GOPRIDE.COM

Special Series: Dinner and Theatre Pairings Part 1

Wed. March 12, 2008

By Feature Column

Fiorentino's Cucina Italiana

Written by: Michael J. Roberts

For the next several months, as the weather is changing and people are heading out of their Chicago igloos and back into society, I thought it would be fun to spotlight some fantastic neighborhood restaurants that would compliment a great theatre production. These are not restaurant reviews but overviews. I am not, nor have ever pretended to be a restaurant critic. These restaurant choices are made to hopefully introduce you to some spots you may have overlooked and would make a great evening of dinner/theatre.

So let's start off with a bang! If attending a show at the Theatre Building, 1225 W. Belmont, such as ‘My Dinner With Amy' (read review), instead of heading across the street on Belmont for a drinks and dinner, instead, a few blocks away on Ashland Ave, sits one of the greatest family owned Italian restaurants you will find in the city. Fiorentino's Cucina Italiana opened in June 2006 and has been a success ever since. The Fiorentino family, whose roots are firm in the Sicilian tradition, has been in the restaurant industry for generations, including establishments at the University of Illinois and in the near north suburbs.

When asked what Mrs. Fiorentino would recommend if you and a date were coming in for dinner before or after a show (more specifically her son Tony's show ‘My Dinner With Amy') she emphatically states the Pomadoro alla Capricciosa and Penne Puttenesca paired with a great bottle of Nero d'Avola a great Sicilian Syrah or if you are in the mood for white, try the Sicilian Puiatti Pino Grigio.

Fiorentino's Cucina Italiana is located at 2901 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60657. Phone:773.244.3026 For more detailed information please visit www.fiorentinoscucina.com For showtimes and ticket info regarding ‘My Dinner For Amy' or other shows at the theater building, please visit www.theatbuildingchicago.org

For the complete article (non-reader view with multimedia and original links), Tap here.



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