Caro Mio
1827 W. Wilson

The Basics
Where you’ll find it: 1827 W. Wilson, just east of Ravenswood. (773) 275-5000. www.caromiochicago.com

When it’s open: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday; 4-11 p.m. Saturday; 3-9 p.m. Sunday.

Reservations: Accepted for groups of six or more.

What you’ve heard: I first learned of it from the “What I’ve Learned” section in The Real Chicago. My friends who frequent the place said it’s their favorite Italian restaurant in Chicago. ... Has the best Italian food in the city and huge portions. ... Great BYOB Italian place where they’ll order your meal for you. ... They also deliver, which is a nice touch if you feel like staying in.

Visual Aids
First impressions: It’s small. Only seats about 50, and they pack in tables right up to the door, so if you have to wait, there’s not much room. I’ve only had to wait once in my 10 times there though. ... Cool décor. Very cute and cozy. ... Easy to miss from the road, as it looks more like a storefront than a quaint Italian restaurant.

The atmosphere: There was lots of artwork, and a homely vibe. Very warm and inviting. ... A family atmosphere, with mostly tables of four or more. ... Beautiful flowers, plants and centerpieces made it even more friendly. ... A diverse group of customers made up of all different ages, races, etc.

The Experience
At your service: Friendly, warm, sweet and very attentive — from the busboys to the waitstaff. ... Two of us arrived early and were seated promptly. We immediately were served water, and our waiter arrived to greet us. He asked if he could chill our white wine and let our red wine breathe while we waited. He was friendly, engaging and attentive, asking if we wanted to start with an appetizer while we were waiting. ... When the rest of our party arrived, he went through the list of specials (which is enough to make you start drooling) and brought us some great Italian bread. ... While our group struggled to determine which entrées to order, our waiter recommended what turned out to be a great appetizer. ... The waiter then took over as we struggled to decide on what to order. He told us he would bring us four entrées that he would pick, two at a time, to share family style. Great idea.

Get your drink on: Being it’s BYOB, we stopped off at Howard Wine Cellar on Belmont. The owner is a frequent diner at Caro Mio and knows the menu well. Tell him where you’re going, and he’ll do his best to pair your wine up with your food. And it’s worth mentioning there’s no corking fee at Caro Mio.
Menu variety and prices: The menu offers a wide variety of Italian specialties like delicious pastas, chicken, veal, beef and seafood. Prices are very reasonable considering the portions you get. Most entées fall in the $13-18 range.

Description of what you did decide on: Upon being seated, we were promptly given a plate of bread — traditional Italian bread along with garlic, fresh parmesan and red pepper flakes to mix with olive oil. Delicious! ... Our waiter suggested an appetizer that was a light, refreshing course of green beans and buffalo mozzarella marinated with balsamic vinegar, oregano and garlic. ... The gnocchi gratinati came with a bolognese sauce and is baked with mozzarella cheese. The gnocchi is fantastic. It’s very rich, but it’s homemade and basically melts in your mouth. Enough to feed a table of four on its own. The pappardelle con porcini is imported Italian porcini mushrooms sautéed with borolo red wine, parmesan cheese and cream. Very rich, but also delicious. I don’t usually like mushrooms, but this was amazingly good. ... We also tried the ossobuco milanese veal shanks, which were sautéed with carrots, celery, onions and garlic. ... For dessert, we left it up to the waiter, since he did so well with choosing our dinner. He brought out a lemon tartufo — a ball of lemon gelato with a limoncello liqueur center covered with sweet lemon meringue crumbles.

Something that caught your eye: The colors of the walls were great. Really bright, with the popular sponge paint texture. ... Every dish I saw in the place looked great. ... There were a lot of big parties in Caro Mio. It looks like the perfect place for a larger group to enjoy dinner.

What you’ll tell your friends: It’s a great place for a date. ... A bit off the path in terms of location, but sometimes the best places are. ... Energetic, engaging staff. Really amazing service. ... Probably not a place for out-of-towners. Has more of a neighborhood and family type of appeal. ... Comfort Italian. ... Parking can be a bit of hassle depending on the night you go. ... Great, rich food.

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