Francesca's Forno   

1576 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
312-770-0184
www.miafrancesca.com

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It's hard to believe that Mia Francesca's, the hip, Italian neighborhood eatery, first touched down in Lakeview in 1992. Thirteen restaurants and 14 years later, the pasta powerhouse continues to make an impression in the dining industry. With their 15th Francesca's, however, the owners have taken the opportunity to update the menu, catering to the changing tastes of Chicago's chowhounds. Francesca's Forno, in the old Soul Kitchen space (which they also owned) in Wicker Park, specializes in moderately priced smaller plates of Northern Italian cuisine. For those craving dishes from Mia Francesca's menu, two items remain: the Insalate Francesca (Romaine, pea pods, blue cheese, tomato, string beans) and the Carpaccio del Giornio. Highlights from the re-conceptualized menu, which is composed of simple, three-ingredient, sharable dishes, include pizzas, an onion-crusted salmon, grilled steak in Tuscan herbs, and naked ravioli prepared simply with brown butter, sage and tomato. The dining room, which has dramatically changed from its flamboyant Soul Kitchen days, showcases a wood burning oven, glass encased antipasto bar, tin-paneled ceilings, and uncluttered wooden table tops and mismatched chairs.