Piccolo Sogno

Last night a big group of us went to Piccolo Sogno, an exceptional Italian restaurant in the West Loop. The menu features Roman and Mediterranean dishes and an extensive wine list of only Italian wines. Peter and I went for the first time a few months ago and decided it would be the perfect place to bring my parents and some of their friends. I wasn't planning on taking pictures or writing about it just because we were with a big group and I didn't want to be a nerd taking my camera out every 5 minutes, but it was too good not to share and I snapped a few pictures with my phone.

We had to wait a bit for our table even though we had a reservation, so when we finally did get seated they treated us to a few goodies to start off the meal - a beautiful antipasto spread of various roasted vegetables, beans, and prosciutto as well as a thin crust pizza with just mozzarella, olive oil, arugula, and topped with reggiano.



For starters Peter and I ordered two things to share - burrata with prosciutto, and grilled boar sausage with white beans. Burrata is buffalo mozzarella stuffed with more buffalo mozzarella and cream. 'Nuff said. Boar sausage is really unique. I don't really know how to explain the taste, other than to say it tastes as different from pork sausage as pork tastes from steak or lamb. It's just an entirely different flavor, and the rosemary they add to this dish really sets it off.




I chose lamb for my main course. It was a really hard decision between pasta and fish/meat, but lamb is special and something I rarely get, so I went for it. This cut is a lamb t-bone, something I have never seen before. They actually give you two little lamb t-bones. It was perfectly cooked, seasoned with a rosemary reduction, and a side of fregola (kind of like a big couscous). The photo is a little blurry, I was in a rush to take the picture and EAT.



Even though the restaurant makes its own gelato and sorbet, everyone was too full for dessert. But you always need a taste of something sweet, and they brought two small plates of chocolate and vanilla mini biscotti. Really, really good.



We drank a great Brunello with dinner, and finished the meal off with a bottle of Brachetto which is a red, lightly carbonated dessert wine that apparently only a handful of vineyards make. Wonderful food, wine, and company.