While I am sure there is an abundance of quality Italian dining in Chicago, on my last two visits to the city, including one this week, I dined at RPM Italian, and each time I was exceedingly pleased with my meal and experience.

The ambience is decidedly more modern than the traditional, long-standing Italian restaurants that have been in the same family and location for generations. Its sleek décor and spacious layout were complemented by the buzz of conversations and full tables of all types of diners on both of my visits.

I was pleased to see the fresh homemade ricotta on Ciabatta toast still on the menu. I remembered how wonderful the starter was from my last visit, and I wasn’t disappointed this time either. My colleague, Richard Evans, started with the imported Burrata.

It is suggested one–two starters per person, with the pasta as a second course and larger entrees to finish the meal, but Dick and opted to each have a pasta and share one side. I had the prosciutto tortelloni with rosemary and Parmesan brodo, while Dick chose the short rib Bolognese over hand-cut pappardelle. We split the crispy Brussels sprouts.

Each bite was delicious, and we were both too full for dessert, but a few options did look tempting. We’d also been up since 3 a.m. East Coast time to catch our 6:20 a.m. flight from Philadelphia, so our exhaustion may have had something to do with our decision to skip the course. However, as a treat, mini ice cream cones were brought out complimentary and we both sampled the bites topped with raspberry sorbet, satisfying our sweet tooth.

Next time you are in Chicago, RPM Italian is highly recommended!

—Kimberly Krol, editor in chief