La Fiorentina Tuscan Grill

Opened Dec. 1, 2010.

The chef is Marcello Gallegos, who comes to La Fiorentina via Cafe Bionda (and before that Piccolo Sogno), both in Chicago. His menu is awfully compelling: antipasti like a salad of roasted hubbard squash, chestnut and burrata, or roasted veal marrow bone; hand-made pasta (ricotta and porcini tortelloni; tagiolini with braised baby calamari, Manila clams, prawns and squash) as primi; and secondi including whole roasted branzino with baby fennel, roasted tomatoes and saffron potatoes or slow-roasted veal ossobucco with gremolata and tagliolini al parmigiano. Oh -- and lest we forget the main event (for which the restaurant's named): la bistecca fiorentina "come a Firenze" -- a 24-ounce prime wet-aged center-cut Porterhouse steak with rosemary and "fagioli all'uccelletto."

A couple of notes: Originally they planned only to serve beer and wine, but in fact there will be a full bar. Main courses will come with house-made bread and side dishes -- potato of the day and seasonal vegetables.

-Leslie Brenner / Restaurant Critic