5 Great Al Frescos

Portrait by Todd Rosenberg Photography

GREAT AL FRESCOS

by

STEVE DOLINSKY

We asked Steve Dolinsky, Food Reporter for ABC 7 News in Chicago and 12-time James Beard Award winner, what fi ve al frescos he thinks are worth a special trip.

Foreign Cinema »

2534 mission st., san FranCisCo

How about a little Hog Island oyster with your Hitchcock? This cool, casual Mediterraneaninfluenced gem in the Mission would be a worthy destination for its food alone. But throw in a covered courtyard with films projected onto a giant two-story wall outside, and suddenly, those house-cured sardines and cauliflower or that massive smoked masala pork chop with a chanterelle-radicchio-leek bread pudding taste that much better.

salinas »

136 9tH aVe., new york City

In Manhattan, of course, love doesn’t come cheap. But in Chelsea, there is plenty to love at this vibrant Spanish restaurant, which focuses on the Mediterranean coast and Balearic Islands. There is no denying the perfection of nibbling on blistered shishito peppers and Jamón Ibérico while sitting beneath the inky black New York City sky under a large, retractable roof. Come after 12 p.m. on a weekend for brunch, and get a clear view of the sky and surrounding buildings–there’s no doubt you’re in the city.

gjelina »

1429 aBBot kinney BlVd., VeniCe BeaCH

Thank goodness for the 405, because even on a bad day, you can finagle your way from LAX to Gjelina in about 20 minutes. That means if there’s a layover, you’ve got do whatever you can to get to Venice Beach for a taste of what is surely some of the best food in the region. The restaurant leans Mediterranean, with charcuterie platters and charred pizzas rife with briny olives, capers and homemade sausage. But sitting in the cozy backyard, with portable heaters that get turned on whenever the temperature even threatens to dip below 60, I find myself hunkering down on the long, cushioned couch and plunging my dessert spoon into a cup of the intensely delicious butterscotch budino (pudding) topped with fluffy whipped cream and sea salt.

PiCColo sogno »

464 n. Halsted st., CHiCago

Tony Priolo’s “little dream” came to fruition after a long stint at Coco Pazzo downtown. But this chef must also have a green thumb, because stepping into the enormous, tree-lined patio that seats about 150 is like stumbling onto your longlost Italian uncle’s villa somewhere in the Veneto. On any given warm summer night in Chicago, you can bet the tables will be full, and not just because of the scenery. Priolo makes everything from scratch here, from the pastas all the way down to the tiny grissini, or bread sticks.

Vinegar Hill House »

72 Hudson aVe., Brooklyn

Half the fun of going to Vinegar Hill House is the trek itself. Whether you take the F train to York and walk a few more blocks or drive over the Manhattan Bridge, this quaint haven in Brooklyn has an even more charming patio. With large, horizontal branches strung with intermittent light bulbs, it could be a scene from a Zach Braff coming-of-age film about the young couple that finds love over a bottle of Sangiovese: She goes for the beet risotto while he opts for a Red Wattle breed pork chop and some Cheddar grits.