Trattoria 225

Ratings Guide:
Half handshake, half chest-bump hug – 5 stars
Chest bump – 4 stars
Fist bump – 3 stars
High five – 2 stars
Handshake – 1 star
Manly ass slap – ½ star
Fone and fone – 0 stars



Restaurant: Trattoria 225
Location: 225 Harrison, Oak Park


I grew up in Oak Park and my parents still live there, so I make it out there more times than not (at least I like to think so, though my mom would probably tell you that I don’t visit enough) for dinner. Now, whenever we head out there, dinner is limited to four options. Option 1: Lalo’s. This is my dad’s favorite place to eat. And for the last 10 years or so was just about the only restaurant they would go to. When I’d come back and visit from college? We’d go to Lalo’s. When my wife and I would come up to visit while living in St. Louis? We’d go to Lalo’s. When we’d head out there for dinner after moving back to the city? We’d go to Lalo’s. I think my parents went there every Friday night for like 8 years. They are like the Brett Favre or Cal Ripken of Lalo’s dining – they never missed a start. And I’m not complaining, because I like Lalo’s (fist bump with a manly ass slap). But every week? It can get a little old. Option 2: Barbeque in the backyard. This only happens on Sunday nights, and it only happens in the summer. And I use the term barbeque loosely, as it mostly consists of my dad burning everything in sight. Option 3: Salerno’s pizza. This is a staple when we don’t want to go out. And it’s probably my 2nd favorite pizza in the world. Option 4: Tasty Dog. Their hot dogs have cucumbers on them. But other than that they’re pretty good.

So I was pretty excited last week when my sister was in town and my parents said we were having dinner at Trattoria 225, a new Italian restaurant (rustic Italian dining, to be precise) not too far from their house. Growing up Harrison St. didn’t have a whole lot going on. There was Amanda’s (which was a convenience store we would go to all the time to get my mom Pepsi and buy water guns), La Majada (a Mexican restaurant which is still there and right across from Trattoria 225), and a laundry mat. And that’s about it. Now it’s full of art studios and cute little shops and a coffee shop and restaurants and everything. It’s like this cool little artsy strip that everyone in town seems to love. Quick sidestep here. My old boss had a sister who lived in Oak Park, and when I first met her (about 7 years ago) and told her where my parents lived, she talked about how Harrison was becoming the cool art part of town. She then proceeded to say how she used to be afraid to walk down Harrison, but that it was becoming the kind of place where it was OK for her kids to walk around (as long as it was light out). I didn’t even know how to react. This was the O.P. we were talking about. It’s not a scary place. I grew up there and almost never felt threatened even as a kid (except the one time a kid came into our backyard and tried take my brother’s bike, but my mom came out and put the kid in a choke hold until he tapped out and left running. Highest of high comedy.). And this lady was acting like it was Compton. White people make me laugh.

I was a little late to dinner because I have a job in the city and my parents seem to think they are 85 and made reservations for 6:30. By the time I got there they had ordered an appetizer and drinks. I ordered a beer from the waiter, and he was ready to take everyone’s food order. I made up for the lost time by getting the fresh mozzarella wrapped with prosciutto, grilled Caesar salad, margherita pizza, and the baked penne. And I also got dessert, but I’ll tell you more about that in a minute.

The fresh mozzarella wrapped with prosciutto was pretty decent. But then again anytime you wrap a cheese with cured meat I’m probably going to be more happy than not. The mozzarella didn’t quite taste as fresh as expected, and the prosciutto wasn’t the best I’d ever had, but it was grilled and topped with pesto, so it ended up being pretty delicious. The cheese was nice and soft, but not quite oozing. I’d for sure get it again, but it was also cheese and meat, so take my exuberance with a grain of salt.

