"A few things set Chicago apart from other major U.S. cities. One, you can find reasonably sized apartments that won’t force you to store your old yearbooks in your oven. Two, we have Monteverde. This is the first place we make reservations at when someone from the East Coast tells us they're visiting. Every Italian dish is fantastic, from the housemade pastas like cacio e pepe and gnochetti con pesto, to the ragu alla Napoletana (with perfectly cooked pork shank, sausage, meatballs, and fusilli), which is one of the most delicious plates of food we’ve ever eaten. And we’ve yet to find a scenario where coming here isn’t a great idea. Come here on a date, come with a group, or come alone and sit facing the pastificio so you can smile maniacally at all the pasta you can’t wait to consume. The regular dinner service is booked out for months, but they serve lunch Tuesday through Saturday, and your chances of getting a table go up exponentially if you look for a reservation then. The bar is first come, first served, so come here alone and plan to take up an absurd amount of space for you, your pastas, and your pork shank." - adrian kane, john ringor, veda kilaru