Modern Wing, Art Institute of Chicago, 159 East Monroe Drive; 312-443-8650

ITALIAN [$$$]

No one is shocked that Tony Mantuano’s polished Italian restaurant fits the Modern Wing perfectly. What’s surprising is that the place is so tethered to the Art Institute that it can’t open for dinner more than one night a week. You can get most of the dinner menu at lunch, though: the ridiculously good antipasto plate, the aggressive chorizo flatbread, the stunning grilled beef tagliata with Anson Mills polenta. (Tony, get that otherworldly Capriole goat’s milk cheesecake with a delicate hazelnut shortbread crust on the lunch menu, stat.) Terzo’s stark design has no more personality than an empty art gallery, but you’ve never seen a panoramic view of the Loop like this one, day or night.

TIP: Unravel a strand of the hand-cut tagliatelle: one on our plate was at least two feet long.

PRICE KEY: ¢ $10 to $19  $ $20 to $29   $$ $30 to $39  $$$ $40 to $49   $$$$ $50-plus
[Cost per person for dinner, excluding wine, tax, or tip]