Chicago Magazine

Dining Awards

November 2003

Gabe Viti is the man. Now beginning his second decade at Gabriel's, Viti still oversees every detail in his boisterous restaurant. He's as comfortable in starched whites as the rest of are in jeans; his easy charm adds to the air of informal formality that fits his food. There's French panache in a peerless cream of wild mushrooms soup, Italian brio in linguine with shrimp and asparagus. Grilled veal porterhouse under a ski slope of pommes frites is somewhere between macho steak house and great bistro. Viti's cheer spreads around the room - after tasting the mandarin orange mousse with orange salad to finish, we couldn't stop smiling, either. Serious juice abounds, too, and wine buffs who find the concentrated, smoky 1999 Hartford Court Sevens Bench pinot noir to their taste are the kind of folks who would enjoy a tour of Viti's custom-designed wine cellar. It's right across the street and he loves to show it off. In fact, if you've got the means, he'll work with you to design, build, and stock your own personal cellar. -D.R.W.