Dining in Chicago: La Madia
I did a search for good lunch places near where we were staying and La Madia kept coming up as an amazing pizza place for lunch. A little expensive, but it was only a block a way and boasted an extensive wine list. I also looked it up on Foursquare to see if there were any specials and discovered it qualified for American Express’s $10 off $10 small business promo.
The restaurant was pretty quiet for a Sunday at 1PM, which turned out to be a blessing since they were running slow that day. I appreciated the selection of wine covering both sides of the drink menu, but wished they had a few more by-the-glass options, finally settling on an 07 Chono Carmenere.
It was perfectly fine, slightly flat, but still had a hint of black pepper at the end that kept it interesting.
The pizza was much better than my carmenere. I had been leaning towards the garlic spinach chicken calzone, but after reading all the reviews on Foursquare opted for the Tallegio and & 3 hour roasted grapes white pizza. I loved the combination of flavors and ate most of it (although it could have fed 2 non-ravenous people).
I also went for a glass of the $6 wine of the week, a 2009 Bourgogne Pinot Noir, and wished I’d gone for another glass of the carmenere instead. Even more so when I discovered when I got the bill that the only the whites are $6, reds are $8.50.
Still, I greatly enjoyed my experience there and the fact that AMEX was giving me $10 for dining there. Go when you’re not short on time and preferably with enough people so you can take advantage of the great list of wine by the bottle.
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Heels First is the travels and tribulations of two twenty-something frequent fliers jumping into the world of travel. Join Keri and Jeanne as they tackle mileage runs, elite status, and of course–the perfect travel accessories.
