gioco

Located in the south Loop amid all the new construction & loft renovations, this is a great Italian restaurant, a venture from the owner of Marche and Red Light. There is an open kitchen, three exposed brick dining rooms & a small bar. The wine list is small & mostly Italian and there is also a nice selection by the glass. I started with the baby greens salad and I also enjoyed the arugula salad with prosciutto & gorgonzola with balsamic dressing. It was definitely large enough for two. On another visit, we shared a caprese salad and the grilled sea scallops with fried artichoke hearts and garlic. The scallops were sweet & juicy and the crispy fried artichoke hearts were like earthy potato chips. For entrees, we had the handmade penne with prosciuto and peas and the tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms. Both were delicious. Other entrees I enjoyed were the veal scallopini with porcini mushrooms, the sea scallops with creamy polenta, and the shrimp grilled on a rosemary skewer served over garbonzo beans. The shrimp were juicy and scented with the rosemary. The walnut tart had a nice crunchy crust. We all shared the tiramisu & thought it was one of the best we've had.