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Va Pensiero

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NiceGinna
NiceGinna
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5 out of 5
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My Favorite Place for Celebrations Outdoes Itself

  • August 17, 2009
  • Rated 5 of 5 by NiceGinna from Evanston, Illinois
My Favorite Place for Celebrations Outdoes Itself

We headed to Va Pensiero a few days ago to celebrate my step-daughter's birthday. This is the place she and her husband had their rehearsal-night dinner and a place we head for other celebrations. It's located in the Margarita Inn, a European-style hotel here in Evanston.

The atmostphere at Va Pensiero is romantic, whether you dine on the small outdoor patio or the main dining room. This time we were actually in the front room where there is a stage and we were entertained by a guitarist and chanteuse with songs mostly from the 40's and 50's. There are thick white linens and candlelight to add to the romantic feeling.

We shared an antipasto: actually about 10 small plates of interesting things to taste: olives, peppers with peas, tomatoes with cheese, mushrooms, zucchini, and more that I can't remember. Then we shared a salad of heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers and gorgonzola cream which we all loved. We could have had more, but were trying to save room for dessert! The waiter didn't bat an eye over our odd ordering.

We also had a very nice Pinot Bianco to accompany these offerings and the main course. The two men had duck and scallops, both of which were terrific. But Jenny and I really scored. We ordered the tagliatelle with wild mushrooms. The waiter rolled in a cart with a whole wheel of Parmagiana with a scooped-out bowl in the center. The waiter put the warm pasta into this bowl until the cheese melted and coated the pasta. What a presentation. And what a flavor!

For dessert we all shared a Dolce Misti - a plate of small portions of several desserts: creme brulee, a cheesecake, and a budino (their name for a chocolate cake with a soft interior) with coffee ice cream. There was enough for a couple of small tastes of each dessert for each of us. We had a bottle of Moscato d'Asti to accompany this fabulous finish. A perfect meal. There must be a rating higher than Very Highly Recommended - worth a trip up from the city!

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