rpm italian.

i'm not afraid to admit that i am a huge giuliana & bill fan. super cute chicagoans (yes, giuliana is a definite chicagoan now) who bring only the good to our fair city? yes, please. not to mention that they are actually hilarious together. love.

anyway, when news spread that they would be opening an italian joint inspired by some of mama depandi's recipes (giuliana's mother and breakout star of giuliana & bill), i knew it'd be a must try spot for this summer. (and lucky for me, it fits right in with my absolute obsession with italian food.)

and thus, rpm italian was born. (way to go : bill, giuliana + leye!)

pretty much every aspect (save one, more on that later) of rpm is fantastic. the menu perfect for sharing (i.e. : order lots of little dishes ... another italian style tapas type of situation) & they've got tons of vegan options ... aaand they're very willing to accommodate. they offered to make vegan eggplant parmesan (sans parmesan), but i went with a few different options. here's what i had ...

roman style artichokes :
crunchy, salty, delicious.
the leaves tasted like little chips made from artichoke. just super.

tuscan kale & heirloom spinach salad.
no cheese.
also quite tasty. 
i added some salt & the crushed red pepper & dried herb blend that came with my friends' pizette.
you know how much i looove kale, so this was an obvious choice. you might also notice that this looks like a half portion ... that's because i dove right in before taking my photo. oops.

mama depandi's pomodoro :
strozzapreti pasta (in place of bucatini).
since i am such a big guiliana & bill fan, i just had try mama depandi's pomodoro.
and let me say, mama depandi does not disappoint. it was sooo good. the flavor was just incredible. and while i appreciate the smaller portion size, i could have easily eaten more. really, that good.

the only thing one (not me) might complain about is that none of their desserts are vegan. not even the sortbetto (maybe egg whites?) ... but that's okay. you can certainly eat enough at dinner so you don't need dessert. that's what we did.

rpm italian is definitely on the hot list of chicago restaurants. so it may take time to get a reservation (we made ours three months ago to get a prime spot at 8pm on a sunday!) ... but it's definitely worth the wait.

Comments

  1. yea! so glad to have found your site! I was trying to decide where to go for my birthday dinner next week and was looking at RPM's menu but thought it might not have enough options for me - since it's my birthday I don't want to go somewhere with just one option on the menu :)

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    1. rpm is an awesome place! lots of vegan options ... so definitely a great restaurant to try, especially for a birthday!

      enjoy & happy birthday!

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  2. Thanks for all of your great reviews!! Thanks to you, I've been able to plan a great b-day dinner for my mom at a RPM, which she has been DYING to try! Hubby and I are vegan, so I did a little digging, and the GM gave me the following info:
    "There is a Gluten Free Pasta, our Pomodoro Sauce, the Brussels Sprouts can be made without cheese, the Kale and Heirloom Spinach Salad, Roasted Beets - - without cheese, Roman Style Artichokes, Eggplant Parmesan - - without cheese, Sautéed Broccolini and the Roasted Mushrooms." Also, when I asked more specifically about whether the GF pasta was the only vegan one, and whether any desserts were vegan: "Just to clarify, we also have a strozzapreti noodle available which may be served with a pomodoro sauce or a basil pesto. As a dessert option we have lemon sorbetto."
    Having seen your comment about the sorbetto, and knowing that pesto is usually made with cheese, I asked for more clarification: "The lemon sorbetto is vegan & we have a basil pesto with no cheese."

    Hooray for options!!

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    1. thanks for the update! our server just must not have known.

      hope you enjoyed!! ;)
      thanks for reading!

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  3. Wow, thanks for this review! I'm a fan as well, and love fine dining. However, sometimes it is challenging while being vegan. Enjoyed your review and will make reservations now. ^_^

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    1. hi, nadia!
      glad you enjoy! have fun at rpm! so delicious! :)

      halley

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