ed by Russ Tutterow; the official open-ing is March 17.

Chicago’s hot right now forDiamond, who moved to Boston a yearand a half ago, where she’s also a resi-dent playwright with the HuntingtonTheater. The second idea she men-tioned to Steppenwolf—a family dramaabout the search for a father—hascome to fruition as Stick Fly, whichwill open in a Congo Square produc-tion directed by Chuck Smith at theDuncan YMCA just one week afterVoyeurs de Venus opens. On top of thatSteppenwolf recently announced thatthey’ll remount her adaptation of ToniMorrison’s The Bluest Eye in the fall.The Northwestern University graduate,36, says she thought of herself as anactor through college and in her firstyears in the business, and “didn’t quiteget” that she could be a playwrightuntil she hooked up with people likeformer Northwestern adjunct facultymember Charles Smith and foundChicago Dramatists.

a “modern Medici” in a profile commis-sioned and published by the Lyric dur-ing the 2000-’01 season, Vilar was saidto have a generosity of “Renaissanceproportions that stagger the imagina-tion.” Vilar, who underwrote Lyric pro-ductions of Alcina (1999) and Otello(2001) and cosponsored The Queen ofSpades (2000), was touted as a “stellarexample” of the Lyric’s supporters, andwas appointed national director of theLyric Opera board. The New York-based investment guru, whose fortuneshad soared during the Internet bubble,was the benefactor of major operacompanies in Europe and the UnitedStates, including Covent Garden, LaScala, and the Metropolitan, whichrenamed its Grand Tier seating andrestaurant for him. According to theLyric profile he’d already given orpledged $200 million; a $50 millionpledge to the Kennedy Center for thePerforming Arts and another $20 mil-lion for the Met soon followed.

Those were the good times. Arecent New Yorker article by James B.Stewart chronicles Vilar’s operaticdownfall. It turns out the supposedupper-class refugee was born in NewJersey, and his fabled wealth has gonethe way of his Cuban childhood.Arrested last May for fraud andembezzlement (a $5 million invest-ment by a longtime client that failed toyield interest payments was the trig-ger), he was unable to come up with$10 million for bail. Calls to his friendson the boards of the opera companiesthat had feted him went unanswered—only Valery Gergiev, of the KirovOpera, responded—and Vilar spentfour weeks in jail before the bail wasreduced enough to spring him. He’llstand trial next month, along with hisbusiness partner, Gary Tanaka. TheNew Yorker reports that Vilar’s namewas erased from the Grand Tier andrestaurant at the Met in 2003 after hefailed to meet some of his commit-ments. Stewart’s story doesn’t mentionLyric Opera, but it’s been reported pre-viously that Vilar also failed to fulfillhis Chicago pledges. I wondered howmuch they’d been stiffed and called theLyric to find out. I might as well havebeen dialing from jail. v

The Business

P laywright Lydia Diamond saysSaartjie Baartman has been“floating around” in her head

since college. “She’s a historical personwho comes up a lot for women,African-American women in particu-lar,” she says. “I was thinking about therole of black women in the media, theway we’re either oversexualized ordesexualized. And I was also thinking

what it means towrite for differentaudiences, andhow the storychanges depend-ing upon thevoyeur.” Baartmanwas a youngKhoisan workingfor a Dutch familynear Capetown in1810 when thebrother of heremployer suggest-ed that Europeanswould pay hand-somely for a lookat her. He facili-

tated a trip to England, where she wasexhibited and became famous as theHottentot Venus.

The fascination with Baartmanstemmed from her ethnicity and heranatomy, both of which seemed exoticto 19th-century Europeans, accordingto historian Stephen Jay Gould, whoincluded an essay on Baartman in his1985 collection, The Flamingo’s Smile.Khoisan women were known forimpressively proportioned rear ends,Gould wrote, and Baartman wasapparently well-endowed in thatdepartment. They were also said tosport a genital flap of perplexing origin.Baartman, who was exhibited nearlynude in a cage, allowed her rear, butnot her “apron,” to be shown. But aftershe fell ill and suffered an early death(in France, where she was also exhibit-ed, in 1815), anatomist Georges Cuvierdissected her private parts and identi-fied the “apron” as an enlargement ofthe inner lips of the vulva. A jar con-taining Baartman’s preserved genitaliaremained in the collection of theMusee de l’Homme in Paris, along withher skeleton, until 2002, when South

Africa won a protracted diplomatic andlegal battle with France. Her remainswere returned to her homeland, whereshe was, at last, given a proper burial.

