I've passed by Rea's many times over the years and just assumed it would be a dive based on the location and exterior of the building. Wow, was I wrong. I was here last night with a party of 8 and my jaw almost dropped when I walked in the door. It is rather quaint and was buzzing with patrons. The seating is cozy so even though the restaurant was rather loud, I could still hear my friends at the other end of the table as long as they spoke up a bit. We dined and visited for several hours and by the end, a few of us were finding the backs of the chairs to be uncomfortable. They just don't have any support, but this is a minor detail, really. How often are you in a restaurant for more than 2hrs?
My spouse and I shared the Calamari Adriatica, which is an authentic dish. I'm not a huge seafood fan so I only had a small portion. I'm just used to eating breaded calamari and if you are too, understand that it's not what you're getting. It was good though and my spouse really enjoyed it. My main dish was the Ravioli Panna and I added the home-made sausage. This meal was unbelievable. That in itself deserves 5 stars. The ravioli was very flavorful and well stuffed, the sauce is made with vodka and was deliciously rich. The sausage has some kick and was a great accompaniment. My spouse had the Vitello (veal) Parmigiana and said it was just okay. I usually complain about being served white bread but they must make their own because it was warm, fresh and delicious. They are also very generous with the bread and we were served more than we needed.
I'd definitely recommend eating at Rea's at least once. Service was friendly and based on my first experience, it's a Highland Park hidden treasure.