-Grubbing in Chicago
Red Sauce Italian in West Town
“What’s your favorite Italian restaurant?” is a question I get asked every now and then (oftne by the old timers) and I never have an exact answer. Italian food is regional enough to where I have spots I like to go for certain dishes but I don’t have a favorite overall unless you count a spot like Johnnie’s Beef as Italian. But a trip to Elina’s late last winter had me crushing on the trendy red sauce spot pretty hard. This despite me not being a big sauce guy outside of going out for it maybe twice a year.
Elina’s opened on Grand Avenue in West Town back in 2022 and it’s been pretty busy ever since then. The owners / chefs honed their skills at multiple Michelin starred spots in New York City and Chicago including the ever trendy Carbone. According to one article I read the goal of them was to create a neighborhood red sauce Italian spot that both the neighbors and gourmands from across the city would like. Walking into Elina’s definitely has the feel of the type of spot they described. It’s dark, it’s slick, there’s leather booths lining the walls and Frank Sinatra is blasting in the background. The menu is a nice mix of red sauce classics that have kept customers coming back as planned. Like every classic Italian American spot your meal starts with a complimentary course - here it’s a trio of garlic bread, salami and beets all of which hit the spot. We also got a Caesars Salad to start which had good anchovy flavor and just enough sauce to prevent the lettuce from getting too soft.
As mentioned above both of the owners worked with Mario Carbone of Carbone in NYC. Carbone is known for its spicy rigatoni vodka - one of the most viral dishes in the social media stratosphere. So it’s no surprise to see a version of it on the menu at Elina’s where they add breadcrumbs to the mix giving it a nice unexpected crunch. I’m ready to say it’s my favorite red sauce pasta in town after having it a couple times. I make my own version but can’t quite nail down what gives Elina’s recipe the edge but it might be the pasta itself - it’s hard to find that shape in grocery stores around town.
The menu is compact so with that you got less than 10 selections outside of the apps and pastas. Cherry Peeper Ribs, Chicken Parm, and Shrimp Scampi were all tempting but so was the Dover Sole Picatta and Eggplant Parmesan. The former is a favorite in terms of both the species of the fish and the recipe with which it’s made. Fresh flaky fish always mixes really well with lemon and butter so no complaints on that. It was exactly what I wanted. Eggplant parm was more like eggplant lasagna but that’s not a bad thing. A brick of eggplant sauced in a bright acidic marinara is more than enough for two with a pasta added on. So overall despite not being the biggest fan of red sauce Italian food I really like Elina’s for a modern day Italian spot with good energy and a dining room that fits the part.
Elina's
1202 W Grand Ave
Chicago, IL 60642
(312) 929-2249
Website
pretty nice
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