Diamond says it was that contro-versy that brought her simmeringthoughts about Baartman to a boilthree or four years ago, about the sametime Steppenwolf approached herabout a commission. Artistic directorMartha Lavey and Edward Sobel,director of new play development, hadseen Diamond’s The Gift Horse at theGoodman and wanted to know whatelse she was working on. She present-ed them with two ideas, and theyselected the one about Baartman.Diamond spent six months research-ing and the next two years working onthe play that became Voyeurs de Venus.Steppenwolf released it after a coupleprivate readings, and ChicagoDramatists, where Diamond has beena resident playwright for eight years,picked it up. Previews begin this week-end for its first full production, direct-

Baartman’s compelling story isn’tan easy one to handle. Pulitzer Prizewinner Suzan-Lori Parks took it on afew years ago in Venus, a play that wonan Obie in 1996 but collected mixedreviews. Diamond says she deliberatelyavoided Parks’s play until her own waswritten, and wasn’t influenced by it.Voyeurs de Venus is about bothBaartman and a fictional contempo-rary author setting out to tellBaartman’s story. The stain of its cen-tral issue, exploitation, spreads toinclude the contemporary character.“By telling [Baartman’s] story, are youpaying homage or furthering the degra-dation? That’s her dilemma,” Diamondexplains. It’s Diamond’s dilemma too.“We’re all implicated,” she says.

The Lyric’s LossJust a few years ago Lyric Opera wassinging the praises of an extraordinarypatron: Cuban refugee and self-madebillionaire Alberto Vilar. Celebrated as

Sorry, SaartjieLydia Diamond’s Voyeurs de Venus addresses the exploitation inherent in writing about the exploited.

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Lydia Diamond

By Deanna Isaacs

thebusiness@chicagoreader.com

LydiaDiamondWHEN Fri 3/17, 11AM and 1:30 PMWHERE ColumbiaCollege LudingtonBldg., 8th floor,1104 S. WabashPRICE FreeINFO Diamond isappearing as partof the Story WeekFestival of Writers;for a completeschedule, see page 22.

2 CHICAGO READER | MARCH 10, 2006 | SECTION TWO

CHICAGO READER | MARCH 10, 2006 | SECTION TWO 3

Anything butChicago-StyleChoice joints for thin-crust pies

Art of Pizza3033 N. Ashland | 773-327-5600

F 8.3 | S 6.8 | A 3.5 | $ (5 REPORTS)PIZZA, ITALIAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS |OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11 |RESERVATIONS NOT ACCEPTED | BYO | SMOKEFREE

rrr Art of Pizza’s pan crust is crisp andbuttery, with only a bit of chewiness. Evenmore impressive: toppings here aren’tsuperfluously greasy. The menu forgoesfroufrou California-style pies in favor ofspecialties such as “Art’s Meaty Delight”(sausage, bacon, ground beef, pepperoni,and sliced beef). Reasonably priced subs,sandwiches, ribs, chicken, and pasta dishesare also available, along with prepackagedsalads and cake slices for carryout. Theambience isn’t much, but this small store-front is clean and friendly, and its strip-mall location makes a convenient stop-offif you’re hitting the Jewel across the street.Anne Ford

Bricks1909 N. Lincoln | 312-255-0851

F 7.1 | S 6.7 | A 7.3 | $$ (6 REPORTS)PIZZA | DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE:THURSDAY-SATURDAY TILL 11

This casual neighborhood place has goodthin-crust pizza prepared in a lighter stylethan most. One Rater says, “If you want abig ol’ sausage pizza, go to Gino’s. If youwant vegetarian or lighter pizzas, thisplace may be for you.” The menu is limited,but prices are reasonable, the space iscomfortable, and service is friendly. Thebeer selection is ample—half a dozenmicrobrews on tap and another 15 avail-able by the bottle, including several hard-to-find ones like Fat Tire Ale. Laura LevyShatkin

Candlelite Chicago7452 N. Western | 773-465-0087

$AMERICAN, PIZZA | DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPENLATE: TILL 2 EVERY NIGHT | RESERVATIONSACCEPTED FOR LARGE GROUPS ONLY

The Candlelite is a model of how to take aclassic dive and sink a ton of money intospiffing it up without corrupting its originalintegrity. For decades the green martiniglass on this neighborhood saloon’s neonsign was a beacon for wonderful cracker-thin-crust pizza—and still is. That’s evenafter a group of regulars took it over—

including a culinary school grad—andinstalled flat-screen TVs in practicallyevery sight line. Rest assured you won’tmiss the big play while sitting on the can,but somehow all those cathode teatsdon’t seem so intrusive bordered byexposed brick, red pleather, and shinydark wood. The thickish, well-blisteredcheese on the pies almost negates thematzolike crust, but this is optimal booz-ing pizza and can be heartily demolishedwith minimal residual loginess. There’s awide range of gussied-up and largely for-gettable bar food, with a few standoutslike a boat of intensely aromatic garlicfries dressed in red wine vinegar—orderthose extra crispy, lest they go soggy.Pizzas are two for one on Tuesdays. MikeSula

