The October Hit List: Elina’s, Milk Room, Victor’s Cafe, and More

Veteran chefs Ian Rusnak (Blackbird, NoMi, Carbone) and Eric Safin (Restaurant Veronika, Jean Georges, ZZ’s Clam Bar) teamed up for their first solo restaurant venture, which features upmarket takes on beloved Italian American classics, from rigatoni alla vodka with Calabrian chile breadcrumbs to Dover sole piccata with brown butter and capers to lasagna rotolo with Sunday gravy.

This cheerful all-day hangout from owner DeCarlo Pittman (Big Star, the Violet Hour) specializes in hot and cold coffee drinks and — you guessed it — sandwiches. Think roast beef on a French roll with provolone and chimichurri, or fig with prosciutto and jalapeño on wheat. You’ll find a slew of delicious sweet (mascarpone berry toast) and savory (lox bagel with dill and capers) breakfast options, plus salads and a colorful lineup of smoothies.

One of the OG tenants of Restaurant Row, chef Stephanie Izard’s inventive small-plates restaurant still sizzles with great food and a lively vibe more than a decade since it opened (enough so that Los Angeles got one of its own this summer). Bold, global flavors infuse locally procured ingredients in dishes like goat empanadas with smoked blueberry, grilled short ribs with gochujang mayo and apple salad, and the rightfully famous crispy oven-roasted pig face with tamarind and a fried egg — which serves as a reminder that some things are too damn good to replace.

Following a long COVID hiatus, this diminutive bar tucked away on the second floor of the Chicago Athletic Association hotel is back with reservations in one, one and a half, and two hour blocks. Milk Room trades in rare, vintage, and hard-to-find spirits curated by lead bartender Sam Perrier. One-of-a-kind, pricey cocktails include the Milk Room Scaffa ($75) with 1987 Château de Léberon armagnac, Claque Pepin 20-year Calvados, Four Square Empery rum, Cocchi Barolo Chinato fortified wine, and Angostura bitters.

After a fire forced this beloved West Lawn Mexican restaurant to close in 2019, Solazo is back in a new South West Side home serving up fresh and classic takes on regional Mexican cooking. That means hand-pressed tacos filled with Yucatan-style cochinita pibil with escabeche rojo or crispy tripitas with Arbol and morita salsa. Cocteles likewise pack a colorful array of Mexican spirits, tinctures and flavors, as in the Cucurrucucu Paloma with Bahnez mezcal, toronja vanilla shrub, Amargo de Chile, lime, and Squirt.

In a city where you’d assume there’s nothing new left to say about deep-dish pizza, takeout-only George’s went and perfected a new spin on Chicago’s best-known tourist fare. Owner George Bumbaris starts with 48-hour cold-fermented sourdough that’s baked till caramelized and focaccia-like (helped by a crunchy cornmeal base), with impeccably ratioed cheese and sweet tomato sauce (on top, per tradition). You’ll find plenty of topping options, but we’d suggest keeping it blessedly simple with cup-and-char pepperoni and baby spinach.

Beloved traditional Greek dishes like spanakopita, beef-and-lamb gyros with tzatziki, and succulent broiled pork souvlaki anchor the menu at this petite, 23-year-old cafe in the heart of Oak Park. You’ll want to start with a table full of meze spreads and perhaps a sizzling plate of shrimp saganaki. Nothing ends a meal better than a little wedge of chewy-crunchy baklava and an eye-opening nip of strong Greek coffee.

There’s still time to take in sweeping views on this gorgeous rooftop lounge before Chicago winter takes hold. Snack on sticky Korean-style wings, coconut shrimp with red curry aioli, and an excellent double burger with American cheese and Dijonnaise. Sip a Take Flight cocktail with blueberry hibiscus gin, lemon, and a pinot noir topper while you visually drink in those last few drops of Chicago’s prettiest, (maddeningly) shortest season.

This Hong Kong-style diner quietly debuted this summer inside 88 Marketplace, the expansive Chinese grocery store that opened last August just west of Chinatown. Menu highlights include rice noodle rolls, egg tarts, chicken wings on rice, and the Big Men pineapple bun with ham, egg, cheese, and tomato. Leave room to sample a few other goodies at this expansive food court, where you’ll also find sushi, Hong Kong-style barbecue, Vietnamese pho, and Chinese baked goods.

This casual Wicker Park storefront serves up blistered Neapolitan-style pizzas with traditional and playful, regional American toppings — ranging from simple margherita to shredded chicken in Buffalo sauce with shaved celery and blue cheese. You’ll also find a smattering of fresh salads and hefty snacks like cheesy garlic bread, and meatballs in red sauce.