Bertucci's: For Date Night and Families

When I was in college, a cute guy in my bio class took me on a date to in Chicago. We weren't old enough to drink  legally, so we had sodas and iced teas  and I ordered the Sporkie pizza (sweet Italian sausage, ricotta, mozzarella and tomato sauce). I can't remember what he ordered as it was so long ago but I find it funny that the Sporkie is still on the menu at Bertucci's today. The menu at Bertucci's has expanded since then to include many more heart-healthy and even gluten-free items: There's an entire gluten-free menu available. We arrived for a weeknight dinner and had to wait as the dining room was teeming with dozens of families.

It's a lively environment to say the least, but everyone we encountered was quite friendly. The wait ended up being less than our hostess told us it would be, which was great. We were seated in a booth tucked away in an alcove of the main dining room, which gave us some privacy.

We ordered some chianti, water and iced teas and pored over the menus. Two of us began with a side salad and one of us had the minestrone soup. Many of the main course entrees come with soup or salad although the pastas and pizzas do not. The salad was good. The vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes, olives) and greens (mixed greens and frisee) were fresh and crisp, and I loved the sprinkling of parmesan cheese that added a slight saltiness to each bite. The house Italian and balsamic vinaigrettes were well seasoned.

The soup was savory and flavorful, though the cup proved to be much too small for my dining companion. Thick and hearty, the soup would be perfect for a cooler evening, although it was still enjoyable amidst the heat.

For our entrees we had the salmon Florentine, the seafood di mare and the shrimp rossini. The Norwegian salmon filet atop "wilted spinach with white wine, caper and lemon sauce" was cooked all the way through, but the spinach was not. What arrived at the table was a cooked piece of fish on top of what appeared to be a pound of fresh spinach leaves. I didn't mind it too much because I love spinach--raw and cooked, but I would imagine that others would have been disappointed that their "wilted" spinach was completely raw. The sauce was bright and acidic--a great counterpart to the richness of the salmon. 

The seafood di mare is a stunning display of maritime riches. It garnered plenty of oohs and aahs from the table when it was presented. The fish and shellfish was well cooked and there was plenty to go around. This dish is not for the faint of heart as it is quite large. Tomatoes and seafood are a match made in heaven in my book, and this dish shows that. Even the broth was tasty enough for dipping crostini.

The shrimp rossini was a decent pasta dish. The noodles were cooked al dente and there were plenty of shrimp. My dining companion wasn't too thrilled with it though. I think she was expecting some more flavor from this dish of "tender shrimp, tomatoes, cream, capers and hot pepper." None of these ingredients is mild, but there wasn't even a hint of heat in the dish. The capers were barely noticeable as was the cream. While the dish was not bad, it didn't live up to its billing.

For dessert we had the black cherry crostata, which was a show stopper. It took forever to come out but we were so pleased with it. Imagine a hot baked dessert stuffed with juicy black cherries and preserves and topped with an enormous scoop of vanilla ice cream and you'll begin to get an idea of this treat. The interplay of the hot crust and the cool and creamy vanilla ice cream was fantastic, as was the burst of cherry flavor in each bite. This dessert was so good it turned a non-dessert eater into a believer who kept her fork going back for more.

The service is great. The staff is young but professional and as mentioned earlier, extremely friendly. The dining room was a bit chaotic when we went in for dinner, but that is because it was packed with people of all ages. Bertucci's has something for everyone young and old, gluten-intolerant or pizza and pasta enthusiasts, girl or boy, young couple or family. I went to Bertucci's for the first time as a young college girl and have gone back many times since. The consistent quality of the food and service is the draw here, and I hope that never changes.