NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 21 Aug 2002 01:32:25 +0000 (UTC) x-no-archive: yes Xref: usenet.INS.cwru.edu chi.eats:17580 La Gondola is now located in a storefront in the mall on Ashland, north of Diversey. Once upon a time, it was located on the 2400 block of Ashland.. Space is small, but the food was pretty good. We shared a Caeser Salad, Fried Calamari appetizer and a small pizza. Caeser Salad was good, dressing appeared homemade. I thought it was a tad over-dressed but my dining companion found it to be just right. The Fried Calamari appetizer plate seemed expensive ($9), until it arrived at our table! A huge platter with more than enough for two to share. Nice light breading, and the squid was tender and tasty. NO Rubbery texture at all! A red seafood sauce on the side for dipping. Pizza was a thin crust half veggie special, half sausage, onion, mushroom, peppers. The veggie half had spinach, artichoke, broccoli, sliced tomato. Crust was nice and crispy, sausage had a good flavor, no skimping on the cheese, and the veggies were fresh, not canned. Once it cooled off, it was very good. They had some very interesting specials on the board, but we were in a pizza mood. From what we saw of some of the dinner entrees, it looked like it would be worth coming back for a non-pizza meal. The space itself holds only about 7 4-seat tables, and it was noisy when everyone was talking, but not impossible or unbearable, just noticeable. good food, good value. La Gondola 2914 N. Ashland 773 248-4433
Chicago, IL