“Friendsgiving at Casati’s Modern Italian of Lincoln Park

Thanksgiving is almost here. “Friendsgiving” is here. Tonight, Jane and I were invited to Casati’s Modern Italian Dining in Lincoln Park to join Stefano and Melanie in a celebration of the beauty of friendship. The people we met had one thing in common- the love of the Casatis and their amazing restaurant. We made lots of new friends tonight, and Jane and I both felt that we were more “family” than friends!

While the evening was indeed a celebration of the friendships that the Casati’s have developed in their years of doing business on the corner of Clark Street and Fullerton, it was also a contest of sorts. Yes, Melanie is all for Unites States wines and of course, Stafano, Italy ( what else). In order to make this exciting, Stefano gave us a presentation explaining about which countries were known for their wines, the how’s and whys, and then they served us some amazing dishes paired with white and reds from the U.S. ( mostly California, of course) and the Italy.

The first course was composed of a Fried Cheese Spaghetti ball : fried spaghetti balls, provolone cheese, peas, besciamella, marinara and four cheeses- paired with Prosecco—MMMM, Italy

The second course was Burrata & Mortadella

Imported Italian fregola pasta, mussells, calamari, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, marinara and black pepper.” pairing: Banshee Ten Cups ( California)

I for one found the dishes tasty and preferred the white wine from California. The sparkle in the Italian was too much and far to bubbly.

The Third course was a Margherita Pinsa Pizza: with tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil  wine: Friuli-Venezia Guilia from Italy

The second pizza was Burrata & Mortadella Pinsa Pizza: white pinza with Italian imported mortadella, fresh burrata cheese, crumble pistachios, roasted grapes and balsamic glaze- Wine: Matthew Fritz Sauvignon Blanc from California- Here to, I found the California wine to be less gassy that the Italian.

The 5th and 6th courses were:

#5 Handmade Pumpkin Ravioli: handmade pumpkin, amoretti biscuits, parmigiana Reggiano cheese, salvia butter ( contains nuts)  Wine: paired with Terre More, Cabernet from Tuscany and last, but not least, course #6 was

Carbonara: Italian spaghetti trafila di bronzo, imported pecorino romano, pancetta, egg yolk, onions and black pepper- paired with Postmark Cabernet Savignon, Paso Robles  Italy won this one!

The evening was very special. Jane and I left having been well fed both with food and with spirits. We met some wonderful people who I am sure we will have contact with in the future. This was another marvelous experience thanks to the Casati’s and the marvelous restaurant that we love to visit. It is located at 444 West Fullerton Parkway ( corner of Clark and Fullerton) in Chicago. The phone number is  773-857-1237.

The hours are: Monday                                   noon- 9:30 p.m.

Tuesday-Thursday               5 p.m.-9:30 p.m.

Friday                                     5 p.m.- 10:30 p.m.

Saturday                                  noon-10:30 p.m.

Sunday                                     noon- 9:30 p.m.       visit them online at  www.casatismodernitalian.com

This is not only fine dining, it is a place where you feel you are at home! Thanks for a wonderful evening Melanie and Stefano.