal for 2 ($40) with some wine. Â
Our server was really sweet - though I think she was overwhelmed by the crowd. Â I'm pretty sure everyone in the city showed up to use their groupons the night before they expired - and she was the only one working outside (and maybe inside!). Â She was flustered, but very nice and I felt terribly that people were getting frustrated with her as she was clearly the only one working. Â I went in to pay since I needed to go and that was no issue. Â People - have some heart!!!
Anyway, the food is good, but the spot is way up north. Â Definitely a good visit if you're in the area. Â I would suggest not sitting near the bushes in back or the tree.
This place could conduct lessons in how to provide excellent customer service. Â Both times I have been to this restaurant, the groups I was with felt down-right spoiled by the wait staff. Â Food and wine were constantly flowing directly from the kitchen to our table until we were all stuffed and drunk.
The food here is simple and yummy. Â There is definitely better Italian food elsewhere in the city, but if you are looking to have a get-together and need some crowd pleasing dishes, this is definitely the place. The grilled calamari and the pizzas were my favorite. And whatever cake we had for dessert was absolutely delectable. Â We were all fighting over the last bites.
Fontana Grill is the perfect place for a cozy evening with good friends. I am eager to find another reason to celebrate so we can all return for another wonderful evening.
I am not a Frank fan, not under most circumstances. But having someone sing Frank songs to me? I really like!
I was first introduced to Fontana a week ago- during Yelp Eats. Yes, less than 1 week later, I was back! This time, I had the P's in tow. Tuesday night- half price bottle night- seemed a very appropriate event for which to be in attendance!
I can be a boring eater. Once I find something I really like, I stick with it! I am quite the fan of Fontana's Cevappi! Tasty, succulent little pieces of Angus beef and Lamb magically transformed into caseless sausages., served with onions, on a pita, a small side salad, and for $3 extra an order of truffle fries- You have yourself a feast!
My mother dithered over Pesto pasta, a Salmon Pizza, or a tres formage pizza with prosciutto and mushrooms. She opted for the shroom pizza (pretty solid thinking!). The pizza was wonderful! What is even better is that the serving was so large, we have it for lunch too!
Dad? Well, Dad can be somewhat of a stalwart in his preferences. Yup, you guessed it! Three cheese burger, no onion, no tomato. He loved it and gobbled it down!
They offer a pretty unique selection of wines. I was not drinking (again- I need to fix this) but I cannot wait to go sip on the patio.
I am pretty thrilled with the combo here. A neighborhood restaurant that offers an intimate environment, well prepared food, great deals, and an awesome patio. The prices are very reasonable. What are you waiting for?
I've been to Fontana Grill twice now and have found it to be a decent little spot.
One visit was for a date. Â While waiting for him to arrive I decided to have a glass of wine at the bar, to calm the nerves, natch. Â The bartender (who I believe is also the sommelier/wine buyer) gave me some good suggestions based on what notes I like in a wine. Â And he was cute so thats always a bonus. Â My date arrived and we headed outside to the patio. Â We ordered a bottle (half-price that night) and an antipasto plate. Â The wine was delish but the antipasto was a bit boring. Â The patio was nice, save for the screaming kid on the lawn of one of the houses next door. Â Not so romantic.
The second time I went I was with a girlfriend. Â We sat inside because it was too windy outside. Â This may have been a bad decision because the only other patrons were a table of about 15 extremely boisterous ladies celebrating something or other. Â They were drunk and loud and it really put a damper on our dining experience. Â The inside is small so there was nowhere to move to. Â Our waiter was also a bit daft--overall, the experience was lacking. Â
I think both visits for me were just a case of wrong place at the wrong time. Â I will go back and maybe bump it up a star if I have the experience I was looking for.
If you haven't sat on the most underrated patio in the city yet, time is growing short...friends.
This is your prod. Go, bask in the beauty of Fontana's expansive patio. It doesn't feel like Uptown, it feels like fate.
Seriously.
ps. Tuesdays = half price bottles of wine.
No excuses. Frank Sinatra sung to me, and my mission is to implore you all to go there.
And order a pizza, split it if you must...but order one.
I had dinner here with the oh so charming Rob L., and we had a good time. The restaurant's decor is modern and rustic at the same time with clean lines and votives full of mini candles all over the restaurant. The feel is going for romantic... but it doesn't quite do it for me. The music was soft and jazzy... it was a nice touch!
