Accessible via a glass staircase that ascends above the bustling State and Lake bar, dominated by a psychedelic ceiling fresco by artist Todd Murphy, and filled with the eclectic crowd that typically packs a hotel restaurant (in this case, it's Loop boutique hotel The Wit), the craziest thing about Cibo Matto (Italian for "crazy food") is its dramatic setting. Maybe they should have named it "Disegno Matto."

If you happen to miss the insanely sized cheese and salumi case on your way in, then you may be surprised by Cibo Matto's extensive antipasti list. Starters such as the polipo (grilled octopus, crispy potato, celery, pearl onions, salsa verde) and fegatini di pollo (roasted chicken livers, creamy polenta, pancetta, charred onions) tantalize appetites with exciting colors, flavors and textures. For the main course, Executive Chef Todd Stein, who trained at Kendall College and acclaimed Chicago restaurant mk, artfully renders handmade pastas and fresh seafood dishes. The salty tang of pecorino romano and pancetta balances the richness of duck egg in the bucatini carbonara, while the perfectly grilled East Coast swordfish needs little adornment, only tomato fuso and alphonso olive oil sauce.

In short, Cibo Matto offers a menu that would be best described as decidedly contemporary, somewhat inventive, but certainly not crazy. Stein, who also manages the menu at The ROOF, The Wit's 27th floor lounge, focuses on bringing together the best quality ingredients in elegant orchestrations that occasionally burst with crescendos of flavor. The resulting menu is excellent, often inspired, and reasonably priced. Crazy is overrated anyways.

Average cost: $21-$30

Centerstage Reviewer: Amanda Nyren