More than two miles from Chicago's Little Italy, Fiore's Domestic Import Deli sits on a street corner in the Ukrainian Village like a blissfully clueless transplant. The throwback Italian deli and market is bursting with old-country goods, making it an easy lunch spot or grocery run for anyone too lazy to head to Taylor Street.
Fiore's deli counter serves up a variety of generously sized sandwiches, including classics like hot meatball, Italian beef and turkey and pastrami. Thick-sliced meats and cheeses rule here, as does the zippy hot giardinera. But although the deli case boasts meats from sopresatta to salami, vegetarians (or Lenten meat abstainers) need not worry. Fiore's pepper and egg sandwich, with creamy scrambled eggs and roasted red peppers on a crusty sub, reigns as a house legend. Sandwiches will set you back $4 to $6.75, but a word to the wise: The extra-large roughly equals the size of a spare tire, so order accordingly. Pizza by the slice or pie and homemade soups round out the menu.
If you’re in a DIY mood, check out the grocery selection instead. Basic sundries with an Italian twist line the shelves here; there's a whole section devoted to olive oil and every type of tomato sauce imaginable (tuna marinara, anyone?). Quick takeout trays of lasagna, manicotti and ravioli fill the refrigerated cases in the front of the shop for easy access. You could also just drool over the dessert case, stuffed with cannolis, while you're waiting for your deli sandwich to be ready. Service at Fiore's may not be as quick as a trip to the local Panera, but hey, Old World goodness takes time.
Centerstage Reviewer: Elisabeth Kilpatrick
