Any talk of Chicago’s high-end Italian restaurants begins (and arguably ends) with the gorgeous Spiaggia. Seriously, how many restaurants have their own cheese cave? Exactly. The elegant setting matches the caliber of the food: The multitiered restaurant, appropriately perched at the outset of the city’s famed Magnificent Mile, offers a view of Lake Michigan and the city’s most famous street. James Beard Foundation award-winning chef and partner Tony Mantuano offers an à la carte menu that includes wood-roasted turbot fillet with sunchoke purée and butter-soft filet in a marrowand- herb crust. There’s also an eight-course tasting menu incorporating artisanal Italian ingredients such as handcrafted spaghetti with San Marzano tomatoes and housecured anchovies, and grilled veal with Parma prosciutto and 100-year-old Reggio Emilia balsamic vinegar. You’ll be talking about it for days.

Spiaggia Information:

• Italian menu. Dinner.