La Connessa

General Notes

Upscale Italian restaurant right by Jackson Park. The food is solid; decent but not particularly noteworthy. The ambiance is pretty nice. On the pricier side, I wouldn't go back but it was a nice experience regardless. I actually have been twice; the second visit was a little better than the first.

Dishes Tasted

• ★★★☆ Chittara al nero -- monterey bay squid, manila clams, nduja, gremolata, bottarga, uni. Excellent flavor, I don't think I could taste the squid ink in the pasta itself, but it's a solid dish.
• ★★☆☆ flank steak tagliata -- roasted rapini, salsa verde. Flank steak is not my favorite cut, pretty savory but definitely a little on the tougher side. The flavor profile is nice, and the broccoli rabe underneath is great.
• ★★☆☆ Panzanella -- cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, foccacia, parmesan, anchovy vinaigrette. The bread tastes amzing, the rest is decent.
• ★★☆☆ Halibut Carpaccio -- fennel, cucumber, capers, lemon. Not a big fan of the cucumber flavor, a little one-dimensional but overall decent.
• ★★☆☆ Funghi Pizza -- hen-of-the-woods, garlic confit, parmigiano-reggiano. Decent but a bit bland. I like the garlic confit and the texture on the dough was solid. But it just needs something more to make it a bit less bland.
• ★☆☆☆ Spaghettino al Limone -- butter, lemon, black pepper, grana padano. Okay but not a big fan of the flavor. The lemon flesh did not really belong in this dish.
• ★★☆☆ Arancini -- provolone, tomato conserva, oregano. Not especially noteworthy, but overall quite tasty.