Caponie’s Cafe & Pizza3350 N. Harlem | 773-804-9024

$$PIZZA, ITALIAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SUNDAY,TUESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED MONDAY | OPENLATE: TILL MIDNIGHT EVERY NIGHT |RESERVATIONS NOT ACCEPTED

With posters and pix from The Godfather andGoodFellas and more portraits of TonySoprano than you’ll find on Ma Gandolfini’smantel, Caponie’s is pure postwar Italo-American cheese. Nonetheless, the pizza isabout as good as you’ll find in any Little Italy.The secret is a wood-burning oven as big as awalk-in closet, blazing with oak. I like thequattro stagione, which allows you to pickfour toppings from a roster that includesGorgonzola and bocconcini, little balls of

fresh mozzarella; you can also get traditionalpreparations such as a Neapolitan-style pizzamargherita. Other Italian standards on themenu—homemade minestrone, a fish stewpacked with seafood, rich chickenFlorentine—are impressive. There are even afew dishes you don’t see every day: arancini,orange balls of rice stuffed with peas, beef,and cheese, and panzerotti, deep-fried tartsfilled with meat, cheese, and crushed toma-toes. David Hammond

Follia953 W. Fulton | 312-243-2888

$$$ITALIAN | DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE:FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 1, OTHER NIGHTS TILL 11

Passersby may mistake this stylish store-

front, owned by Hype Model Managementhoncho Bruno Abate, for a boutique orgallery: the mannequins perched in thefront windows are all wearing haute cou-ture, and the waitstaff is made up mostlyof models. But chef Alberto Boccelli, whohails from the Principe di Savoia Hotel inMilan, executes a refreshingly straightfor-ward menu using mostly imported Italianingredients and fresh cheese and pasta.The mozzarella on the caprese salad ismade in-house, fresh and creamy and driz-zled with an aromatic herbed olive oil. Thepizzas don’t have any designer elementsand don’t need them; margherita (moz-zarella and basil), napoletana (anchoviesand oregano), and quattro formaggi allcome on a thin, deliciously chewy crust.The rest of the menu changes daily, but on

RestaurantsListings are excerpted from the Reader Restaurant Finder, an onlinedatabase of more than 3,000 Chicago-area restaurants. Restaurantsare rated by more than 2,200 Reader Restaurant Raters, who feedus information and comments on their dining experiences. Webratings are updated daily; print listings reflect the most currentinformation available at publication time. Reviews are written by

Reader staff and contributors and (where noted) individual Raters.Though reviewers try to reflect the Restaurant Raters’ input,reviews should be considered one person’s opinion; the collectiveRaters’ opinions are best expressed in the numbers. The completelistings and information on how to become a Reader RestaurantRater are available at www.chicagoreader.com/restaurantfinder.

It’s All in the Oven

Spaccanapoli, the historic center of Naples. “It was alabor of love for two and a half years,” he says.

The restaurant’s front door opens onto a gilt-framed six-foot-long print of the Naples harbor. Aphoto of Toto, the beloved Neapolitan comic actor,hangs over the open kitchen. In the corner, shimmer-ing with heat, is the oven. Goldsmith knows the originof every inch of it: he packed a shipping container inNaples with three types of sand, three types of brick,and a slab of volcanic stone—13,000 pounds total. Ittook the three third- and fourth-generation Neapolitanoven builders ten days to build it. The oven’s small inte-rior—it’s approximately three feet wide and a foot-and-a-half tall—is blanketed by walls of thick sand. “This’llstay warm for five days,” Goldsmith says.

To handle the pizza preparation Goldsmith hiredNella Grassano, who’s originally from Formia, a townbetween Rome and Naples, where she worked in her

family’s restaurant. At Spacca Napoli she’s also pro-ducing splendid versions of southern Italian antipastilike zucchine alla scapece. As each pizza order comesin she stretches out the dough in seconds, draping itover her left hand and spanking it into a circle withher right. She slips a pizza peel through the narrowoven door and leaves the pizza a few feet from a pileof smoldering oak logs. After just a minute she flipsup the corner with the peel—the crust is already firmand blackening. “Good,” she says. “You see, it’s goodalready.” She levitates it above the stone to finish thetoppings—for five seconds, no more—then slides itonto a pizza plate imported from Naples. Next to theplate the waiter will lay a special pizza knife, serratedand angled at the tip—also Neapolitan, of course.

