etta

etta Restaurant Review:

About the restaurant & décor: Walking into etta is like arriving to a house party at its peak – the cocktails are flowing, plates are being passed, the music is loud, and spirits are lifted. With a soaring ceiling and an open dining room that peers into an exhibition kitchen, the restaurant looks every bit Chicago with its industrial pieces: exposed brick, open shelving and globular light fixtures. A more private second floor dining area doubles as overflow seating, and another spot to grab a drink at a curved bar.

Likes: Service doesn't miss a beat, and the dining room booms with raucous energy.
Dislikes: Walk-in diners will usually have to wait unless they're willing to sit at the bar.

Food & Drinks: Chef Danny Grant (Maple & Ash, RIA) helms this Bucktown restaurant. etta riffs on the fire theme, with pizza, lamb and chicken as some of the many dishes on the menu. Salads, veggies and pastas also account for a big portion of the offerings, with standouts such as wood-fired pizzas (skip the undercooked wild mushroom for the classic tomato crudo); a grilled dry-aged New York strip; and a sweet mezzaluna pasta with pumpkin, hazelnuts and brown butter. Carrot cake gets a kick of bourbon and butterscotch. House margaritas are signatures, while an extensive wine list hops from California to Oregon and Italy to New Zealand.