Restaurant Tue Dec 17 2013

Holiday Eats: Quartino

By Christina Brandon

Throughout this month, Drive-Thru staffers will be writing about their favorite bars and restaurants to celebrate the holiday, as so much of the holiday is not the day itself, but the days that come before -- the places you end up at after a holiday party, a day of errands and shopping, or just to hide away from the shorter days and colder weather.

I was all excited to join a few friends at Quartino for a holiday dinner until I found out there'd be 12 of us total. I saw our reservation stretch on and on for two, three, four hours before we'd be able to leave. Don't get me wrong, four hours of eating is fantastic fun-when most of that time is actually eating. But with huge parties, much of the time is long pauses dragging on between drinks and ordering before the entrees arrive. Getting the bill settled with that big of a group feels like an hour in itself.

I didn't need to worry at Quartino. The small, sharable plates and pizzas came out quickly and steadily shortly there after (it took more time for me to walk up to the second floor bathroom then it did for our wine to arrive) so we weren't bothered by grumbling stomachs between courses or the sumptuous smells of our neighbor's entree wafting around while we waited for our food.

The menu strikes an excellent balance between diverse options that doesn't overwhelm with choices, and it's full of warm, hearty dishes to keep the winter chill at bay: house-made pastas (cavatelli, gnocchi with arugula pesto, ravioli with braised pork, speck and fava beans), eggplant Parmesan, shrimp risotto, salmon, osso buco. With a huge group, you get to taste all of these.

A big table passing plates of food around adds to the slightly chaotic, convivial atmosphere that Quartino encourages. Tables are cluttered with stacks of small white plates, glass bottles of water, carafes of wine, olive oil, Parmesan cheese. There's no raucous music and the TVs playing black-and-white Italian movies are muted so the noise level is actually people just talking to each other.

Quartino turned out to be the perfect spot for group gatherings, during the holidays or otherwise (but especially on the holidays). Sharing good food and conversation take center stage here, where even a huge group can relax with their wine, taste lots of food, and sip coffee with dessert. All this within an enjoyable, surprisingly short two hours.

626 N State St.
(312) 698-5000
Reservations strongly encouraged