Spawned from the original locale in the Loop, this Lincoln Park outpost dishes its signature "heart healthy" pies—you can actually order them in the shape of a heart, if so inclined—on a stretch of Lincoln Avenue wrought with college bars and Jimmy Johns.

Though it closes shop just as the bar rush begins, the co-ed demographic is well accounted for with $3 "beer of the month" pints of quality micro-brews and six-packs of domestics for $8.

Otherwise, the Italian bistro formula remains intact. The kitchen separates two high-top heavy dining rooms, with street-side bay windows venting the inevitable heat that comes with every pizza shop.

Same goes for the menu, boasting garden-fresh surpluses of veggies and conservative applications of low-fat cheese, aside non-traditional pasta dishes, like the "cavatappi con pollo e spinachi" with its spinach, chicken breast and corkscrew noodles ($9.95). This particular locale assembles its prosciutto panino (sandwich)—prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, tomato and arugula—as if it's importing more than just ingredients; you get an instant trip to a piazza for $7.95.

Centerstage Reviewer: Gavin Paul