They had just started their wine concept, and have several options charged by the ounce... so you can try many different types, or go for a large glass of something you know you like. It took a few times for them to come out with the wine I had chosen... but I'll give them a little slack as they just started this program.
Now the food. The most memorable part of our meal was the appetizer (Grilled Polenta with Cevapi). It was cooked perfectly, and was completely authentic! I especially loved the cucumber yogurt sauce that was drizzled over the dish.
Our main courses were... eh. I had the poached salmon. While it wasn't bad, it was pretty boring and lacked any outstanding flavors. Rob had the lemon chicken. It was better than my dish, but still a bit boring.
The desserts... OH THE DESSERTS... I really just wanted a bite of whatever, but once the server presented the three dessert options, Rob made me get my own. He had the Death By Chocolate. It was indeed, death by chocolate.
I had the combination of white and dark chocolate cake... it included layers of white chocolate cake, white chocolate mousse, dark chocolate cake and dark chocolate mousse. It was SINFULLY delicious. This I could come back for.
I am not sure I'd come back. Maybe for one of their pizzas and cake!
I COMPLETELY forgot about the truffle fries!! GET THEM. XOXO
Fontana Grill & Wine Bar is all about the ambiance and let me tell you they have plenty of it!
I was able to grab one of those fabulous Groupons in order to help my friend and roommate celebrate her birthday in style.
We opted for a variety of appetizers, wine and dessert.
Appetizers:
Trio From Grandma's Kitchen. On the plate there were three different kinds of scrumptious eats for us to sink our teeth into.
* Poached shallots stuffed with Angus beef, rice and a touch of tomato sauce
* Goat cheese, ricotta baby spinach in filo pastry.
* Stuffed grape leafs with Angus beef, rice and a touch of tomato sauce.
We really enjoyed all these wonderful varieties.
Then we went for some fried calamari simmered in lemon juice and marinara sauce. This was also delicious and filling.
The nice thing about these appetizers was that there was enough for two people to spilt them and still be filled up.
Wine:
As we were enjoying our appetizers we each had a full pour of one kind of wine each. The wine was delicious and served in stemless wine glasses, tres chic! I had their Malbec and my roommate had their Sauvignon Blanc. My Malbec was soft and lush, rich and supple with a wonderful after taste, just the way I like it. My roommate tried their Sauvignon Blanc and said it was refreshing and crisp. We both loved our choices.
Dessert:
Then they brought out the dessert tray. They offered us three different varieties, but we both went right for the death by chocolate. Let me tell you this was the right choice. It was a slice of chocolate heaven. We loved every single bite.
When the weather gets nicer you'll find me out on the patio, soaking up the sun and sampling wines. Can't wait to taste some of their stone fired pizzas and cevapi too.
We will be back. Thanks Fontana for great service, good food, and wonderful times!
My parents recently came in town and I had promised my mom that I'd buy her a meal as a late Mother's Day present. In a scramble to make plans at the last minute, I happened to look up the Groupon for that day and noticed a $15 for $30 off groupon available for Fontana Wine Bar.
"OOOh, wine bar...nice. My parents can get drunk and when they get drunk, we get along."
Excellent.
We arrived around 8:15 on a Wednesday and as we walked in, a table outdoors opened up. The weather was perfect and so we asked to be seated outside. The ambiance on the patio was very serene and romantic. Our waitress announced that the deal for Wednesday was a free appetizer with a bottle of wine. My mother was going to be a much cheaper date than I thought (Dad had to pay for his meal-- sorry, Dad). The waitress recommended a nice Italian red and we also ordered the Trio from Grandma's Kitchen (stuffed grape leaves, holy....).
The wine was great and the appetizer was delicious. Frank Sinatra played over the speakers on the patio and the neighborhood was quiet, with the exception of the occasional cute couple walking their cute puppy by the patio. Â My dad ordered the salmon filet and I had a pizza (which was too much food for me with the appetizer) and both enjoyed our meals. My mom ordered the bruschetta and it was surprisingly disappointing (minus 1 star for that, although really only worth half a star).
By the end of the night, my parents were starting to get too lovey-dovey and I had to get out of there-- the waitress offered to call me a cab. So nice! I will definitely be back.
I know, I know. I'm a little late in writing my review for this wonderful establishment. I came here with a group of 20-something ladies for April's GNO! [A quick shout out to Miss B for putting this tasty dinner together!]
Where to start? How about I make this simple. I'll break it down for you:
Things I liked:
-The decor was so cute inside, very small, sheek, and warm tones all over--totally made you feel at home.
-The calamari was to die for--so fresh, perfectly cooked, and seasoned lovely.
