Publico

We tried Mike Randolph's latin-inspired restaurant in the Loop.  Ever since the James Beard nomination came out, reservations are hard to get.  We could either go at 5:30 or 9:30.  Luckily a spot opened up at 6:15 and we took it.

They have a fun drink list but the champagne cocktail I ordered was overkill with the Campari and I could only take two sips before I cast it aside.

The plates are small, so they recommend ordering a bunch of dishes.  There were three of us and most things came in twos, so we had to get creative with the splitting.

We tried the sweetbreads (it's animal pancreas...not bread that is sweet), the Guacamole Arepas (leaven corn pancakes with guacamole, queso and salsa), three of the tacos (fish, carnitas and barbacoa), and the pork ribs (cooked over an open flame).

All of the tacos were blah - didn't come close to Mission Taco.  The pork ribs were decent.  But the real scene stealer was the guacamole.  Luckily we were told ahead of time to order two for the table, because I could've eaten the entire dish myself.  

I would go back to sit at the bar, get a (different) drink, and order the guacamole as a light meal.

Parigi

We tried Parigi on Friday night and it was extremely disappointing.  The service was extremely slow - the meal lasted 3 hours- and Ryan had to keep getting up to remind the waitress to bring us things. Worst of all, the food was ridiculously overpriced.  My "first course" sized pasta was $21.  Ryan asked to make his tortellini an entree size and they marked it up to $32!!!  Not worth it.  Add the fact that the location is awful and is where restaurants go to die, I don't see this place lasting more than 2-3 years.

Between the group at our table, we've pretty much tried all the pastas.  I ordered the best - Pappardelle al Ragu (classic veal ragu bolognese).  Ryan's tortellini with cream sauce was ok; but I thought it had a funky taste.

I won't be going back here unless someone begs me to.

Porano

Jessie and I tried Gerard Craft's Porano on Sunday.  We were super excited!  There were quite a few options, but we decided to go traditional: pasta, red sauce, meatballs and cheese.

It was a bit overpriced, but the portions were large.  We also got a side of Arancini balls, which were solid.  The noodles were a little undercooked and a bit harder than al dente.  I hate the Downtown location, but I'll be back to try something more adventurous and the salted caramel gelato pops.

P.S. Jessie was able to stalk Gerard Craft while we were there.