Quartinos is worth the trip

We recently went into Chicago for a celebration lunch to Quartino. On the corner of State and Ontario it is an Italian take on Tapas. Small plates to share and pass. Unlike some Italian restaurants the food is light with the emphasis on fresh and flavorful. Even their tomato sauce is light and delicious.
The décor is simple and old-fashioned with old ice boxes and white enameled appliances. There were televisions in each corner showing old black and white Italian movies with sub-titles. The wait staff is very good and fun. (There was a stumble toward the end but it was taken care of and we left with a very good experience)
The food was excellent with a wide variety of choices. The menu does vary seasonally which adds variety for multiple visits. Our group was fairly adventurous so we tried many different dishes. Some of my favorites were the Carpaccio – slices of beef tenderloin so thin I could see through them served with slices of celery and Parmesan. All I added was a light sprinkling of coarse sea salt. There was a sample tray of sausages that should not be missed. All of their sausages are made in-house as is their duck prosciutto (which is heavenly). The tray comes with apricot and fig jams and raisin bread (that sounded a little strange to me too but it was actually a very good combination with the selection of meats.) Dessert was Zeppoli. They were crispy outside and melt in your mouth tender inside. My wife got the dark chocolate and I the honey dipping sauce. The Zeppoli were good enough without dipping but I couldn’t let the sauce go to waste. We both licked the bowls clean.
With a fun atmosphere, reasonable prices, very good wait staff and very excellent food. It is great place to take a group of fun and slightly adventurous friends. Overall I highly recommend Quartino.