La Madia - Chicago's Gourmet Pizza

For my boyfriend's birthday, his family and I made our way over to La Madia, a cute little pizzeria on the corner of Clark and Grand.  It's small and right next to India House, which means lots of people don't see it.  In fact, when an uncle stopped at India House to ask directions (since they actually share the same address - 59 E Grand Ave), the person at India House had no idea where La Madia was nor what the uncle was talking about.  Fun right? 

Luckily, the restaurant was well worth the adventure.  It's cozy dark wood finish, fireplace at the front near the bar, and intimate dining booths and lighting make the restaurant feel like it is worth the prices on the menu, so beware, this is not a "money watching"-friendly restaurant.  You will drop some cash here, but for a special occasion, I feel it is totally worth it.

We started out with wines, as they are very known for their selections.  I had the Zinfindel (offered by the glass) and it was spicy and bold - just how I liked it.  When I followed it with the daily special ($5 for 4oz, $7 for 7), I found I enjoyed the blend they were featuring just as much, but for different reasons.  The second was smooth and equally easy to drink.  However, be forewarned:  These drinks pack a punch.  They are very potent in their alcoholic kick, and will put you further off the straight and narrow faster than you might normally be accustomed. 

We started with their garlic olives and mushroom buschetta (an absolute must!), their beet and gorgonzola salad, the arugula salad, and a cabbage based one.  The Arugala one was my favorite, but the beets were definitely cooked to perfection.  Then, for dinner we had the pepperoni pizza, lamb sausage pizza, eggplant pizza, mushroom pizza, and margarita pizza.  The lamb sausage is spicy and an absolute must with the pepperoni tying for a close second.  I preferred the mushroom one to the eggplant one, and the margarita was only okay.  Again, they aren't cheap, so going with recommendations is a good way to pick your pizzas, and I was pleasantly surprised to know how much I liked the lamb and pepperoni one, because I am normally a spinach, tomato and onion kind of pizza girl.  And, I tend to abhor sausage pizza, so that means double kudos to La Madia for finding one I would happily finish completely on my own.

So, next time you find yourself wanting pizza and a high end dinner experience, look no further.  Plus, with the bar being the only window seating available, there is also the lovely options of having your dinner at the bar tables as well, just in case you enjoy people watching more than you enjoy talking to your present company.  :-)  No, but in all seriousness, a huge 4 stars for this restaurant.  I would have only asked that I had a bigger stomach.