There’s an elevated floor behind the bar at Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio, the new pasta-forward restaurant from former Spiaggia executive chef Sarah Grueneberg, that looks bigger than the restaurant’s actual kitchen. While it plays host to a remarkable piece of stagecraft, it’s also integral to the food being served there.
Grueneberg’s more traditional pastas include a wonderfully snappy pappardelle tossed in a duck ragu surprisingly busy with olives and parsnips. The star of the classic tortellini en brodo, meanwhile, is the brodo itself, in which bob mortadella-stuffed nuggets. The spell of this powerfully rich brew is broken only when a server adds the bevr’in vin, a traditional shot of gently fizzy Lambrusco—illustrating the emphasis on correct preparation and precise service at Monteverde. Most noodles are cooked perfectly al dente; every plate arrives piping hot.
1020 W. Madison 312-888-3041 monteverdechicago.com
