"An “awesome” wine list complements the “mildly innovative, high-end Italian cuisine” at this “upscale” ristorante in the “heart of the Loop”; the “showpiece dining room” with “whimsical” “fantasyland decor” is home to a “different menu and higher prices” than its Italian Village “sisters”, plus it offers “high service standards” and an “intimate bar”; P.S. the location is “excellent for lunch or pre-opera or theater.”" - Zagat.com

"There is eating, and then there is fine dining. Vivere offers the latter. The Capitanini family has been operating the Italian Village restaurants since 1927, so expect nothing but the best. What we particularly like is that the kitchen is not afraid to trot out a range of ideas, from a complex agnolottini di fagiano (pasta rectangles stuffed with pheasant) to what some might consider a peasant's dish---grilled fennel sausage with onions, rapini and fingerling potatoes. Desserts are a dream, perhaps tulipano di frutta secca, a pastry case wrapped around a mixture of dried cherries, walnuts and apples or chocolate cake with a vein of chocolate truffles. The extraordinary wine list is one of the best in Chicago. The Baroque yet contemporary atmosphere is quite an eyeful at first, but it grows on you." - Gayot.com