Christmas break will free up a lot of time for students to relax and enjoy some delicious meals. The lunch line on spaghetti day in the cafeteria clearly shows how much Regina girls appreciate Italian cuisine. Over break, gather up a group of friends and visit  some of these popular Italian destinations.

Zia’s Trattoria $$$

My all-time favorite resturant is Zia’s Trattoria, which is located on 6699 N. Northwest Hwy in Edison Park, Chicago. I choose to go here every year on my birthday, because it is unbelievably good.

The resturant is spacious, and the waitstaff is very friendly and attentive. Depending on both the time of day and the day of the week, it can be more difficult to get a table without waiting, so I would definitely recommend making a reservation first. Luckily, I went to an early dinner on a Wednesday night, so I was immediately seated.

Each table is served a basket of warm, fresh bread with olive oil and cheese; I always have to remind myself to save room for the actual meal. Every time I visit,  I order the rigatoni piedmontese, which is a blend of pasta, chicken, peas, herbs, white wine wine and garlic topped with parmesan cheese. Although the food is a bit pricey,  the portions are quite large.

Giacomo’s $$

This was the first time I have gone to Giacomo’s. My aunt suggested that I visit this restaurant, because she had heard such great things about it. In fact, Giacomo’s was featured on WTTW’s hit show, Check, Please! It received an impressive five fork rating. Giacomo’s is located on 740 N. Wolf Road in Des Plaines.

Giacomo’s is a family owned restaurant. Although the restaurant is a bit small, it would be the perfect restaurant to visit in the summer, because there is outdoor seating as well. The waitstaff was very friendly, and seated us right when we walked in the door. They served quickly and were very attentive to all of the customers.

As soon as we sat down, we were immediately served a basket fresh bread and olive oil with a dish of parmesan and romano cheeses. Giacomo’s offers several specials each night, and is reasonably priced. Deciding what to order was difficult, because everything on the menu sounded delicious. Each meal comes with a soup or salad, although I did not order one because I was too busy eating the bread.

I ultimately chose to order the Pollo de Anna, which is a breaded chicken breast with red and green peppers, mushrooms, topped with mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce. Each entrée comes with a side of homemade pasta, but I decided to substitute it for a side of vesuvio potatoes. The chicken was juicy and the peppers and mushrooms added a lot of extra flavor. The vesuvio potatoes were cooked perfectly, although they might scare off people that aren’t fans of garlic.

I was very happy with my decision; my meal was delicious! The portion was huge, but I was able to box it up and enjoy it the next day as well.

 Magianos Little Italy $$

Conveniently located on 4999 Old Orchard in Skokie, Maggiano’s Little Italy is the perfect restaurant to visit after a long, tiring day of Christmas shopping.

When I went to Maggiano’s with my family, we were seated immediately with no reservation. The waiter was very friendly and frequently made sure that  we were enjoying our experience. We were provided with bread and olive oil to snack on while waiting for our food to arrive.

I ordered the Margherita Flatbread. The warm crust was topped with oven-dried tomatoes, an Italian cheese blend, fresh mozzarella, and basil. This flatbread was quite flavorful and filling.

After my meal, I ordered  Nonna’s Toasted Pound Cake for dessert. It was topped with vanilla ice cream and caramelized bananas, with hot fudge drizzled on top. Although the pound cake was a bit dry, my sweet tooth was ultimately satisfied.