Come spring Spacca Napoli’s pizza will be servedat sidewalk tables, next to which Goldsmith plans tobuild—what else?—a boccie court. —Nicholas Day

In Business

J onathan Goldsmith slept just three hours thenight before last. His new Neapolitan pizzeria,Spacca Napoli, was so busy on its first Friday

that he had to get up at four the next morning tomake dough. Now it’s Sunday at noon, and he needsto make more. But Goldsmith, dressed in a baseballcap that says “Napoli” and a T-shirt bearing the brandname Caputo (makers of a finely milled pizza flour),

is too enthusiastic about hismassive wood-burning brickoven to mind. He aims aninfrared gun at the oven’s terra-cotta floor: the temperature is at500 degrees even after a night

and a morning without fuel. Goldsmith flew a trio ofNeapolitan oven builders over to build it on-site;some of the sand that insulates it is from MountVesuvius. The result, he likes to say, is “probably thebest oven in America.”

True Neapolitan pizza is elemental: just flour,water, yeast, salt, and a few spare toppings baked inan oven so hot it could almost forge steel, up to 1,200degrees. The crust should be pliable, not crackerlike,with blackened blisters; the top should be moist withfresh mozzarella, the rim puffy. Ideally it’s servedimmediately, before the dough can get soggy—take-out orders clearly cause Goldsmith pain. He hopes tohave his restaurant certified by the Verace PizzaNapoletana Association, an organization that pro-nounces pizzerias officially Neapolitan. There are just11 certified in the U.S.

Trained as a clinical social worker, Goldsmith gotinto real estate in Chicago in the early 90s and mademoney while the market was hot. He’d lived in Italyfor several years in the late 80s with his wife, artistGinny Sykes, and they’ve returned regularly since. Ona plane in 2003 he fell into conversation with theowner of a New York pizzeria, who saw a newspaperphoto of Goldsmith cooking at the Inspiration Cafe, anonprofit that provides meals for the homeless, andsuggested that he open a restaurant. Intrigued,Goldsmith started hanging out at pizzerias in Naples,eventually spending six months out of the next yearand a half in the city.

“It was just kismet,” he says. Some restaurateurswere bewildered by him—an American who justwanted to learn about pizza—but the owners of DiMatteo, where Bill Clinton once ate, adopted him.Soon Goldsmith was making plans to convert thestorefront he’d bought on the quiet corner ofSunnyside and Ravenswood—originally intended as agallery for his wife—into something like you’d find in

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SpaccaNapoli1769 W. Sunnyside773-878-2420

Spacca Napoli’s custom-built pizza oven, owner Jonathan Goldsmith (top right)

one visit there was an assortment ofhomemade pastas for the first course:tagliolini with fresh shrimp and zucchini,ziti with tomato sauce and ricotta, a richbut al dente risotto with porcini mush-rooms and asparagus. The limited selec-tion of entrees one night included scallop-inialla lombarda (veal in lemon sauce,pounded thin and served with fresh pars-ley and mashed potatoes) and a sole dishwith shrimp, tomato, and capers thatwould have had more appeal if it hadn’tbeen served in the foil it was baked in.Laura Levy Shatkin

Fornello Trattoria1011 W. Irving Park | 773-404-2210

F 7.4 | S 8.0 | A 6.0 | $$ (5 REPORTS)ITALIAN, PIZZA | DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPENLATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL MIDNIGHT,OTHER NIGHTS TILL 11 | RESERVATIONS ACCEPT-ED FOR LARGE GROUPS ONLY

Opera music and an Italian seaside muralcomplete with Roman ruins set a relaxed,inviting tone at this spacious family-ownedrestaurant. A wood-burning fireplace bothwarms the ample waiting area and churnsout delicious thin-crust pizza. The rest of themenu runs the gamut of Italian specialties—from polenta, calamari, and bruschetta tohomemade gnocchi, tricolor rotolo withfresh ricotta, spinach, and prosciutto, anddelicate sauteed veal in a flavorful lemon-caper sauce served with an ample side ofpasta. Carryout is popular, and there’s acounter in the neighboring doorway whereorders flow in. Laura Levy Shatkin

Freddy’s Pizzeria1600 S. 61st, Cicero | 708-863-9289

$PIZZA, ITALIAN | LUNCH, DINNER: MONDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED SUNDAY | RESERVATIONSNOT ACCEPTED | CASH ONLY | SMOKE FREE

