Evanston has had a glut of new restaurants this fall, so you can be forgiven if you didn’t notice the opening of La Macchina Cafe on Orrington. But now that you know it’s there, you’ll want to visit soon.
Chris Casas, an Evanstonian who once owned the Italian Coffee Bar on Sherman and currently owns La Macchina Italiana, a vintage Italian motorbike dealership in Skokie, has partnered with Marco Ferrarini, a native Italian with a love for the simple, delicious food of his homeland. He travels to Italy five or six times a year to visit family…and eat.
The partners are cleverly filling the mid-priced, rustic Italian food void in downtown Evanston left by the departure of Gio Ristorante last year. Open all day, every day—serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus brunch on the weekends—they’ve already built a loyal customer base in the six weeks since they opened. And when you can get a reasonably priced glass of good Italian wine, an aperol spritz, or a great cappuccino with your meal, it’s no wonder.
They’ve done a nice job revamping the previous décor, designing, recycling and building much of the furniture themselves from salvaged wood and hardware. I can’t say that the chairs are particularly comfortable, but they look cool. There’s a vintage industrial feel in the hooks and chains that hang from the ceiling, supporting everything from light fixtures to old motorbikes. The only glitch is a large, square fluorescent light in the back of the restaurant that I’m assuming is left over from the previous occupant. It kills the mood.
Ferrarini prides himself on his Tagliere Mixed Cheese and Meat Platter ($12), which features prosciutto di Parma, salami sopressata, mortadella and a changing selection of Italian cheeses. I saw one on nearly every table; it’s perfect for sharing.
We loved our Burratina Pugliese ($10), a beautiful round of fresh mozzarella with a cream-filled interior, paired with red and yellow grape tomatoes, briny capers and caperberries, all drizzled with EVOO. They’re importing the burrata from Italy and it’s delicious, especially paired with the Gnocco Frito ($3), warm, puffy pillows of fried dough that you rip open and stuff with cheese.
A different soup is featured each day ($3 cup/$6 bowl). The vegetarian Lentil Soup was well seasoned and warming on a cold night, not too brothy, not too thick. Another day’s Cream of Broccoli Soup was bitter, tasting more of rapini than broccoli.
There are three different bruschettas on offer, with four pieces to an order. The Tuna, Capers, Fennel and Lemon ($6), featuring canned rather than fresh tuna, could have used more acidity from the capers and lemon, and the bread itself needed some work. The outside crust was too hard, but the interior wasn’t toasty enough.
The pastas shine here. If they are aiming for an authentic trattoria feel, they’ve found their sweet spot. A toothsome and spicy Orecchiette with Sausage and Rapini ($8 half order/$15 full order) was super filling; the half order was plenty for one person as an entrée, while the full order is the way to go if you’re splitting a few dishes for the table.
A nearby table of friends raved over the House-Made Butternut Squash Tortelli ($9/$17) with butter, Parmigiano Reggiano and sage. The Linguine alla Vongole ($17) had lots of clams, but could’ve used more seasoning. Again, the pasta was perfectly cooked; they are nailing the al dente concept.
The Chanterelle and Matsutake Mushroom Risotto ($9/$17) was chock-full of fungi, but oddly lacked real depth of mushroom flavor. A little salt perked it up a bit.
There are only three regular entrees available, though there are a few specials nightly. But when you make a chicken this yummy, I won’t quibble. The Free-Range Chicken with Lemon, Grilled Asparagus and Rosemary Potatoes ($18) was, in short, fantastic. A generous portion—nearly half a chicken—that was beautifully seasoned, the skin perfectly crisped, placed over roasted potatoes that actually restored my faith in humanity. The light, brothy lemon sauce had just the right amount of bite to counter the richness of the skin. Grilled asparagus brightened the presentation.
As for dessert, they have a homemade Tiramisu that was actually worth ordering. It was everything a tiramisu should be—creamy and light with just the right amount of coffee flavor.
One caveat for a winter visit: Don’t sit near the door. La Macchina people, if you are reading this, I highly suggest that you invest in one of those add-on winter weather entryways. Currently, when the front door opens, the wind blows in with a blast that no hot lentil soup can cure.
3.5 out of 5 stars (B+)
La Macchina Cafe
1620 Orrington Ave.
Evanston
847-425-1080