-The service was fantastic. So attentive & greatly appreciated.
-The trio of pizzas. Who doesn't love prosciutto on their pizza???
Things I loved?
-The company of Yelp ladies! So fun meeting new faces & catching up with others I've known for quite some time.
-The salad was surely delightful. Very fresh ingredients!
I don't spend much time in this area of the city--but if I am up here again, I'll be sure to stop by this place. Yummy!
Fontana Grill is Uh-Amazing!!! What a great place for the April GNO! The food is hands down delicious and oh so tasty. The prix-fixe menu served to us satisfied with wonderful Italian Bistro selections. The starter salad was served in a cute bowl and provided just enough salad to tease the palate. It had a great combination of flavors despite having to avoid the edamame and walnuts for allergy reasons. The grilled calamari was fantastic. It was the perfect consistency while being light and tasty. I throughly enjoyed the organic eggplant wrapped in buffalo mozzarella. After hearing rave reviews for the grilled polenta and cevapi I had to try it. It was definitely worth trying. The sausages played so well off of the polenta. I'll be back for that alone.
Almost with a full stomach, we got served the stone fired pizzas. The Quatro Formaggi is a to-die for pizza. If I could eat that everyday, I would. The pizza is a perfect blend of cheeses with just the right touch of a salty cheese. I had dreams about this pizza after GNO. For the entree, I had the tilipia. Though nearly bloated from the wonderful Italian meal, I had some of my fish. The tilipia was light and cooked perfectly. The surprise dessert of a graham cracker creme ended a great evening. The dessert reminded me a little of my mom's eclair cake with its smooth creamy finish and light graham cracker top. Fontana Grill was another successful, delicious GNO. I'll be taking my mister here for a romantic Italian bistro evening.
What's not to love about Fontana?
Tempranillo flowed and cevapi tantalized my tongue. Â To top it all, I was surrounded by some of the finest ladies of Yelp for another edition of girl's night out.
Speaking of hot, baby, fire up the grill! Â Besides the wine and company, the highlights of my night included a couple of items courtesy of my fiery friend. Â First up was the Grilled Calamari that was presented in the second course. Â When calamari is cooked just right, and not overdone or simply fried beyond recognition, it's one of my favorite things. Â Fontana does it well with nice grill marks, made incredibly tender, and served up in a perfectly matched wine lemon sauce. Â Hand me a giant plate, please!
Next off the grill came The Grilled Polenta with Cevapi. Â I consider polenta to be a comfort food and when it's grilled, look out! Â Those little bites packed so much flavor and were topped with a cucumber alfredo sauce. Â The sauce tasted more like ranch, of which I'm not a giant fan, meets tzatziki, which I rather like. Â Although it was OK, I could've done without this particular sauce. Â Next time, I'll see if I can get these naked. Â The bites, I mean.
Fontana did a fantastic job of keeping our tables filled with beverages and food. Â I don't remember any moment where I was left wanting more. Â Well, maybe more of that polenta...
My wallet was left a little on the beaten up side since I went with bottle purchases instead of the special wine pairing offered with dinner. Â I'm just not a chardonnay fan and that was one of the featured wines. Â Take that as a bit of cautionary drinking advice if you're on a budget.
The warm weather is calling and I can't wait to go back to enjoy the patio paired with some nice wine and friends or a date. Â That tempranillo beckons.
Fontana Grill and Wine Bar is that great little place that you love in the neighborhood to sit and enjoy a glass of wine or a meal with friends. I am definitely going to have to come back to enjoy some wine in the warmer months on their outside patio.
The food? Very good. I think we easily had 7courses. Seven! Let's count them together.
First, the salad was a perfect way to start. Lettuce with walnuts, edamame, cranberries, blue cheese and cucumbers all served with a sesame ginger dressing. A wonderful precursor of what was to come.
Courses 2, 3 and 4 were grilled calamari (my favorite way to have it) eggplant Parmesan and a stuffed portabella mushroom with lots of cheese and garlic.
As if that wasn't enough- the parade of stone fired pizzas made up course number five- from the four cheese to the one with the prosciutto and red peppers, my taste buds were in sensation heaven.
But wait . . there's more. Course number 6- the Entree. I went with the chicken which was the server's recommendation and it was amazing. Stuffed with spinach and cheese and lightly breaded- I only wish I had saved some room for it.
