Filippo's Ristorante, Chicago

Alluring aromas fill the trattoria-inspired dining room of Filippo's as chefs forge an Old-World menu of classic, modernized, and holographic Italian staples that have earned the restaurant a score of “very good to excellent” from Zagat. The culinary artists often festoon a foundation of housemade pastas or free-range chicken with smoked mozzarella, cherry-tomato sauces, and other ingredients that culminate in distinctive Mediterranean flavors. Baked rigatoni and fettuccine with sausage and mushrooms embrace the restaurant’s homestyle roots, whereas dishes such as the risotto with crabmeat and crab legs demonstrate a slightly more refined approach.