Stick with me here. Fred's at Barneys New York is a restaurant on the sixth floor of the Barneys New York in Chicago. When Barneys moved to a new building across fashionable Oak Street a while ago, the decision was made to add an eatery that replicates the one at Barneys in New York City.

Restaurants in middle-of-the-road department stores generally don't fare all that well (literally and figuratively). Maybe you grab a soup and sandwich or a salad, but pretty much it's nothing more than fuel to keep you from falling down. And just as Barneys is not that kind of store, Fred's is not that kind of restaurant. The "fuel" here is high-octane Italian, and it is powerfully good.

I can pretty much gauge a menu's worth by its balance, depth and how each dish is described, and as I scanned the Fred's menu, I had a good feeling. However, when I saw the name Mark Strausman listed on the menu as managing director, I sat up in my seat (which is designer uncomfortable, by the way). Strausman made his name at some of the best restaurants in NYC -- Coco Pazzo and Campagna, to name a couple -- and he knows Italian food. But kudos, as well, to executive chef Jean Tippenhauer, who handles the day-to-day chore of putting good food on those crisp tablecloth-covered tables.

Very impressive was the opening appetizer, a "sampling of Italian calamari." Translation: a duet of calamari, one part of the plate holding fried rings (golden, crispy, tender) while the other sported rings of squid that had been broiled (softer texture, but nicely tender). A fine aioli dipping sauce along with a dice of fresh tomatoes and a chiffonade of fresh basil completed the platter. It's one to share.

What goes into and on the pizza at Fred's is textbook Neapolitan, from the flour to the tomatoes (San Marzano) to the mozzarella ("homemade"). I will say without a tinge of doubt that this pizza -- I tried the version that included (along with tomatoes and cheese) roasted peppers and sweet and hot crumbles of Italian sausage -- was the best pizza in a department store that I have ever had, but even more, this Neapolitan-style pizza (puffy edges, thin through the center) ranks right up there with some of the best in the city.

I suspect that the same crumble of sweet and hot Italian sausage was used in the one pasta dish sampled -- cavatelli with broccoli rabe and sausage. Perfect balance of flavors that started with perfectly al dente pasta, a good blast of garlic, fruity olive oil and that delicious sausage. It was a portion large enough to share.

As for the "Organic chicken, Campagna or Balsamico," the chicken was brined and (your choice) braised in balsamic vinegar or cast-iron pan-flattened and roasted. I tried the latter version and it was excellent, with two pieces of crispy-outside, moist-on-through chicken that had good flavor and were accompanied by a beautifully done saute of broccoli rabe and fingerling potatoes.

The finisher was Mascarpone cheesecake. Using Mascarpone instead of cream cheese gave the cheesecake a fluffier texture and a richer flavor. Garnished with berries, it was an instant hit.

E-mail brunoeats@aol.com.