The Dish on Dish: Folino's

Folino's Ristorante is molto bene (very good, for yinz English-only speakers)

by Yvonne Hudson

Dish has been on a bit of a restaurant tear lately. We're on a mission to try out all restaurants -- new and established -- in our fair city.

That brings us to a South Side establishment called Folino's Ristorante, which opened in 2005 after operating for years as Young's Tavern (the locals still call it Young's). You may recall it's where B-list bombshell Sienna Miller threw a hissy fit and was thrown to the curb. Folino's celebrates the incident with t-shirts.

The intimate Italian eatery featured a piano player tickling the ivories with Sinatra and other classics while a Dish staffer and a companion perused the menu. We ordered a nice Pinot Grigio and ordered Bruschetta (we like Bruschetta, OK? We realize that's a recurring theme in our restaurant vists, but deal with it).

When our entrees arrived, we were not disappointed. A wonderful blackened Ahi tuna with fresh veggies arrived looking sumptuous and an entrée of shrimp scampi tossed in white wine sauce did not disappoint. The waiter was fantastic, and the atmosphere was relaxing.

What we especially liked about Folino's was that even though it's located on the South Side, it's not sterotypically "South Side" and hosts diners in jeans, college students, more conservative guests and a variety of ages.

The food is the draw, and it's worth the headache of traversing the Carson Street traffic.

Folino's, 1719 E. Carson St., 412-488-8108.