The Other Critics

Shouse Gives Acccanto Two Stars Out of Five; Bayne Falls for the Cocktails at Sable

Risotto con sedano bianco, pecorino & sorbetta di para
Risotto con sedano bianco, pecorino & sorbetta di para Photo: courtesy Accanto

Stating that “things may not be what they seem,” Heather Shouse wades through Logan Square’s new Italian restaurant Accanto. Though chef Domenico Acampora “has a way with risotto,” most of the food “feels dated and overinflated.” Part of the problem for Shouse were the odd combinations of ingredients and lack of seasonality: “Maybe it’s all that international experience, but Acampora seems pretty disconnected from what’s been happening in American dining the last few years.” [Accanto]

Martha Bayne finds that “haute comfort food” at Sable “good but not great,” claiming that some “simple misfires kept the food from really flying.” On other hand, she loved the cocktails, which may be what actually makes “Sable a destination.” Her Pisco sour was “possibly the best I’ve ever tried, just sweet enough and bracingly strong, topped with a stiff cap of egg white.” [Chicago Reader, first item]

The steaks are “are fat and competently fired” at Benny’s Chop House according to Mike Sula, but sadly nothing else is. The cocktails are “off-kilter,” the seafood “overcooked” and “mushy,” and the sides and salads are “alternately competent and underwhelming.” Though it’s a beautiful space, “overall there are far less conventional steak houses around to splurge or spill an expense account on.” [Chicago Reader, second item]

Shouse Gives Acccanto Two Stars Out of Five; Bayne Falls for the Cocktails at