timpano hyde park

timpano is one of those places i've driven by a million times, always meant to try and just never have. it's located in hyde park, with a fantastic area of outdoor seating, and it is always bustling.

when we arrived for the event, we were seated in a half-moon booth facing the bar, which proved to be a bigger highlight of the night than one would think. suffice it to say that we had a blast watching thebarpatrons drink more...and more.

we went to timpano last night and we loved it! i took a client out for dinner. i have been there many times and i knew they would deliver. the mussels were awesome and we had a couple of items from the rawbartoo. all were fresh and tasty. i had the ribeye, it was perfectly cooked. i took half home as i couldn't finish it. the bartender kim was fun and informative. our server was efficient and not intrusive. the general manager walked us out and told us to come back for live music. i definately will take him up on that.

i ordinarly steer clear of chain restaurants...but this one is just a little chain and does most things pretty well. it boasts a slick interior with a new york pianobarambiance and more-professional-than-average waitstaff for its price point. the menu is comprised of steaks and a macaroni-grill-pedestrian selection of pasta dishes and americanized italian classics (all the usual suspects...chicken parmesan, lasagna, fettucini with chicken, spaghetti and meatballs, etc.).

holy expensivebartab batman!. i saw a greg norman pinot noir bottle and just had to have some! it's a wonderful blend! anyway, i had three glasses and my bill was- no lie- $68! the bottle of wine is only $12!! i could have bought five bottles!! i guess i should have looked at the price first, but i just assumed a moderate mark-up!

anyway, the muscles are great and the staff is knowledgeable and helpful. just make sure you look at the menu before selecting what you want!

timpano italian chophouse is a restaurant andbarlocated across the street from cinebistro in old hyde park. the exterior seems fancy and upscale and that wouldn't be an incorrect way to describe timpano. inside the place is lit well, most of the people there are dressed up. my visit was during evening hours and the restaurant was booming with both a dinner crowd and a crowd surrounding their frank sinatra bar. there was live music playing the night i visited, the tunes were pleasant, but just a backdrop to the chatty conversations in the restaurant. the bartender that took care of us was friendly and quick to get us our drinks. he recommended me some drinks from their martini menu and i decided to try their flirtini, quite tasteful for someone like me who hates bitter drinks. there was a crowd of older women there, tuesday nights are ladies night so they were probably just appeared to stop by while making their way around town. my party and i ordered their bbq short rib flatbread piz

martini, martini, martini!!. my girlfriends and i went to timpano on a tuesday night for "ladies nite." it was awesome. they had little martini and wine lists on the tables in the lounge,barand their raw bar. at least 5 or 6 martinis were only $3.00!!! thats hard to come by. plus the selection fit every taste. anything from cream, to fruity to stout. for people who didnt like martinis, they had some house wines that were also $3.00. i loved the club/bar atmosphere as well as the live entertainment. theo valentine was the musician. she was spine-tingling! ladies nite was great and we will try to make it back every tuesday.

sat at thebaron a normal saturday afternoon. service was not so good at the bar. mussels were great. cocktails good. service was totally disappointing. will hesitate to go back.