The Best Thing I Ate Today - 12/7

The best thing I ate today was the Stracciatella mousse at Ripasso.  This was the final course during a fun girlfriends' dinner with my friends Anita and Sindhu.  Bummed to hear that they were out of the Pistachio Mousse (http://bestthingiatetodaychicago.blogspot.com/2011/11/best-thing-i-ate-today-1112.html), we opted for Stracciatella instead and it did not disappoint.  It was like taking bites out of a pillowy, ribbony cloud of whipped vanilla and shaved chocolate.  We were in heaven.

The best thing I ate today - 11/12

For the first time in my blog's long history (one and a half years with a brief hiatus) I am truly torn as there was no clear win amongst the two extraordinary delights I enjoyed yesterday.  Both plate-scrapers were creations of the new Ripasso restaurant in Bucktown, the little sister of our old favorite Terragusto.

In the left corner we have their homemade risotto, made with Diver sea scallops and wild mushrooms.  I typically don't even like mushrooms and inhaled every ounce of this.  The risotto was rich without being creamy and perfectly al dente without being too starchy.  I detected a hint of red wine in the broth that made this ridiculously savory.

In the right corner we have the pistachio mousse with white chocolate pistachio-studded bark.  The texture of the mousse was perfect, creamy and luxurious while still being light.  The flavor of the pistachio was outstanding and made this decadent yet refreshing....a perfect way to end the meal.

So what was the best thing I ate today?  I think I'll need to go back again next week to make up my mind :).