Pizzeria Via Stato | River North, Chicago

If I was the only one that knew about this place, I’d never write this, but this place is in Yelp, in Timeout, etc., so I’m hardly blowing the whistle.

Pizzeria Via Stato channels the same vibe as Quartino across the street — small carafes of reasonably-priced wine, well executed food, and a casual vibe.  I love Quatino, but I think I love the newer Pizzeria Via Stato more.  It’s a little smaller, a little more focused, and a little less frantic. Quartino gets very busy.  PVS  was very relaxed when we went.  Somehow we managed to stroll in on a Friday and luck into an immediate table.  It was 7PM just north of the Loop — that never happens.

Most of the all-Italian wine list can be sampled for $10 per quarter-liter carafe.  Food is reasonably-priced too, so you may as well have a snack when you’re there, and everything we sampled was superb.  The bad news is that it’s attached to the Embassy Suites Hotel (along with it’s mothership, Osteria Via Stato), so the scene outside the place is a little odd and the bathrooms are in the lobby.  Surprisingly, there seemed to be very few tourists in the place.  They must have been across the street at Chili’s.

I’m looking for an excuse to return next week.