Chicago Tribune Article October 27th 2011

“The short rib risotto was one of the best dishes I’ve eaten all year.”

J.P. Anderson
Where Senior Editorial Director
Editor, Where Chicago/Milwaukee

The Local Tourist (@thelocaltourist) 11/1/11 6:23 PM Dinner at @vivochicago was one of the best meals I've had in Chicago. Check them out w/ 3 courses for $20 ht.ly/7g0RT

Gino Williams
Blogger, Chicago Alphabet Soup

"The dining experience at VIVO was outstanding. I recommend it highly."

 

"Wanted to let you know how impressed I was with the restaurant. Absolutely loved the meal! Our waiter was wonderful and the event space on the second floor is gorgeous…We had the housemade buratta cheese plate with pears/walnuts and calamari to start. And then we split a steak with potatoes and small side of the gnocchi with truffle cream sauce and bread crumbs. Was literally to die for!"

Katie Schroeder
Associate Editor, CS

"It was a great experience. Here's my post about that evening: http://www.windycitywineguy.com/blog/2011/10/8/italian-delight-at-vivo-chica go.html"

Michael Bottigliero
Blogger, Windy City Wine Guy

OpenTable.com

Vivo is a sleek and chic Italian restaurant with simple, therefore beautiful food. Opening fifteen years ago, it is easy to see why it is still a trendsetter. Requested weeks in advance, Vivo boasts the most exclusive and romantic table in Chicago which has seen the likes of Michael Jordan and Oprah Winfrey.

CitySearch.com

This hip Italian place was one of Randolph Street's first
restaurants-and it still delivers the goods!

The Scene – Few of Randolph Street's chic eateries have aged as well as Vivo, whose stylish, stripped-down feel has kept the crowds coming for more than 10 years. The lofty dining room's exposed-brick walls are stacked high with wine bottles; lighting spotlights each white-clothed table, where young couples rub elbows with their neighbors in the tightly packed, buzzing dining room.

The Food – The upscale Italian menu is contemporary, with excellent meat and seafood dishes thrown in with the requisite pastas. Sun-dried tomato polenta with wild mushroom glaze is hearty and not too rich-a perfect starter. Pastas are good: Standouts include black linguine tossed with lump crabmeat, and rigatoni with sausage and peas in a creamy goat cheese sauce. Herb-crusted tuna is light and perfectly cooked; so is fillet with Gorgonzola sauce, almost upstaged by fragrant rosemary potatoes. For dessert, gelato is the only way to go.

Gayout.com

Tables are tightly spaced, but you’ll find a lot of good pasta in close quarters nonetheless.

There’s an industrial chic vibe at play here, exposed brick walls, stacks of wine bottles, butcher-papered tables and a 16-foot ceiling-and it works well. You can dress your best (or not) when dining here; almost anything goes. We have had many outstanding dishes; Pastas tend to be nicely handled (rigatoni butera, for example, with Italian sausage, peas and goat cheese); Risotto gets an eight out of ten; Daily fish specials are a don't-miss-they’re simply grilled and served with roasted rosemary potatoes.

UrbanSpoon.com

This hip Italian place was one of Randolph Street's first restaurants- and it still delivers the goods!

• Perfect simple Italian food
• Sleek Chic setting
• Let Vivo host your next event!

StyleChicago.com

Atmosphere and food are as stylish as the trend-setting crowds that frequent this Randolph Street Market favorite.

Metromix.com

This stylish Southern Italian restaurant has a small, open kitchen in back, where you can see your food being prepared. Look for hearty pasta, seafood and steak entrees at dinner and a similar but lighter lunch menu. An extensive wine list offers many Italian and American selections by the glass or bottle. Upstairs, a separate cocktail lounge named the Vault offers complete privacy for two to six diners.