Restaurant Review: Piccolo Sogno Due

This weekend, I was lucky enough to have my sister Melissa and my boyfriends cousin, Erica (great name, huh) come visit me! Since I’ve been blogging about the best food in Chicago for about a month now, I knew the pressure was on to show them a good time and a great meal.

After going through my internal rolodex of restaurants, I knew a fool-proof meal would be at one of my favorite Italian restaurants, Piccolo Sogno in Chicago’s West Loop. When I went to make a reservation, it was totally booked! I was pretty sad until I realized that the owners of the restaurant opened up a sister restaurant in River North called Piccolo Sogno Due in 2012.

It’s always risky taking an out of town guest somewhere you haven’t been, but I knew that if my experience at the original restaurant was any indication of how our meal would be at Due, we would be just fine.

..and Piccolo Sogno Due did not disappoint!

First of all, before we even talk about the food, I want to mention how incredible the staff were. As we were walking to our table, every single staff person on the way welcomed us to the restaurant like we were walking into a family members home in Italy. It was so warm and inviting and really set the mood for a great meal (not to mention it made us feel VERY special).

The group I was with decided to let me take the reigns and do all of the ordering (or maybe I just did it anyways) and I am super excited to tell you about what we had.

Keep in mind this restaurant  SUPER authentic, so the names of the dishes may not make sense (unless you speak Italian):

1) Cavalo ($9): This tuscan kale salad may have actually been the highlight of the meal. I’m actually not a kale person and think it tastes rather bitter, but Piccolo Sogno Due chops it up fine and tops it with the most perfect local squash, fennel, crispy squash chips and parmesan dressing (almost reminiscent of a caesar). Whether you like kale or not, I can almost guarantee you will LOVE this salad.

Oh and apologies to my sister, Melissa, who didn’t even get to try it because we ate it too fast.

2) Ostriche al Forno ($14): This dish was made up of 6 wood roasted Blue Point oysters that were topped with garlic bread crumbs and white wine. It was like an even more upscale version of clams casino. I’m totally a fan and would order this again any day. The sad part is…it was a special!

Anyone want to start a petition with me to make this a permanent menu item?

3) Prosciutto ($16): There is nothing I love more than perfect prosciutto di parma paired with delicious juicy melon! I am actually known to serve this dish often at my own parties. The presentation of this dish at Piccolo did not disappoint (just look how beautiful it is.)

If I’m being honest, I think the prosciutto could have been sliced a little thinner, but overall, the quality of the meat was superb!

4) Tortelli ($17):  Normally I’d say $17 for a pasta dish is a little over-priced, but in this case, I stand corrected. This homemade pasta dish is stuffed with buffalo milk ricotta and parmesan and topped with butter, pistachio, and saba (a super sweet grape juice reduction almost like a balsamic.) I’m not kidding you, I want to take a bath in the sauce that is on this pasta.

Normally saying something like that is embarrassing, but frankly, it’s how I feel. Make sure if you go to Piccolo Sogno Due, you order this dish with extra sauce.

5) Ravioli ($15): This fall dish is a local pumpkin stuffed pasta with toasted walnuts, sage, Amaretto cookies in a brown butter sauce. While the dish was a little too sweet for me, everyone else seemed to enjoy it. I also found the pasta to be a little dense.

Normally, I’d give a recommendation would be to skip this one, but since the rest of the group liked it I say give it a shot if you like a sweeter pasta dish!

6) Tartufo  ($17): This mind-blowing pizza was topped with thin sliced potatoes, green onions and a truffle pesto. Although I value simplicity after one slice, I actually wanted a little sauce for my second slice. Then, the table discovered a brilliant idea…

We took the sauce from the tortelli (the same sauce I want to bathe in) and put it on the pizza. It worked PERFECTLY and took the dish for an 8.5 to a 10.

7)  Cannoli ($9): Since this is my favorite dessert in the world, it was a must have to finish off our meal! Although small, this authentic Italian dish did not disappoint! If you’re with a group, make sure to order two of these!

8) Panna Cotta: If you could taste a cloud, I imagine this is what it would be. This light pillowy custard is perfect topped with one of the most incredible sauces I’ve ever tasted. Now, I’m normally more of a chocolate person, but this one totally converts me.

That about wraps up my incredible dinner at Piccolo Sogno Due. It was so nice having two of my favorite people in town and sharing such a great Italian meal. I think we may all have to go carb-free this week, but it was totally worth it! :).

Love always,
Erica