La Macchina

When a place makes its own pasta and roasts its own coffee, it’s not rocket science to suggest you stick with the pasta and coffee. Or perhaps that should be “motorcycle science.” This less heralded Italian spot sits on the suddenly booming stretch of Orrington Avenue that now houses Farmhouse, Naf Naf Grill, Lao Sze Chuan and, er, World of Beer (plus, the upcoming Lyfe Kitchen) instead of abandoned Borders Bookstores and decaying real estate offices. Old, red Italian motorcycles decorate the wooden bistro interior. There are bike racers adorning the bags of espresso, too, filled with beans that are roasted offsite at the Coffee Speedshop (2000 Greenleaf Ave, Evanston). The pastas are made and cooked properly (never a sure thing at Italian joints) and left pleasantly simple—typically with no more than three components, like the orecchiette with sausage and rapini, or the tagliatelle in a chunky Bolognese. Pasta constitutes around 68% of my homemade meals, but it’s nice to have a neighborhood spot that does it far better.