I told you I had dined in two great restaurants here. In reality, there were more – lots more – but three of the most memorable of late are these: Market Table, Antica Pesa (more on this one soon) and Lilia.

There is a lot of hype about Lilia. Chef/owner Missy Robbins was reportedly President Obama’s favorite chef based on her work at Spiaggia* in Chicago. She could have opened her first restaurant virtually anywhere but chose my neighborhood. Lucky us.

Lilia is a tough reservation, usually booked a month in advance, but here’s a secret for maybe getting in: ask to put your name on the wait list for a seat at the bar (which is reserved for eating versus just drinking, at least at this point) and then proceed to the cafe in the rear which serves most, if not all, of the appetizers plus wine, cocktails and espresso.

Truth be told, I like the Drusian Extra Dry Prosecco best of all

I am not a food journalist and I’m a picky eater to boot, so I will let the food photos from my three Lilia meals so far do the talking.

Olives that have never seen a can

Cacio e pepe fritelle – a must!

My friend Brooke & her artichoke

Prosciutto, whipped parmesan butter, whole grain mustard

Update (11/1/16): Since I posted this, I have had more wonderful meals at Lilia. Here are some new pics.

They make the pasta in-house daily

Peeking at the pasta

So good

*I had the good fortune to dine at Spiaggia Cafe twice while in Chicago on biz years ago. So delicious.