Siena Tavern

Best Tiramisu in River North. Hands down, stfu.

Soon after we sat down, our scrumptiously thin 12" Margherita pizza hit the bar and went well with my generous pour of their own red blend, which is also mouthgasmic. The thin amount of sauce and cheese were PERFECT for this lunchtime snack.  The crust ends were perfect for dipping into the savory and erotic garlic aioli.  

The tiramisu comes in a metal trough and has climatic bits of white chocolate strategically scattered amongst the black coffee nirvana goo that sits between high class, crispy lady fingers. WOo!

Daniel and Ashlee are the great ladies who took great care of us as we didn't quite hear the instructions at the front desk about how to proceed sans reservations.

The ladies were handling a frenzied lunch rush crowd but kept the personal touch expert, along with the support staff who truly seemed to like having us there. (This isn't often the case in this area.)  I'm pretty sure I've laughed it up with Daniel at another location nearby but forgot to mention it.

Now I'm just a few steps from this location and have been waiting months for them to open, to such delight.

Someone put a ton of thought, care and cash into this new spot and it has the widest, smoothest granite bar I've had the pleasure of groping.

He was William Shatner's personal chef! The man fed T.J. Hooker, and the Priceline Negotiator! Captain Kirk liked his food so much that he chose to have it on a regular basis.  And if it's good enough for Captain Kirk...

I was hoping I'd get to meet Chef Fabio Viviani when we dined at his Siena Tavern last night. As luck would have it, he was out of town.

We were seated at a four top by large floor to ceiling windows offering a great view of the action on Kinzie Street.  Based on our server's recommendation I started with the Grey Goose cocktail No. 2. With peach, lemon, and prosecco, it tasted much better than the Johnny Walker Black cocktail No. 8.

For an appetizer I wanted to try the Coccoli, but like the famous chef, it was MIA. They were out of stracchino cheese.  The gigantic Kobe Meatball more than made up for the missing Coccoli. It was served in a tomato sauce with ricotta and shaved basil, and I would gladly have made a meal out of just it.  I hear the meatball is so popular it has its own Twitter account.

My squid ink linguini with a grilled lobster tail entree was spectacular. The spicy lobster cream sauce added just the right amount of heat.  The dish was perfectly executed. I also loved that there were large chunks of lobster hidden in the pasta.

For dessert, the Tiramisu was an obvious choice. We knew we couldn't go wrong with one of Chef Fabio's signature preparations.  Our server also suggested the Bomboloni, Italian doughnuts. Served in a paper bag, they were accompanied by miniature squeeze bottles of caramel, chocolate and raspberry sauces which could be injected into the doughnuts. The caramel was a little too sweet for me.  I resorted to making up my own sauce by mixing the much more subtle raspberry with the chocolate.

Overall, the meal was excellent.  It was a great value for money too. Of course that was to be expected.  If there is one thing the Priceline Negotiator knows, it's a good deal. He would never have hired Chef Fabio if he didn't think he was getting a great deal.

First the nuts and bolts and little things:  Hot new place attached to Fabio Viviani of Check Please fame.  He joined with a hot group to open a large space in the uber hot River North area.  Think of Hubbard St, Erie St,. Kinzie, Dearborn, and State street near Wacker drive.  Very competitive area for food.   Well, he may have staying power as long as the crowds don't mind paying up to $16 for a pizza and upwards of $30 for a main course and $12 for parking.  Now, little things.  Had a very nice beet salad, but we also ordered the Truffle Pizza and the salad plate remained on the table for the pizza.  A restaurant of this nature should have taken the salad plate and replaced it immediately.  Servers and bus boys ned to know this.   Also, forks were used, taken but not replaced until after we received our next course.  Finally, my wife's decaf coffee was just colored weak water and the server did not bring cream or sugar and this had to be requested.  Again, a restaurant of this type should not skimp on the coffee and should bring what is required without asking.  
Service was good and attentive and young, but the car park was quite slow in taking my car.  The message starts on the outside.  Now the food which is billed as rustic italian. I don't know.  Maybe rustic with modern takes.   We had a beet salad, a truffle pizza, the short rib ravioli, the gnocchi and the sea bass and the sticky parmesan potatoes, which are more like what you would get at a  Sunday breakfast with eggs, and finished with the donuts and dipping sauces and pistachio gelato, and a nice bottle of wine.  I think I would classify the food as small plates, but not very rustic. We did not leave hungry and all of the food was y good.to very good.   The best in Chicago, hardly, but nothing to complain about.  The gnocchi and ravioli were terrific and the pizza also very good.  The room is beautiful and must have cost a small fortune to put together.  Now, all they need to do is stay consistent, hope people don't have a problem spending the kind of dollars they are asking and keep filling the place.  Last night, there was a steady stream of people so that may not be a problem, but foodies are fickle and once the next hot thing comes along, they move on.  Finally, I had a nice conversation with one of the young managers.  We talked about the restaurant and the area, and just lots of general stuff.  Very nice young man, and he took time with us to talk.  Helps with the PR.  Good luck Fabio.