The Zabar’s of Cicero, Freddy’s Pizza offersdry goods such as olive oil and pasta, butthe real attraction is a display case ofantipasti and hot dishes you can take awayor eat on the crowded porch. Primi includea very fine chickpea salad, heart-challeng-ing slices of salami in oil, and buffalo moz-zarella with basil and tomato—the last, ifyou ask me, one of the clearest expres-sions of Italian culinary genius. I’ve some-times thought I’d rather eat my toe thananother plate of pasta Alfredo, but therigatoni here is dressed with light cream,just a little cheese, and a few peas—I’dorder it again, especially with somesauteed rapini on the side. The lasagna isquite delicate, house-made noodles lay-ered softly over fluffy ricotta and discreet-ly covered with a chunky, conservativelyseasoned tomato sauce. Rather than beingcracker crisp, the pizza crust is like a goodslice of puffy Italian loaf smeared withcheese and sausage (or any of seven oreight other options). The folks at Freddy’sbake their breads in a range of shapes andsizes, and there’s an array of Italian icesand gelati, ethereally creamy and, likemost offerings here, made in the back.David Hammond

Go Roma Italian Kitchen848 N. State | 312-252-9946

$ITALIAN, PIZZA | BREAKFAST: SATURDAY-SUNDAY;LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | SMOKE FREE

For a quick lunch or dinner, you could do alot worse than Go Roma Italian Kitchen, a“chef-driven” chain offering pizza, pasta,sandwiches, and salads that recentlyopened its first city location. Pizza with acrispy, thin crust, the focus of the menu,comes by the half or full plank; you candesign your own or order classics like themargherita or plain pepperoni as well astrendier toppings like sun-dried tomato andgoat cheese. The garlic cream sauce incountry-style rigatoni could have been a lit-tle thicker, but other ingredients—Italiansausage, red peppers, and mushrooms—came in just the right proportions. A touchof sharply flavored pesto added extra depthto tomato-basil soup. It’s the attention todetail that makes Go Roma better than youraverage fast-food dining experience: a dedi-cation to fresh, healthy ingredients (themenu promises “no trans fats”); speedy,friendly service; and a stylish interior thatowes more to the design firms of Milan thanthe pizza parlors of Sicily. Heather Kenny

Got Pizza719 S. State | 312-957-1111

$PIZZA | LUNCH: MONDAY-FRIDAY; DINNER: SEVENDAYS | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL MID-NIGHT, OTHER NIGHTS TILL 11 | RESERVATIONSNOT ACCEPTED | SMOKE FREE

A better-than-average Chicago stab at NewYork-style pizza, Got Pizza makes up inatmosphere and variety of ingredientswhat it lacks in greasiness. Depending onwhat you order the slices can be a littlepricey for their size—$2.50 for plain cheeseand up to $4.50 for the veggie—but thepizza’s very good, and in a neighborhoodthat’s severely lacking in food options, late-night or otherwise, this place is a godsendafter a show at HotHouse, which is justaround the corner. Ulysses Smith

Gulliver’s2727 W. Howard | 773-338-2166

F 6.3 | S 6.2 | A 10.0 | $$ (11 REPORTS)PIZZA, ITALIAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS |OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 1, OTHERNIGHTS TILL 11

The building itself is bright and cheery withlots of ornate stained glass, and Gulliver’spizza is a must, especially if you’re fortu-nate enough to live within their deliveryarea (mostly Rogers Park), but even if youhave to trek to the far-north-side location.Their recipe suits my preferences: bread-like but crispy thin crust, moderate cheeseand toppings, and spicy sauce with lots ofgarlic. Stephanie Holinka, Rater

Letizia’s Natural Bakery2144 W. Division | 773-342-1011

F 7.7 | S 6.3 | A 7.3 | $ (8 REPORTS)ITALIAN, PIZZA | BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER:SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: TILL 11 EVERY NIGHT

Formerly a history teacher in Rome, LetiziaSorano opened her bakery and coffee shopin November 1998, shortly after she movedto the States. The “natural” in the namemeans no bleached flours, hydrogenatedoils, or artificial colors or flavors; withinthese restrictions she regularly makes pies,cookies, biscotti, cheesecakes, and truffles(layers of sponge cake and ganache in fla-vors like raspberry and white chocolate).Also on the menu are 20 kinds of paniniand pizza rustica with toppings includingpesto, prosciutto, and kalamatas. Last fallSorano and her son, Fabio, opened EnotecaRoma, a wine bar connected to the coffee-house via a short hallway. HollyGreenhagen

Marie’s Pizzeria and Liquors4129 W. Lawrence | 773-725-1812

$PIZZA, ITALIAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS |OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 12:30,MONDAY-THURSDAY TILL 11:30, SUNDAY TILL 11 |BYO

