Or you could argue that Moderno, given the kitchen's use of such ingredients as Thai chilies and African and Indian spices, is the least-authentic Italian restaurant in Highland Park.
Moderno was opened three months ago by John Des Rosiers, whose first restaurant, Lake Bluff's Inovasi, is a standard-bearer for serious North Shore dining. With Moderno, which features Phil Rubino as executive chef, Des Rosiers manages a tricky balance of authenticity (important in a suburb with deep working-class Italian roots) and creativity. But every nontraditional element is in the service of flavor.
"We'll use outside ingredients to elevate a dish," Rubino says, citing the garam masala spice blend that coats his leg of lamb. "The lamb from (Pinn-Oak Ridge Farms, in Wisconsin) is so much richer, so full of flavor, it needed a stronger seasoning." And indeed the lamb, served in thick, bright-pink slices, easily withstands the aggressive spice mix.
In the same way, chitarra pasta, with baby-fist-size veal meatballs and soft dabs of ricotta, gets its zing not from chile flakes (arguably the default seasoning) but from a roasted Thai-chile paste. The dish still delivers that mildly spicy hit, but it's a deeper, more mature heat that underscores the comfort-food nature.
If one prefers zero-detour Italian, Moderno delivers there, too. Mascarpone-stuffed, cheese- and herb-flecked arancini deliver in texture and flavor, and superior-quality, barely grilled calamari star in a presentation that includes potato cubes, Spanish olives and whole-grain mustard sauce. Pickled sardines, served on toasted ciabatta with shaved fennel and preserved lemon, embodies the restaurant's mission perfectly: Assertive ingredients, scratch cooking (the sardines are cured and pickled on the premises) and careful balance.
Thin crust, crispy-edged pizzas are good, particularly the one topped with baharat-spiced ground lamb, yogurt and goat cheese; if there were an Arabian market making pizzas, they'd taste like this. House-made pastas include the aforementioned chitarra, and wide pappardelle noodles with a rich wild-boar Bolognese.
Main courses are available in full and half portions, a consumer-friendly touch. The roasted chicken sounds simple, and it is, but don't avoid it; served in moist slices glazed with a cippolini-onion agrodolce (sweet-sour) sauce, this entree is terrific. I'm also a big fan of Rubino's pork shoulder, cooked for 12 hours in duck fat and substantial enough (five large hunks of meat) for two.
A few dishes disappoint. Roasted mussels arrived with a broth that was the unhappy exception to the kitchen's otherwise spare, distinct-flavor approach; the coconut, Thai basil, chile, ginger and lemongrass components — not to mention the house-made limoncello, whose presence attracted me to the dish — devolved into a muddled neutrality. Smoked-trout salad, piled high with celery root, apple and greens, didn't have nearly enough of its star component to make me happy.
Desserts embrace the traditional (Rubino's family owns Sicilian Bakery on Chicago's Northwest Side, and supplies Moderno with ciabatta and cannoli shells) and modern. Crostata, so rustic-looking one can visualize the craggy hands that folded the dough, are filled either with blackberries (the version I got) or apricots and taleggio (the version you'll likely get this week). The Italian cookie plate might include semolina-orange biscotti and coconut-lime-ricotta cookies. But then you might find a deconstructed strawberry shortcake, a long plate with fresh strawberries, strawberry jam, whipped cream and broken pieces of house-made biscuits, all drizzled with concentrated grenache vinegar. Tiramisu, once offered as a "modern misu" deconstruction, now takes the form of a Mason-jar parfait of espresso anglaise, whipped mascarpone and cookies.
Servers don't knock you out with insight but are efficient and friendly.
The dining room features an arched ceiling, from which hang a series of Edison bulbs. Irregular lengths of metal, looking like pieces from some post-modern pipe organ, jut upward and serve as room dividers, making the cavernous space (the main room seats 140, and there is outdoor seating as well) a bit more intimate. The atmosphere isn't quiet by any means, but it's rarely oppressively noisy (though if you're seated near a large party, all bets are off).
The best table in the house is the four-seat "Mama's booth," a cozy alcove named for Des Rosier's mother, who designated it as "her" table whenever she visits. The booth has its own music and light controls and is available to anyone who's smart and lucky enough to ask first.
Moderno
1850 Second St., Highland Park; 847-433-8600; modernohp.com
Tribune rating: Two stars
Open: Dinner Monday-Sunday, lunch Monday-Saturday
Prices: Pastas $10-$15, entrees $24-$38
