Best Bite: March 2024
A meatball unlike any other.
On March 1st, my dad forwarded me an email with the subject, “You Are Invited to Tri Delta’s Opening Party.” My first thought: Why is Dad on my sorority listerv? I scrolled down and saw a photo of Evan Funke, the Los Angeles chef known for sky-high Sicilian focaccia and reviving long-lost pasta shapes. And then I realized that I’d botched the spelling of the email, which actually read: “You Are Invited to Tre Dita's Opening Party.” Oops.
Tre Dita, Funke’s fifth restaurant, is a collaboration with Chicago restaurant group Lettuce Entertain You. It’s shiny and big, located in the new-ish St. Regis Hotel, with décor and artwork that complements the food itself.
As a long-time lover of Funke’s LA restaurants Felix Trattoria and Mother Wolf (his other two spots are Funke, also in LA, and Mother Wolf Las Vegas), I was psyched to find out that the pasta king would be opening in my hometown.
At all of his restaurants, Funke showcases the breadth of his craft by highlighting specific regions of Italian cuisine. The food at Tre Dita is all about Tuscany, and you can eat everything from schiacciata (a kind of thinner, chewier focaccia) to bistecca alla fiorentina, the Florentine classic.
Pasta is Funke’s thing, and here, he puts Tuscan shapes, like pici, gnudi, and lasagne bastarde, on center stage. As you walk into the dining room, you’ll pass a pasta-making room with glass windows where you can watch cooks rolling, cutting, and filling all different kinds of dough.
I had dinner at Tre Dita when I was in Chicago earlier this month, and all I can say is: CHEF’S KISS. ALL HITS. NO NOTES. The pastas were bangin’ (my personal favorite? the rigatoncini all’arrabbiata), but the real star of the meal for me was something a little less glamorous: the polpette di bollito, or braised beef short rib meatballs.
As you can see, these meatballs aren’t the *most* photogenic dish at Tre Dita. But they’re good. Really good. They’re surprising, too, because unlike traditional meatballs, Funke’s creation looks more like an arancini from the outside, with a visible crust.
When you cut or bite in, instead of a sphere of ground meat, you’ll find a short rib filling that’s melt-in-your-mouth rich. For the full mind-blowing effect, slather a piece of the meatball in the decadent tomato-y sauce underneath (and make sure to scoop up some of that pecorino).
Oh, and save room for dessert. More room than you think you should, because you won’t be able to choose just one. My recs include: the baci al limone (chewy lemon almond cookies), Tre Dita Gattò (truly fire chocolate cake), and blood orange sorbet (tart and light, the perfect way to end a big meal).
Maybe just get them all.
I missed family dinner tonight. Landed too late. Hungry. Now craving lasagna bastarde. Boy does your meal sound devine. Thanks for the pro tips!!!! 🩷
The short rib meatballs!!