This Mayfair pie joint has been open since1940, and though it’s been dressed up peri-odically, it has a musty vibe stuck some-where in late-70s New Jersey. Distressedfaux-copper Formica tables, red vinylbooths, chandeliers cut like Superman’s icefortress, and a colossal mirror of theChicago skyline improbably set against alarge mountain range all contribute to thevague sense that the place ought to beswamped with mooks wearing pinkie rings.Instead the tables are filled with old folksand families from the neighborhood. Whatbrings them in isn’t the standard range ofAmer-Italian red-sauced dishes but thesuperb crispy thin-crust pizza, which has anear perfect grease-to-cheese ratio and issauced with a sharp gravy. Next doorthere’s a well-stocked liquor store, whereyou can pick out a wine to drink with din-ner (there’s no corkage fee). Mike Sula

Noli’s4839 N. Kedzie | 773-588-0400

$PIZZA, EUROPEAN, MEDITERRANEAN | LUNCH,DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY &SATURDAY TILL 2, SUNDAY-THURSDAY TILL MID-NIGHT | BYO

Though it’s possibly the only Albanianpizzeria in town, Noli’s sells New York-stylepizza. It’s too bad that the Albanianshaven’t seemed to master the delicatealchemy of coaxing a red-tinged grease outof their cheese in the manner of a goodNew York pie. Maybe they don’t cook itlong enough, or hot enough. Maybe there’stoo much cheese and not enough sauce, orthe crust is too doughy. Maybe they’ve puttoo much effort into their Hawaiian pizza,but the New York style here is, at best, onlyfor emergencies. What Noli’s does do wellis the hot puffy Balkan pastry called borek.Pulled from the oven, they look like phylloballoons straining upward against theirmeat, cheese, or spinach ballast. Theground meat borek is bland, but the cheesevariety is filled with a thick, slightly sharp

Restaurants

4 CHICAGO READER | MARCH 10, 2006 | SECTION TWO

white cheese, and the spinach is a tangyamalgamation of greens and cheese. Theoven turns out sweet pastries and freshbread by the loaf and the refrigerator isfilled with tubs of house-made yogurt.These things are good for the road, but thehot stuff doesn’t travel well, so it’s best toeat on the premises. Mike Sula

O’Famé750 W. Webster | 773-929-5111

F 7.0 | S 5.8 | A 6.2 | $$ (9 REPORTS)ITALIAN, PIZZA | LUNCH: MONDAY-SATURDAY;DINNER: SEVEN DAYS

I prefer thin-crust pizza over the deep-dishgut busters renowned in our city, andO’Famé serves delicious pies a cut aboveothers I’ve had here. We ordered a pizzawith spinach, artichoke hearts, Gorgonzola,and tomato medallions, and it was incredi-bly flavorful. The sauce was fresh and light,with just the right amount of garlic andseasonings, and the cheese wasn’t greasyor salty (sorry Gino’s, Connie’s, andGiordano’s). O’Famé also has some greatsalads and entrees—there’s a wide range ofpasta dishes as well as chicken, steak, veal,and seafood preparations. The waitstaffvaries: sometimes you’ll get a seasonedprofessional who reads the table’s needsintuitively and works efficiently; othertimes it’s a cream puff just out of collegewho’d rather be doing anything other thanworking. But hey—the poor waiters neverlast long. Jason Cunningham

Piece1927 W. North | 773-772-4422

F 6.8 | S 5.8 | A 6.7 | $$ (30 REPORTS)PIZZA | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPENLATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 12:30, THURSDAYTILL 11 | RESERVATIONS ACCEPTED FOR LARGEGROUPS ONLY

It’s an ongoing pizza party at this WickerPark sports bar and restaurant, both ongame nights and Thursdays, when the frontstage opens to karaoke wannabe rockstars. Bill Jacobs, one of the Jacobs broth-ers of bagel fame, owns the place, whichspecializes in hand-formed thin-crust piz-zas like the ones served in Jacobs’s home-town, New Haven. He brought in formerSierra Nevada brewmaster Jonathan Cutlerto supervise the microbrewery attached tothe 5,800-square-foot dining room, for-merly home to Casten Roofing’s garage.The space has been spruced up with count-er-height tables and chairs, a faux concretefloor, a bow-truss ceiling with a skylightrunning its full length, and two sunkenlounge areas up front, where soothing bluebanquettes face windows that open ontothe sidewalk. Diners create their own piz-zas, choosing from three bases—plain

(tomato sauce, garlic, and Parmesan),white (olive oil, garlic, and mozzarella), andred (tomato sauce with mozzarella)—andtoppings that range from mushrooms andonions to the more unusual clams andbacon. There’s also a short list of appetiz-ers, salads, and sandwiches. Raters com-plain about long waits, but the huge barand substantial house brews help to makethem tolerable. Laura Levy Shatkin

