If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you know that I love Italian small plates restaurants. One of my favorites in Chicago is Davanti Enoteca. Located in the heart of Little Italy on Taylor Street, this small and intimate restaurant is the perfect place for a date night or girls night out. Last year, they even opened a second location in Chicago in the River North area. Although, I am partial to the Taylor Street location, we did try out the restaurant in River North last winter and the food was just as great! This location is slightly larger and has a more rustic feel.
On this particular visit, we went with Kevin’s parents which is nice because we were able to try more of the menu. The first thing we ordered was the burrata from the antipasti section of the menu. Any time burrata is on a menu, I will order it! I love the creamy texture of the cheese paired with crusty bread and Davanti’s version is one of my favorites!
Roasted Cherry Tomato + Burrata + Basil Pesto
The next thing we ordered was the prosciutto and veal meatballs. Again, meatballs are almost always a staple order for us. These meatballs were perfectly moist and flavorful from the delicious tomato sauce.
Prosciutto-Veal Meatballs + Braised Greens + Shaved Pecorino
Next up was an order of bruschette because who doesn’t need more bread? Every night the restaurant rotates the toppings so each time you go in, the bruschette will be different. Our bruschette was topped with ricotta cheese, roasted cauliflower, and peppers.
Rustic Italian Bread + Tonight’s Toppings
Our pasta selection was brought to the table next. We chose the orecchiette with sausage. It’s probably one of my favorite pasta dishes I’ve eaten and had a little added spice from the chiles.
Orecchiette + Sausage + Rapini + Pecorino + Chiles
We then ordered the polenta. Like the bruschette, each night they serve a polenta board topped with the ragu of the day. We had a braised lamb ragu which was awesome!
Mascarpone Polenta + Ragu of the Day
As if we hadn’t eaten enough carbs in this meal yet, we ordered a final dish which is my favorite food – pizza! We tried the brussels sprouts pizza which has a perfectly chewy crust just the way I like it!
Brussels Sprouts + Bacon + Chili Flakes
And because there is always room for dessert we tried a couple of their gelato and sorbet selections. We went with the pomegranate sorbet and bacon gelato. Yes, you heard me correctly – BACON gelato and it was fantastic!
Be sure to check out one of Davanti Enoteca’s locations for your next night out. Trust me, you will want to go back as soon as you finish your meal.
Davanti Enoteca is located at 1359 W Taylor St in Chicago’s Little Italy neighborhood | 30 E Hubbard St in Chicago’s River North neighborhood
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