Club Lago

If you thought a chimney crashing through the ceiling and obliterating the kitchen below could keep Club Lago down, then you have obviously never been to Club Lago. Recovery was never in question for the feisty, 57-year-old pasta joint. Some of Lago’s fans, on the other hand, aren’t as strong, and how they survived Lago’s six-month absence is anybody’s guess. But at lunch there last week, we saw strong signs of recovery. Despite new paint and new beer taps, the place nevertheless looks exactly the same and is even staffed by the same servers (save the lone new girl), so it was easy to regress to old habits: massive portions of lasagna, soft roast beef on white bread, watery carafes of Chianti and—this is crucial—some pasta with Lago’s meat sauce. Between bites, the regulars bantered with each other and with the Nardini brothers, filling the place with its characteristic clatter. But if you listened closely you could also hear some heavy sighs of relief. 331 W Superior St, 312-951-2849.

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