Late-night luxe
The Romans may be best known for their empire building, architecture and parties. Though the Roman-themed Mia Martini Lounge in Des Plaines won't be sending out centurions to conquer neighboring suburbs any time soon, with their cool lounge layout where drinking doesn't have to stop until 4 a.m., they might take over anyway.
Motif: The bar just underwent a name change and redesign four months ago, installing Roman-style pictures on all the walls and columns scattered around, even in the bathrooms. For the blank wall space they went with bright red and blue paints and exposed stone.
The lounge's interior sports plenty of small candlelit tables, with just a little extra light provided by hanging lamps. There's also lots of couch space (perfect for snuggling over some drinks) and a curtain-enclosed backroom used for special occasions or just for periodic buffets set up to dole out free food to late-night martini sippers. There are two small, flat screens behind the bar, but they're not the focus or even audible.
With the weather warming up, the Roman garden will definitely be the place to hang out in Des Plaines. Mia boasts a huge patio that seats up to 300 people and has its own bar set up. It's all rocks now, but owner Tony Ferrazzuolo says the new plants should be coming up soon and in time for the summer.
Crowd: Mia attracts a wide age range from the local crowd, spanning from the just-21 sippers to groups of 40-somethings. Dress is clubby casual, with nice jeans OK but T-shirts not to be seen. The wide appeal makes for a decent crowd, with lots of people milling around the bar, chilling with drinks or taking advantage of the dance floor.
Service: Even when things are busy, it's easy to flag down a bartender to put in your order. Getting it delivered to your table took a little longer, but once the drinks arrived, our server was very nice and attentive, regularly checking back with us.
Liquid consumption: Lots of bars put out a martini list, but Mia really gets how to make them good. All the drinks we ordered from their menu of 20 were great, with the perfect mix of juice and alcohol in the mango, lemon drop and sour apple martinis, keeping them from being too sweet or bitter. We threw them a challenge by asking for a chocolate peanut butter martini, which wasn't on the menu, and the result was a thick drink that tasted deliciously like a chilled peanut butter cup. Chocolate swirls around the glass in the chocolate martini win them points for style and were fun to scrape off and eat with a spoon between rounds.
Sounds: Scheduling is up in the air, but Mia will likely have live music twice a month, comedy shows once a month and DJs every Friday and Saturday after 10 p.m. On the Saturday night we stopped by, the DJ was spinning some very danceable hip-hop and pop tunes. However the volume hurt the lounge vibe, making it pretty hard to hold a conversation on the couches, which were closer to the booth and driving my group to the table space by the bar.
Parking: There's ample free parking for Mia, even during peak hours. The sign's not the easiest to see from the road, so look out for Olivetti's Italian Restaurant, which is right in front of it.
Food: Mia is working on building its own kitchen but currently shares food duties with Olivetti's. Mia mostly does pizzas and small plates of Italian food including calamari and bruschetta.
Overall: Mia is still taking shape, but so far things are looking good. With the late hours and fun drink list, it makes for a good place to hang out after some other evening plans or for a night of chilling with friends. Even with the classical Roman decor, the place is decisively modern and comfortable whether you're looking for an alternative to hanging out at your local pub or a trip to the city.
Mia Martini Lounge
1575 W. Ellinwood (next to Olivetti's), Des Plaines, (847) 768-3000
Hours: 6 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Mia may stay open until 4 a.m. depending on events and crowd.