BYOB: Caro Mio
The spot: Family-owned and -operated for more than seven years, Caro Mio little Italian ristorante oozes romance, with dim candlelight pervading the small, cozy room with reddish walls and a jungle of live plants and flowers throughout. The menu features cuisine from all over Italy, from gnocchi gratinato in Bolognese sauce, baked with mozzarella cheese ($14.95), to the salmone Portofino, sauteed with balsamic vinegar and honey, and garnished with pine nuts and green onions ($17.95). The weekends get crowded, so come on a weeknight for a quieter scene.
The bottle: Lincoln Square’s Fine Wine Brokers (4621 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-989-8166) is a brisk half-mile walk from Caro Mio, and it’s well worth the trek. Owner Gary Rohr is knowledgeable and happy to offer wine suggestions not only to match with cuisine, but down to the specific dish. For the gnocchi gratinato, he suggests Gulfi Nerojbleo made from 100 percent Nero d’Avola grapes ($24). The red wine’s acidity and robust character work well with the heavy dish. Rohr likes the Feudi di San Gregorio Greco di Tufo ($23), an Italian white with lighter seafood entrees. “It has wonderful complexity, depth and rich tones but brightness underneath with nice lemon rind sort of accents in the finish,” he says. Caro Mio does not charge a corkage fee. --Emily Lobdell is a Metromix special contributor, metromix@tribune.com