Gioco. The Italian verb giocare translates as "to play." Gioco is the hot new Italian restaurant on South Wabash, so let the games begin.
Gioco has set a new standard for Italian cooking in Chicago. Not since the early days of Carlucci on Halsted have I held a menu in my hands that has excited me this much.
In simplicity lies beauty. The beauty of the menu at Gioco is that it offers as much as anyone would want, but it does not want for much. Choices are well thought out and impressively creative.
The brain behind Gioco is Jerry Kleiner, one of the pioneers in developing restaurants in the Randolph Street Market area. Red Light and Marche are two of his creations. Now he is attempting to break new ground in a part of the city that has a notorious past (Gioco is not too far from a demolished building that Al Capone used as a base of operations), but one that Kleiner sees as a neighborhood emerging from the dustbins of decay. And if the chi-chi crowd that was jamming this place on the nights I was there is any evidence, then Kleiner's game plan is working big time.Those of you who read my column regularly know that it takes more than bells and whistles to impress me, and when it comes to Italian food my scrutiny increases tenfold. I will blow the whistle and hand out a T, as in terrible, in the blink of an eye.
As noted, Gioco's menu impressed me, and the translation of the menu into the reality of the food before me was just as wonderful.
An antipasto of crispy calamari and grilled octopus with a watercress and fresh fennel salad (with orange segments) could not have thrilled me more. The rings of squid arrived golden and tender. The octopus tentacles, draped over the watercress, were practically fork tender and delicious. A light olive oil dressing topped it off perfectly.
I predict that crostini will soon replace bruschetta in the antipasti caldo family, simply because it provides more possibilities. The thin slices of toasted bread can be spread with everything from chicken livers to a puree of beans. Gioco went with a puree of white beans and slathered it across the two pieces of toasted bread. To add more interest, a tangle of perfectly sauteed spinach (with a good whack of garlic) was arranged alongside.
Another fine first course, straight out of the woodburning oven, is the "pizzette al forno." Gioco offers five choices of toppings, some of them intriguingly creative (salmon, Yukon gold potatoes, roasted artichokes), but I am a pushover for the classic Margherita with its light sauce, fresh basil and fresh mozzarella. The pizza was oval-shaped, the crust was thin, the overall flavor quite good. Nice for two people to share as an appetizer.
Though I found the portion skimpy for the price ($15), the black pepper cavatelli with porcini mushrooms and ricotta salata (a dried, somewhat salty grating cheese) was luscious. This was practically a no-sauce pasta, but the simple yet tasty ingredients made the dish sing, and the cavatelli could not have been cooked more perfectly.
Another pasta dish of note is the pappardelle (wide noodles), which was imbued with Swiss chard, chick peas and bits of sausage. Again, not a sauce to speak of, but the creative combination of texutures and flavors worked quite well.
Meat and fish entrees number about six each. I can highly recommend the "tagliata, lemon, olive oil and arugula." Tagliata, from tagliare, which means to cut, is a humongous rib-eye that has been grilled and sliced. It had outstanding flavor in every bite, providing a good example of what I mentioned earlier about simple being better.
The ultimate in surf and turf (a version of) was the prosciutto wrapped scallops. Never had a duet been more in tune or sung more lustily, the briny flavor of the seared scallops playing off the earthiness of the prosciutto. To round out this splendid dish there was fregola (a larger form of couscous from Sardinia) and sweet-as-a-kiss roasted carrots. It was an excellent dish.
Desserts did not measure up to the rest of the menu. In fact, they weren't worth the calories or the money. A cockamamie construction of stacked rings of cookies and mascarpone--"mascarpone tower" on the menu--was pure contrivance. A lemon tart was neither lemony nor tart and not exciting or interesting in any way.