The grilled Caesar wasn’t really grilled, at least not that I could tell. So I guess it was more like a Caesar. They served it like Barcello’s (R.I.P.) used to, as just a huge wedge of romaine that you had to cut up yourself. But it was fantastic. Better than Barcello’s. I really like the dressing, and the head of romaine tasted really fresh and crisp. Not too crunchy, not too soft. Not too ripe (can lettuce even be ripe? Is that possible? Can you describe lettuce that way, or only bananas and cantaloupe and stuff? Either way, you know what I mean.). Just a really good salad. And if I ever talk like this about salad again please kick me in the crotch.

I ordered the margherita pizza for the table, so everyone could get a taste, even though I think I ate most of it. It was a wood-fired pizza, which proves that Oak Park really is getting swanking and safe again for the pale of skin. The pizza was just OK. My mom really liked it, but it didn’t compare to Pizza D.O.C., Coalfire, or Spacca Napoli. But it was a solid option.

I really liked the baked penne. It was filled with spiced fennel sausage and pepperoni. And not some tiny, thin slices of pepperoni, but good, sizable chunks. And it was really good pepperoni. In fact, had the dish only had pepperoni, it might have been perfect. Next time I’m going to ask if I can order it without the sausage (which wasn’t bad, it’s just that there was a lot more sausage than pepperoni, and I like the pepperoni a lot better), and double up on the pepperoni. I have a feeling after I order it that way they’ll see the error of their way and change the menu. And name the dish in my honor (The Big Delicious Baked Penne). At least I like to think so.

For dessert the waiter talked me into the apple pie, which was topped with cinnamon gelato. The gelato was really good, and the pie was decent, just not hot enough. If you’re going to serve apple pie, I think you are required to make sure that it feels like it just came out of the oven. Otherwise what’s the point?

The service was great. The place has a nice set up (exposed brick, cement bar, lots of room, plenty of tables). And the prices were really, really reasonable.

There’s not much else to say about the place. It’s not great. It’s not awful. It’s just a really solid option, especially if you’re in the Oak Park area. Just good old-fashioned Italian food done right. Not too fancy, not too simple. A little something for everyone. Hopefully we’ll be heading back (sorry Lalo’s).

Fist bump.


Got a question? Send it to josh@borntofork.com.

The Feast and The Furious

Ratings Guide:
Half handshake, half chest-bump hug – 5 stars
Chest bump – 4 stars
Fist bump – 3 stars
High five – 2 stars
Handshake – 1 star
Fone and fone – 0 stars
Manly ass slap – ½ star



There were a bunch of places I’ve been meaning to review, so I decided to “act like gonorrhea and burn, baby, burn” right through them.



Restaurant: Bongo Room
Locations: 1152 S. Wabash and 1470 N. Milwaukee


Is there anything that hasn’t been said about Bongo Room? Seriously, who doesn’t know about this place? Well, just in case, let’s get through this. Best breakfast place in the city. I would eat here everyday if the waits weren’t totally insane. On the weekend, expect to stand outside at least an hour (and in the winter, this is not fun) at the Wicker Park location. There is good shopping around, so you can usually slip away for 45 minutes then come back. I’d recommend you check out the South Loop location (still busy) because they have a coffee bar, so you can stand inside and have a cup of joe while you wait. Everything on the menu is great, so you really can’t go wrong. I almost always order their Chocolate Tower of French Toast. Then I pick up the cell phone, call for an ambulance, and wait for them to shoot me in the heart with a shot of adrenaline to revive me from my diabetic shock. And if you don’t like chocolate for breakfast, then the seasonal pancakes (like the pumpkin ones in the fall) are to die for (that could be the gayest thing I’ve ever said). Or get something else and a side of pancakes. Or do it tapas style and order a bunch of stuff and have the table share everything. Anyway, best brunch in the city. I’ll go ahead and say it – this is my favorite place in the city (WARNING: the choco French toast is not offered during the week).

Half Handshake, half chest-bump hug.