Pizza Capri962 W. Belmont | 773-296-6000

$$PIZZA, ITALIAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS |OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL MIDNIGHT |SMOKE FREE

If someone had told me that the bestgrilled calamari in the city didn’t comefrom Greektown but from a gourmet pizzachain, I would have slapped him silly.Imagine my surprise, then, when on twoconsecutive visits, the generous portions ofsquid (all body, no tentacles) served atPizza Capri elicited appreciative murmursall around. It was just charry enough, justsmoky enough, and deliciously tender witha healthy squirt of lemon juice. In fact,nearly everything about this place sur-passed my expectations for a chain busi-ness, except the service, which was pleas-antly casual (“How ya doin’ over here?”“Who here needs a drink besides me?”) buta little unaccommodating (unwilling toissue our party two checks—most likelycorporate policy rather than personal dis-cretion). Other appetizers went over well,including mushroom caps stuffed withspinach and goat cheese, and bruschettatopped with goat cheese and tomatoestasting distinctively like olive oil. I alsoenjoyed the roasted eggplant mostaccioli,with a spicy tomato sauce and dotted withmore fresh goat cheese. Of course, pizza iswhat the place is known for, and while the“pesto lovers” pie topped with pesto andlarge, juicy shrimp got an enthusiasticthumbs-up, a simple spinach pizza was justOK. The place is comfortingly understated,with checkered tablecloths, lots of wood,and one discreet television (when I wasthere it was showing a basketball gamewith the sound off). Kathie Bergquist

Pizza D.O.C.2251 W. Lawrence | 773-784-8777

F 7.6 | S 7.0 | A 6.6 | $$ (33 REPORTS)ITALIAN, PIZZA | LUNCH: SUNDAY, SATURDAY,DINNER: SEVEN DAYS

Cesare D’Ortenzi (La Bocca Della Verita)and Lucia Mazzocchetti named theirrestaurant after the stamp of approvalgiven to Italian wine, cheese, and otherculinary products of verifiably high quality,

CHICAGO READER | MARCH 10, 2006 | SECTION TWO 5

6 CHICAGO READER | MARCH 10, 2006 | SECTION TWO

and they hold their own food to the sameexacting standards. Pizza crusts are rolledthin with a dowel and topped with combi-nations of tomato, mozzarella, artichoke,porcini, and even ham and egg, thencooked in a wood-burning oven. For hearti-er appetites there’s a variety of pasta dish-es (the gnocchiti al formaggi incorporatesmascarpone, Parmesan, and blue cheese),a porcini risotto, and specials that mightinclude Cornish hen or osso buco allaMilanese. Tasteful black-and-white photosof Roman ruins hang on the walls, and afew large feathery plants soften things up.This place blows away the majority ofItalian-American restaurants that callthemselves authentic. Laura Levy Shatkin

Pizza Rustica3913 N. Sheridan | 773-404-8955

F 8.0 | S 8.4 | A 6.9 | $ (9 REPORTS)ITALIAN, PIZZA | LUNCH, DINNER: SUNDAY,MONDAY, WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSEDTUESDAY | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL11 | BYO

rrr Every Italian restaurant likes to thinkthat its food is the real thing. Pizza Rusticajust may be. The caprese salad, for instance,is the kind of dish you see everywhere, butrarely does it taste as good as these hugeslices of tomato and light, creamy freshmozzarella finished with a misting of good

olive oil. The minestrone, too, seemed madeto order, with al dente vegetables in a finelyspiced tomato broth. For entrees weordered half a pizza and a linguine dish,both of which were more than excellent. Thepizza is thin crust—not the dense, soggy kindyou get most places, but light, crispy, andgolden brown, almost like a slightly softcracker. The toppings—thinly sliced pota-toes, fresh rosemary, olive oil, and cheese—decorated the surface of the crust withoutcompromising its integrity. The pasta was aldente and tossed with a conservative ladleof tomato cream sauce with none of thecloying sweetness or overspicing that ruinssimilar dishes. Desserts were great too: thepanna cotta, with flecks of vanilla bean anda drizzle of caramel sauce, was subtle, milky,and barely sweet. Pizza Rustica is absurdlycheap: most of the pasta dishes costbetween $7 and $8, half a pizza costs about$9.50 (more or less depending on toppings),and dessert was $3.50. Chip Dudley

Pizzeria Aroma1125 W. Berwyn | 773-769-4900

F 7.1 | S 7.6 | A 6.0 | $ (5 REPORTS)PIZZA, ITALIAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS |OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11:30 |RESERVATIONS NOT ACCEPTED | BYO | SMOKE FREE

A nine-table Italian eatery in Edgewaterthat’s equally good for dining in or taking

