This stylish and welcoming addition to Park Ridge offers an impressive array of chef-driven Italian favorites and creative seasonal options

By Trent Modglin

608 W. Touhy Ave, C2 in Park Ridge

(224) 985-9990

FireAndWine.net

Hours:
Monday-Wednesday: 4-9 p.m.

Thursday: 4-10 p.m.

Friday-Saturday: 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Sunday: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

The background: Hard to believe it’s already been more than a year since fire + wine opened in the former Zaza Cucina space in Uptown in February of 2025.

With additional locations in downtown Glen Ellyn and St. Charles, fire + wine is owned by BG Hospitality Group, which has five different restaurant concepts and 15 total restaurants currently under its belt. The company’s focus is championing the creation of unique, chef-driven, farm-to-table plates and an innovative, casual dining atmosphere.

The company’s head chef, Mike Bomberger, stresses the importance of a passionate staff — from the bussers and servers up to the chefs and management team.

“Our aim has always been to be approachable and provide a comfortable environment, but with the level of food, drink and service you’d expect at a five-star, high-end establishment in downtown Chicago,” general manager Evan Berry says.

What caught our eye: If a restaurant could ever be described as equal parts stylish, warm and inviting, this is it. The hanging lights, greenery and large u-shaped granite bar catch the eye immediately, as does the open-kitchen concept, where you capture all the ambiance and aroma from the wood-fired oven.

Seating ranges from plush suede booths and lively high-tops to more intimate tables suited for small groups. A flexible, semi-private dining area can accommodate events, while the expansive patio — framed with seasonal florals — promises to be a centerpiece of the restaurant during warmer months.

Our aim has always been to be approachable and provide a comfortable environment, but with the level of food, drink and service you’d expect at a five-star, high-end establishment in downtown Chicago.” — GM Evan Berry

The food and drink: fire + wine labels their menu as “rustic Italian,” but they definitely put their own creative spin on things and keep up with culinary and seasonal trends, which leads to regular seasonal updates and evolving features across both the food and beverage menus.

Their weekly Chef’s Playground is an evolving list of daily specials, and we’d be remiss not to mention their popular steak boards, which are available Friday-Sunday and offer a choice of a prime N.Y. Strip, ribeye or filet trio. Everything is hand-cut, and the steaks don’t even arrive at the restaurant until Friday afternoon, so you know they’re as fresh as can be. Don’t forget to add a wine pairing, sauce and sharable side like whipped potatoes or seasonal roasted vegetables.

Start things off with an appetizer like veal meatballs, jumbo lump crab cakes, BBQ octopus or a bowl of mussels. For a main course, we find ourselves regularly drawn to the lobster diavolo, which has a generous portion of shrimp, tender lobster and mushrooms in a slightly spicy tomato sauce atop a bed of pennoni pasta. The blackened whitefish in a lemon butter sauce is incredible, and the spicy chicken tortellini and sweet pea-and-sausage orecchiette have also sent us home happy. Six different wood-fired pizza creations and a host of tempting salad options (think apple & walnut or Scottish salmon with goat cheese) are available too.

For a main course, we find ourselves regularly drawn to the blackened whitefish in a lemon butter sauce or the lobster diavolo, which has a generous portion of shrimp, tender lobster and mushrooms in a slightly spicy tomato sauce atop a bed of pennoni pasta.

We asked Evan, the GM, for his favorite dish, and he didn’t hesitate, siding with the slow-braised short rib over polenta. Coming in a close second? The blackened pork chop, which we can attest is incredibly flavorful. It’s a 12-ounce, bone-in chop that’s brined for 24 hours and served with garlic butter, broccolini and fingerling potatoes.

The wine list is, not surprisingly, a massive one, and they have a nice collection of local craft beer as well. The talented team behind the bar creates a featured “cocktail of the week,” not to mention four seasonally handcrafted options.

Don’t forget the weekend brunch from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. with dishes like lemon ricotta pancakes, farmers omelets with seasonal fruit, and a steak & eggs Benedict.

Specials: We can’t think of a better way to kick off the week than swinging in for half-price pasta night on Mondays, and you’ll find wine bottles half off on Wednesdays. fire + wine is also open for lunch on Fridays and has a list of specials available from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Event hosting: The semi-private dining area can seat up to 50 and often hosts everything from baptisms and birthday parties to baby showers and high school graduation dinners. The patio, which is also available to rent out, tops out at 100 guests.

The Dine and Donate program offers a great fundraising opportunity for local nonprofit organizations, where 20% of all orders from a designated night gets donated to the cause.

Dine and donate: BG Hospitality is no stranger to giving back to the suburban communities their restaurants call home. Their Dine and Donate program offers a great fundraising opportunity for local nonprofit organizations, where 20% of all orders from a designated night gets donated to the cause.

Coming up: Earlier this winter, fire + wine launched a live music program on Sundays for brunch, and they will be expanding that to a couple nights during the week going forward. The patio, which overlooks the Pickwick Theater and library, will be open starting in mid May.

Final thoughts: “The quality food and drink is what gets people in the door, but we find that we bring a lot of people back with our service and the atmosphere. All the intangibles and attention to detail are what’s important.”

— General manager Evan Berry