Terzo Piano at the Art Institute of Chicago

A few weeks ago, Adam and I were trying to come up with a good dining experience in our neighborhood. We thought about The Gage, a tasty place with great ambiance on South Michigan Ave. On our walk through Millennium Park to get to The Gage, Adam was bright enough to remember Terzo Piano, the restaurant on the roof of the new modern wing of the Art Institute. It is open every day for lunch but only for dinner on Thursdays. For that reason, we had not yet eaten there.

Overall, the experience was good. Great ambiance- how can you beat a patio looking out over Millennium Park w/ artwork just feet away? The inside looks very cute as well- we'll have to come back some Thursday in the winter for dinner inside. The food was okay. It was good, but nothing extraordinary, not surprising for a place that probably does most of its business on tourists and special events. The service was terribly slow and disorganized, which was fine for us since we were enjoying the view and the company. Even better, they brought us two amuse bouches! (By means of explanation for the non-foodies out there, an amuse-bouche is a french word for 'tasty bite' or 'mouth amuser'. It is a one bite appetizer given as a gift to the restaurant patrons by the chef.)

The chef at Terzo Piano is Tony Mantuano, the chef behind Spiaggia, one of the best Italian restaurants in the city. The food at Terzo Piano is described as "Italian with a modern twist". They have a cava di stagionatura, which is a cheese cave and I do love cheese!




There is a 3 course fixed price menu for $50. Neither Adam nor I were hungry enough for that so we ordered a la carte. For dinner I had the "hand crafted spaghetti with McWethy Farms cherry tomatoes, toasted garlic, herbs and pine nuts". Very tasty, nice and light for a hot day, but not really worth the $17 it cost. Adam had the PEI mussels in Goose Island Honker's ale (of course!). Looking at the menu today, I see the mussels are being served with Metropolitan beer this week. Metropolitan is a newish small Chicago craft brewery.

If I recall, we skipped dessert and grabbed some ice cream in the park on the way home instead. Overall, I recommend the restaurant once for the novelty and the great view but I don't think it will become a regular for us because the food is good, not great, and it is a bit pricey. With so many amazing food options in Chicago, there's no need to settle!