Letizia's Fiore

2456 N. California Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647
Menu Creativity:  Good (especially considering the small size of the menu)
Ambiance:  Casual and plenty of seating
Overall Experience:  Quick, easy, and filling
Rating:  Good for vegetarians and OK for vegans
------------------------------------------------------
On a warmish Sunday morning I pulled my non-daylight savings adjusted butt outta bed then bribed Caroline to drag her even more tired self out of bed to join me.  Originally the plan was to go to Bite on Western, but upon arriving we found the windows papered over and a renovation permit on the door.  After a bit of grrr...arguh'ing on my part we decided to head over to Letizia's Fiore, which turned out to be a pleasant surprise.  Letizia's is more coffee shop/bakery than cafe, but they have a nice unique selection of lunch choices that you won't find at any of the unmentionable chain coffee shops.  It's a small menu, but here were our choices:

• Roasted Tomato & Pesto Piadina (Piadina is flatbread with melted smoked mozzarella)
• Soups:  (all soups are vegetarian and one is always vegan)

• Cream of Tomato
• Tuscan White Bean (V) 
• Veggie Chili with Barley (V)
• Garlic Bomb (V) (fresh baked bread with garlic, rosemary, olive oil, and sea salt) 
• Arancini Bar (a stuffed and fried risotto ball)...unfortunately they did not have any vegetarian choices that day
• Rustic Pizza:  varying choices
• And Coffee...marvelous tasty coffee!

For the full menu go to http://www.wix.com/fsorano/fiore_new

What I ate (and Caroline copied):  Veggie Chili and the Garlic Bomb, which thoughtfully comes with an after lunch breath freshener.  I went with the mocha latte, whereas Caroline went with the vanilla...lattes here are very good; the espresso is not overwhelmed by the flavoring and the foam is toasty and creamy.  The flavor of the veggie chili was yummy, fresh ingredients and fully developed flavors.  The only minus is that it really is more of a hearty bean soup rather than a chili, but as I said the flavors don't disappoint as long as your heart not set on traditional chili.  The garlic bomb is...well, the bomb!  You cannot go wrong with bread fresh out of a wood burning oven.  The only point of contention, and it is a small one, is that the toppings were very inconsistent.  There was only one piece of Rosemary found (it was a bit like trying to find the baby in a Mardi Gras cake) and only a smattering of sea salt, but garlic and oil were in abundance.  This seemed to be such a small light meal, but both of us found that we were significantly satisfied for most of the remainder of the day.  Overall a great experience and one I would be more than happy to repeat!

(V)=Vegan Friendly

(RV)=Can Request to be Made Vegan

Let me know where you think I should eat next?  If you've eaten at Letizia's Fire what was your experience?  Post your responses in the comments below.


Check out my other blog at: http://thininvisiblesteel.blogspot.com/