There was a time, not so long ago, when local Italian restaurants were a rarity in Chicago.
But one restaurant helped usher in a new era of regional Italian cuisine, and its legacy is felt throughout Chicagoland.
In the early '90s, French cuisine dominated Chicago's high-end restaurants. But Mia's girlfriend Francesca changed things by creating new dishes every day using everything available. I always look to Rome for inspiration. More than 30 years later, the restaurant has spawned more than a dozen offspring.
A platter of boiled asparagus – a sure sign of spring – flanked by a wide bowl of cooked chickpeas embedded with green olives and red peppers. The appetizer station is a new addition to an old standby. Mia Her Francesca has been pioneering Italian cuisine at Lake Her View for over 30 years, but the former landlord was about to bring in a coffee shop instead.
“It was a question between us and Starbucks about who was going to take over the position, and he just liked us,” said Mia Francesca's owner Scott Harris. We are trying to do it well.”
Harris was a 27-year-old chef at the time and hired a team that continued to work with him over the years. Their focus was clear.
“An authentic Roman trattoria. I was in my twenties and very French trained and was lucky enough to work at Trattoria L'Angolo di Roma in Clark and Belden and fell in love with the cuisine.”
Simple and easy to understand. Each dish uses just a few ingredients, including garlic, shallots, and chili flakes.
“Six pastas, six entrees, and that was it. We wrote a menu every day,” he said.
Pasta with roasted eggplant, tomato sauce, fresh basil and creamy mozzarella cost less than $10 in 1992 and costs twice that today. The same goes for the ever-popular linguine with its many hidden shells, and the classic pollo alla romana, a roasted half chicken flavored with garlic, shallots, rosemary and fresh lemon and olive oil. Masu. Roasted potatoes wrapped in seasoned pan sauce absorb both sauce and pan drippings.
The bar serves cocktails, but the entire bar has been renovated to look like it's from the '90s and reopened in February to celebrate its 32nd anniversary.
“We just renovated the place, updated it and brought it up to 2024 standards,” he said.
Harris said the restaurant's DNA hasn't changed, although the loyal customers are one thing.
“I think about simplicity and consistency and just the food. What I really enjoy is seeing my 4-year-old kids when I opened the restaurant now coming to the restaurant with their kids. That's very important to me,” Harris said.
From Lake Forest and Barrington to Frankfort and Palos Park, few restaurants have completely conquered Chicagoland like Francesca's. Unless your name is Malnati, of course it's a different kind of menu.
You can go here:
Mia Francesca
3311 N. Clark St.
773-281-3310