Nothing against typical bar snacks, but if you have the option of tossing back a plate of calamari while cheering on the Blackhawks on TV, you take it. Though the bar at Tufano’s — which won an America’s Classics Award from the James Beard Foundation in 2008 — is separate from the dining room, you can still order the Italian American fare off the chalkboard menu on the wall. Or you can just have a drink or two. Or you can do both: Even Frank Sinatra, one of Tufano’s most famous patrons, likely had to kill a few glasses of Chianti waiting on his chicken picante. It’s not a late-night spot (closing time is 9 p.m. most days), and it isn’t as dimly lit as most bars, but it’s possible to be classic without being romantic.