And just when my stomach said "no more!" out comes the dessert- course number seven! Not just any dessert but some type of hand made custard covered in graham cracker crumbs. I could taste the butter and the cream as I licked my spoon. And with this we got a complimentary glass of muscato- very nice!
Oh-  did I forget to say that this is a wine bar? Just mosey up to the bar and have Michael tell you about the wines that he is pouring. They charge you by the ounce with the better wines costing about $12 for a full pour but you can also get a half a glass. While my original intent was to do a wine flight with my courses, I fell in love with a new wine; a Graffigna Malbec  that was big and fruity and just what I needed after the day I had had.
The only bad thing? Parking in this neighborhood challenges me every time I head up this way. Try Magnolia or Dover- they are your best bets.
Fontana Grill has to be one of the best places I've eaten in Uptown. Now I just can't wait for the weather to warm up a little so I can sit on the side patio and watch the world go by. If you're lucky- I might even give you a taste of my new favorite wine!
Guess what peeps? Â They got wine now. Â Yep, it now can go back to being "Fontana Wine Bar." Â
Enjoyed a lovely dinner with my girls last night on a blustery cold night. Â The service was fantastic. Â Our server was so sweet and friendly and very accommodating of our desire to have a leisurely-paced dinner. Â The owner is a doll as well, kindly opening our champagne for us (as we still were able to BYO for the time-being).
We shared some apps: the caprese, the cevapi with polenta, and the trio. Â All were very good. Â I'm not eating meat for right now, so I didn't try any of the cevapi, but you better believe that I'm gonna eat that like no one's business after April 12. Â It looked great. Â The grilled polenta was sweet and served with a cucumber sauce that was fantastic--loved that.
I had the salmon, served in a butter sauce. Â It was pretty good, but the lamb going on next to me looked way better. Â I also had a piece of the quattro stragioni which was very good.
We also decided to enjoy a bottle of their wine (hey, they got their license, let's show 'em some support) and it was very good...very reasonably priced as well.
We capped off our evening with a piece of their home-made tirimisu which was just lovely. Â Light, sweet, and creamy, it was the perfect way to end our dinner.
All in all, a fantastic place for dinner. Â I can't wait til the weather is nice and I can try out that patio. Â Perfect for a girls' night or a date.
The owner is very nice and knows all about how to give good service. Â In fact at the end of the night, when we opted to call a cab rather than standing out in the wind tundra that Chicago decided to be that night, he ran out into the street to grab us a cab. Â Yay!
Fontana is so close to being 5 stars but I feel I have to go one more time to really seal the deal.
I chose Fontana for Valentine's Day. It's close, it's BYOB (for now), and we had never been there. Yes, that's right, "I" chose it. You have to know your strengths (and weaknesses) in relationships. I even made the GD reservation myself so how do you like that?
The inside is small but cozy (and maybe a tad bit cramped). It was more modernly decorated than I expected it to be for a place with grill in its name, that's in Uptown.
They were having a pre-fixe option that night for $65 a couple. It sounded like a great deal but I already had my heart set on the polenta appetizer and truffle fries, which were not included in the pre-fixe. Â
The polenta appetizer is good but I'm excited to go back and try some other aps like the trio and calamari. For dinner my SO got the steak with asparagus and I got the rack of lamb and substituted the truffle fries in place of the au gratin potatoes. Everything was very good. We both came to the conclusion that Fontana has a small menu but they cook everything, well everything we tried, very well.
The death by chocolate cake for dessert was delicious. We were full but not overly stuffed. Success!
This place will be fun when the warm weather hits with its large patio. White wine here I come.
I've been back to Fontana a few times now, and though I've wavered between 3 and 4 stars, I now feel confident about doling out 4.
Though Fontana's menu is somewhat limited, the choices are diverse, very reasonably-priced and some of the items exhibit that Eastern European influence that I love (I believe the owner is Bosnian). The truffle fries are a sinner's delight and the cevapi are authentic, plump and robust as they should be. Fontana also offers an impressive collection of pizza and the grilled mussels cooked in truffle oil are next on my list.
Their service has improved since my first visit (I think they've worked out the opening kinks). The restaurant is lit dimly but at the same time has the feel of a bistro to-- think Quartino-- a bit loud, bustling, with tables in close proximity. Extremely European.
Fontana is still BYOB... makes it difficult to consider them a 'wine bar' at this time, but the owner promises a thoughtful wine menu with some really great yet reasonable picks to nicely round it out. For now, I bring 2 cheap bottles of Malbec and leave with a wine-drunk grin!
Watch this space: the gorgeous patio will be huge come summertime.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