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We believe that a restaurant can be more or less than the sum of its parts, so apart from rating Food, Service, and Ambience, Reader Restaurant Raters are asked to give a score for the overall dining experience. These overall scores are averaged and rs are awarded as follows:

rrr top 10 percentrrr top 20 percentrrr top 30 percent

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CHICAGO READER | MARCH 10, 2006 | SECTION TWO 7

out. The red-tiled walls and a giant ceramictomato next to two mushrooms carvedbelow the counter give the space personal-ity. The homemade pizza (the dough isrolled in a machine for uniformity) comesin thick- or thin-crust versions with a vastselection of toppings, including herbs likerosemary and sage as well as jalapenos,pineapple, and artichokes. The best valueis the pasta—about 50 varieties, includingshrimp linguine (six garlic-sauteed freshshrimp in a huge bowl of nicely cookedpasta topped with a hearty, flavorful redsauce) and capellini con portobello pollo(angel-hair pasta tossed in pesto thentopped with charbroiled chicken and porto-

bellos). The calzone are huge, stuffed tobursting with any pizza topping, but unfor-tunately covered with too much heavymelted cheese. Salads and sandwiches arealso on the menu. Laura Levy Shatkin

Pompei Little Italy1531 W. Taylor | 312-421-5179

F 7.1 | S 7.0 | A 7.0 | $ (8 REPORTS)PIZZA, ITALIAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS |RESERVATIONS ACCEPTED FOR LARGE GROUPSONLY

This cafeteria-style Italian eatery on TaylorStreet serves hearty homemade pizza andhand-cut pasta. The pizza comes in large

squares cut from enormous sheet pans oras pizza “strudel,” a variation on stuffedpizza with crust on all sides. Raters men-tion the good-quality ingredients, casualatmosphere, and convenient takeout. Thelarge portions make it a cheap-eatsfavorite. Laura Levy Shatkin

Santullo’s Eatery1943 W. North | 773-227-7960

$PIZZA, ITALIAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS |OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 3,THURSDAY TILL MIDNIGHT, SUNDAY-WEDNESDAYTILL 11 | RESERVATIONS NOT ACCEPTED

There are precious few New York-stylepizzerias in town—the kind where they’ll cutslices, like, say, from a pie. I’ve heard thatthe habit of cutting midwestern pizza insquares can be blamed on obscure differ-ences in the preparation of the crust, whichcan’t stand up to the rigors of folding andcarrying around the way the New York slicedoes. Whether that’s true or not, Chicago

thin-crust pizza can and should be judgedon its own merits. Still, you’d think someonein town might be able to approximate NewYork style. Santullo’s comes close to thedelicate balancing act that creates a crispyet malleable slice with the right proportionof cheese to sauce to grease, an equationthat prevents the crust from sogging andthe cheese from slumping down your shirt.Close, but not quite. Santullo’s uses toomuch industrial-issue cheese, a thickishgrease-weeping blanket that tends to seepa tad too deeply into the upper crust. Butyou could do a lot worse. Mike Sula

Vito & Nick’s Pizzeria8433 S. Pulaski | 773-735-2050

$PIZZA, ITALIAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS |OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11:30 |CASH ONLY

Despite hints of balkanization in theBarraco family—there’s an unaffiliated sub-urban location—the original Vito & Nick’s

has reigned as the thin-crust pizza of thesouth side since 1945. Its squadron ofwhite-shirted dough boys is well trained,and great care is taken to ensure that piesemerge from the oven as nothing less thanparagons of pie maker’s art. A bit thickerthan the advertised cracker thin, the crustis toasty bottomed and only lightly corn-mealy, and there’s nary a hint of glueynesstopside—the perfect canvas for the ballsysauce and bubbling cheese, baked to thevery brink of browning. There’s a perfunc-tory selection of red-sauce and bar food,the most unusual example being the BigNicky, a fat patty of spicy fried Italiansausage on pizza bread, thinly blanketedby melted provolone, served with wafflefries and a dipping cup of marinara sauce.This location packs families in, serves verylarge and inexpensive cocktails, and seemsunaltered since its 1965 opening, withbrown shag-carpeted walls, an enshrinedportrait of the very late Vito, and wearywaitresses whose dogs may have beenbarking here since day one. Mike Sula

Food (F), service (S), and ambience (A) are rated on a scale of 1-10, with 10 representingbest. The dinner-menu price of a typical entree is indicated by dollar signs on thefollowing scale: $=less than $10, $$=$10-$15, $$$=$15-$20, $$$$=$20-$30,$$$$$ =more than $30. Raters also grade the overall dining experience; these scoresare averaged and rs are awarded as follows: rrr=top 10 percent, rrr=top 20percent, rrr=top 30 percent of all rated restaurants in database.