Last minute? Sure, why not?
I started out speaking of my long-term love for this place. I've had many very good meals here, and maybe one or two not so stellar.
My last meal at Agostino's was WAY less than stellar. It was overly rich, overly hyped by the server, and overly expensive [details available if anybody's curious . . . ] I left with an unhappy taste in my mouth, thinking that things had changed in a way I didn't like. I had taken a friend there for his first dinner at Agostino, and I felt left down.
Hence my ambivalence about pushing the restaurant for a GNR renewal.
But, other thoughts and conversations brought me around to thinking about all of the really, really good meals I've had there. I had a very good meal there last spring [the disappointing one was in November]. At their best, Agostino's is capable of making a dish that is fresh-tasing and perfectly executed. Fresh fish*, fresh herbs, good-quality tomatoes in the dishes, pasta done to a perfect al dente turn, professional [not too obtrusive, not neglectful] service. [*I always recommend them as a place for sea food, and they more and more promote themselves as such.] When they stick to their core meals, I haven't had anything that can beat them in Chicago. And yes, in my mind, the usual quality of execution, the lightness of hand that they're capable of, DOES make them stand out in the Chicago restaurant scene from any number of other neighborhood Italian places.
And, as you can see in the events board, I'm looking forward to exploring their menu more widely in the company of a few of my chowish friends.
Giovanna
[edited to fix some spelling that was so off it mentioned another restaurant entirely]
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"Enjoy every sandwich."
-Warren Zevon