Restaurant: Toast
Locations: 746 W. Webster and 2046 N. Damen


We tend to head to Toast when Bongo Room is packed. But, that doesn’t really solve the problem since the waits at Toast are usually just as bad. Um, I think this place is just OK. It’s good, and I don’t mind going, but it’s not like I ever have a craving to eat here. My advice is to get the breakfast burrito (which is actually awesome) and then get a side of pancakes for two bucks. And it’s a lot of pancake.

Fist bump.




Restaurant: Moonshine
Location: 1824 W. Division


Love the atmosphere of this place. Especially in the summer, when you can sit outside on the sidewalk café, enjoy a cold beer, and watch the Wicker Park “hipsters” (for the record, I live in the area (obviously, since every review is a place within a mile of Wicker Park, which I apologize for) and I hate it when every time I read a reference of Wicker Park, it comes with the obligatory “hipster” tag. Come on, there are five yuppies to every hipster. Let’s stop kidding ourselves. This is officially Lincoln Park West.). The food is pretty average, but in a good way. It’s one of those dependable default neighborhood places where you go because you know what you’re getting, but you just want a great place to hang out and get out of the house. Pizza is decent (try spinach and garlic), burgers are OK, breakfast/brunch is surprisingly good (which, by the way, they have like a $1 menu for (which is actually just the side item menu, but you can make it work like a dollar menu), making it easy to get a breakfast dish, then a side of pancakes and eggs for like $8 total. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Fist bump with a manly ass slap (gets the extra half star because it’s a great place to hang out morning, noon, or night).




Restaurant: Just Baked Foods
Location: 901 N. Damen


Relatively new place. More of a deli than a restaurant. They serve five sandwiches daily, and a couple of soups. They have a ton of side items sitting in a deli case, and other pre-prepared meals that you can take home and cook/warm up yourself. I believe it’s supposed to be a place that allows you to feel like a big time cook at home. Love the idea, love the concept, the sandwiches were decent and felt super sophisticated, but the place is expensive, so be warned. Every time I go there I just get a couple of things (like two sandwiches and some bread, or some dips and a soup) and always spend upwards of $30. Huge upside is that Caesar’s Deli (which used to occupy the space) still has perogi’s available. Well worth the trip for that alone.

Fist bump and a manly ass slap.




Restaurant: Cleos
Location: 1935 W. Chicago


Great spot. A favorite of mine. Surprisingly good food for a “bar” or “joint”. And they have daily specials (like the rib special, which I think is on Thursdays), where you get a half slab of ribs for $5. And they’re awesome. Burgers are great, barbeque chicken is really good. Just a really good, unique selection of food. My only complaint is that it is really smoky here. But the food is so good it’s worth getting cancer for (cancer isn’t funny, but you get the point).

Chest bump.




Restaurant: InnJoy
Location: 2051 W. Division


Another place that’s great to go for drinks in the middle of the day or late at night. They play their music loud, so you can’t talk, but it’s always a nice challenge to try and convince a girl to sleep with you while you’re screaming in her ear. The burgers are really good, and the place is really smoky at night. The secret booths in the back are a nice little getaway, and there is a rumored room in the basement (which you get to through the stairs next to the bar) that has a pool table and what not. But, if you get boomflopped while trying to go down there, don’t blame me.

Fist bump.




Restaurant: Mickey’s
Location: 525 N. Harlem – Oak Park


Just wanted to give a shout out to my old high school grease joint. Great gyros, great Big Mickey’s, great Lake Michigan’s, and great specials (I go with the 3 hot dog special, and a large milkshake). Anytime I’m in the area, I make a trip.

Chest bump.




Restaurant: Fan si Pan
Location: 1618 W. Chicago


Vietnamese. Very simple menu – apps, sandwiches. But, they have fried green beans. And the sandwiches have an interesting flavor that I loved, but wish there was more meat on them (although I stopped by as they were trying to close, and they may have only had so much meat left). And they have fried green beans.

Fist bump. A good alternative to have to the normal sandwiches you find at other places.