CLUB LAGO
A WBBM RESTAURANT REVIEW BY SHERMAN KAPLAN
BROADCAST APRIL 5, 2008
It has been twenty five years or more since I reviewed Club Lago at 331 West Superior, and as luck would have it our table was across from a dividing wall which had that review posted.
To be honest, it was too dark, and the type too small for me to read what I wrote then. No, I do not have a copy of that old review, which like old newspapers, probably wound up at the bottom of a bird cage to catch litter.
I do have very fond memories of Club Lago, a restaurant which has been around since the 1950s and is now a third generation family project. It does not look too much different than I remembered it, a high tin ceiling, narrow bar and a dining room further back. Don’t look for flat screen TVs at the bar; they are the old fashioned tube type.
The food has an old fashioned quality, despite Club Lago’s home in an area that has become more trendy and gentrified than not over the years. It’s still a restaurant where the bar food is better than good. I love the fried zucchini sticks and mushrooms which come as a package deal, with old fashioned red cocktail sauce to spice things up.
There’s deep fried calamari in a portion large enough to be dinner; we were told it’s really another appetizer. There’s marinated calamari in a salad with strips of fennel, sliced radishes and other vegetable whatnots with sweet red Italian dressing.
There’s more to the appetizer and salad listings, and wonderful pastas with sauces that taste homemade. Try linguini in red clam sauce for a perfect example. The seasonings are just right. So too is a simple spaghetti and meatballs, more Chicago brawn than Italian risorgimiento.
Chicken Vesuvio is another Chicago favorite, and Club Lago does it right with pungent garlic and roasted potatoes, plus enough chicken to feed a couple of normal appetites.
Elsewhere on the menu Veal Parmigiana is similarly the real deal with all the right flavors and seasonings.
Wines by glass, carafe or bottle and easy family style service and atmosphere are timeless. Expect to spend about $60 a couple for three courses, plus add ons. Club Lago is at 331 West Superior and has a K/RATING of 20/20.
AMBIANCE 4/4 HOSPITALITY 5/5 FOOD 11/11
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