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Faun

Updated: Jan 22, 2020


Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★☆ (9.0)


Faun’s new-age Italian fare fits the Prospect Heights neighborhood perfectly: unpretentious, inviting, and delightfully unexpected. 


We recently moved to the area and our parents were in town. Naturally, our first thought was FREE FOOD. After a drink at Olmsted, we headed over to Faun with zero expectations. And let’s just say: there were our lives before Faun, and then there were our lives after. 


Faun’s namesake comes from a figure in Roman mythology (think Mr. Tumnus from The Chronicles of Narnia if you’re not too creeped out by him). A faun is a deity of forests and fields, and the name perfectly fits this sophisticated, yet playful neighborhood spot. It’s specialty being classic Italian pastas with a unique, dare we say *magical* spin using fresh, seasonal ingredients.


Come here when someone else is paying, come here on Wednesdays for ½-off bottles of wine, come here if you need some creative inspiration. Just find a way to make it happen--you won’t regret it. 


Some accolades: An exciting recent nod from the Michelin Guide 2020, and named one of the many Standout Restaurant and Bars in Prospect Heights


The Goods:

 

Handmade Smoked Ricotta Agnolotti

This was a favorite of our table: savory yet sweet thanks to the midnight summer apricots. Delicate, handmade agnolotti that looks like ornate, long throw pillows that you might find on the bed of a little prince. Filled with smoked ricotta, topped with thinly-sliced apricots, and a drizzle of rich balsamic glaze. Faun makes their agnolotti year-round with seasonal ingredients because, well, they are a restaurant of the people.

 

Baked Artichoke Dip with garlic, mozzarella

If the spinach & artichoke dip your mom brings out when her girlfriends come over was Queer Eye’d then swept of his feet by a Roman goddess, this would be its lovechild. It’s creamy and garlicky, then hits you with a lemony bite of artichoke. Can we get a bigger spoon over here?

 

Kabocha Squash & Kale Lasagna

With lasagna being one of the year’s hot food trends, we had high hopes for Faun’s veggie-centric version, but it was just okay. Sometimes the unique spin on a classic just doesn’t beat the original, and that’s the risk you run when being an innovative restaurant like Faun. This pasta had crispy edges like you want all lasagna to have, but needed more sauce. Give us all the sauce, please. 

 

Roasted Carrots with camembert, sesame seeds, honey

These are hands-down Rachel’s favorite carrots to date and she literally turned orange when she was younger because she ate so many carrots. So basically, these carrots are the real deal.  Soft and velvety, with a caramelized outer crust that pairs harmoniously with the salty bite of camembert. Don’t beat yourself up when you try to replicate them at home.

 

Drinks

Faun’s belief in handcrafted things doesn’t stop at food. You’ll be taken care of with whatever drink you order, especially if you sit outside amidst their onsite garden filled with twinkly lights and candles. We ordered a bottle of the Bastarda from Galicia, Spain. What’s better than a bottle of red and good company? 

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