Where there is free food, I'll be there! (Reminder that I'm relatively unemployed and accumulating so much graduate school loan debt that I'll be eating plain bowls of white rice for the rest of my life because who can afford luxuries like soy sauce)
LOCATION: 1359 W Taylor St, Chicago, IL 60607
Last night we had a seminar/lecture series from local designers which took place at UIC and of course, the school offered to take the lecturers out to dinner after as a way to say thank you. This is where I come in. Along with a few of the faculty and the lecturers, UIC offered to take a few grad students out to dinner too, just to talk to the guests and learn a little more about real world experiences. I was the first to sign up because free food. I'm seriously that easy to please.
Davanti Enoteca was the place that UIC chose and I honestly really liked it . It was a chilly, crisp fall night so walking into this restaurant we were greeted with a warm welcoming feeling. Cozy Italian restaurants in the fall and winter are easily the best feelings. There were different light fixtures every few feet and the tables ranged in height and materials which felt fun and eclectic while still having a cohesive feeling to it.
The waitress was great and quickly informed us that the plates for the most part were served family style and were enjoyable when shared. My friend Nina and I decided to take a different approach to this. Nina has dietary restrictions and eats very healthy and consciously. I on the other hand, just eat everything. We both settled on our own portions of polpo con rafano or in english, seared octopus. Nina did the research beforehand, I was pretty happy to jump on board. I'm such a seafood lover but don't really make it for myself (thank you chef dad) so I was super pumped to have octopus again. It came with a side of fingerling potato salad. marcona almonds, finocchionia, and a horseradish aioli. All wins.
While it's meant to be shared and the rest of the table ordered another one to pass along with a multitude of other dishes, I was pretty content with this plate all on its own. It wasn't too small or too big for me to have alone and the flavors all worked so well. It did get a little salty at some points but the potatoes cut that a bit and the horseradish gave a fresh cool touch. I was easily in love and couldn't be more excited by this restaurant choice.