Piatto - New Italian in Edgebrook

For a long time, I've been watching the space a few doors east of Moher, the Irish tavern that sprouted up in downtown Edgebrook around a year ago. The owners of the Irish tavern announced their plans to open a new Italian eatery in that space around 6 months ago and I have been anxiously waiting to see if it would be a bastardization called something like Guido O’Brien’s or if it would be a real, actual Italian restaurant.

A few weeks ago, Piatto opened and happily there was no Italian/Irish shtick to be found. Piatto is a nicely decorated spot, serving up trattoria favorites right in downtown Edgebrook. I took the Chow Poodle, always a fan of a well prepeard plate of pasta, to Piatto for her birthday. Despite a less than warm greeting from the very unfriendly hostess who literally blamed us for the fact that we had called the day before to change our reservations from a party of 4 to a party of 2 and the change had not been properly recorded in her reservation book. There are actually two hostesses (best described as tough old broads, if you'll excuse the term) who seem to be sisters (or at least cousins) who very successfully pull off a good cop/bad cop hostess act. Because of the bookkeeping snafu, we were made to wait in the bar area for 15 - 20 minutes while other parties who arrived after us were promptly seated. Once I made my displeasure known to the other (good cop) hostess, she comped our drinks at the bar and seated us at the next available table. Note: Piatto seems to do a rather brisk early bird business, with every table full as early at 6:45 on a Friday night, but plenty of seating by 7:45.

Once we got seated, things took a slight turn for the better. Our waitress was as nice as can be, but suffered from a less than perfect grasp of the menu. She had to "check with the kitchen" for every question about the food we asked her. Struck with indecision about what to order for our mains, we ordered some fried calamari and a couple of salads. The calamari was perfectly fried and served with a tasty marinara sauce. The salads were very fresh and featured some great tasting tomatoes (as befit the time of the year). After serving our appetizer and salads, the waitress returned to ask if we had decided on the rest of our dinner. I ordered a dish of paperdalle with a duck ragu and the Chow Poodle ordered penne arrabiata.

We seemed to be getting the bum's rush, because despite ordering our pasta after our salads had already been served, the pasta dishes were brought out before we had a chance to finish even half of our salads. Despite the poor timing, the quality of the pasta was excellent! I really enjoyed the paperdalle, and the Poodle's penne met with approval.

The food at this restaurant was very good; someone in the kitchen really has a deft hand with pasta and knows how to properly sauce it. Other than service/staff issues in the front of house (which I'm chalking up to opening kinks that will get worked out over time), this is a great restaurant to have right in my immediate neighborhood. I'll definitely be back.

Piatto
5304 W. Devon
Chicago, IL 60646
773-467-2000

stevez wrote:I ordered a dish of paperdalle with a duck ragu and the Chow Poodle ordered penne arrabiata.
The food at this restaurant was very good; someone in the kitchen really has a deft hand with pasta and knows how to properly sauce it.

Steve,

We've been to Piatto twice and I'd agree, deft hand with pasta, the papardelle with duck ragu you mention was terrific, perfectly toothsome pasta, melting tender slow roasted duck accented by raisins and pine nuts. Bolongnese scored as well though might be considered oversauced by an Italian purist.

Salads, caprese in particular, are quite good though I'm wondering how they will fare now the leaves are turning. Pizza, either table appetizer or light dinner, was fine, sausage made in house, crust very thin crisp, and our grilled calamari, with distinct char marks and tender flesh, is one of the better versions in recent memory.

On our first visit service was uneven, well meaning but clueless waitress backed up by a sharp as a tack young man. Second time the clueless waitress was replaced by a bright young woman who would have no trouble transitioning to Spiaggia if she chose. The two women who run the front of the house are a treat, one gruff, one charming as hell, Steve calls them good cop, bad cop. Best described as one who wouldn't think twice about swatting you in the back of the head for not eating your vegetables and the other who one of your odder friends blurts out he finds sexy after the 4th beer.

Reasonable wine list, a Barbera for $25 and Montepulciano for $22, bar, comfortable seating and overall good vibe. I'm happy to have Piatto in my general neighborhood.

Enjoy,
Gary

I gave Piatto a couple of weeks before doing more than having a glass of wine to see how things are run before offering comments. I found the place in rough shape beyond the pasta when I did have a full meal there. The old broads, as you call them, are still handling customers in a "what can we do for you" style. They are not friendly and if anyone needs a head slap its them. Their style is putting off people, at least that is way it looks like from the bar watching reactions. The lemon dishes are still too lemony and the bartenders will tell you the kitchen is not listening to complaints about portion sizes or adjusting recipes. I am shocked to find the hostesses eating at the bar while service is taking place and the executive chef sitting at the bar many nights. The uneven service has continued with the waitstaff. The pricing points are too high for the portions. The drinks pricing seems to be the leading point. In fact, as of tonight the drinks list is center on the bulletin board outside the restaurant and the menu has been pushed off to the side. The Elephant and Al Primo Canto are better at service, food quality and presentation. So I will choose those options over returning to Piatto when I dine in the area.

They are not as full as they were the first few weeks, and tables can be had pretty much anytime.

Lots of work ahead for them to be successful.

I'm going tomorrow night and am girding my loins in anticipation of the tough old broads. I will report on the entire dining experience if anything notable happens.

A friend and I greatly enjoyed our meal at Piatto last night.

First of all, the hostess was very nice. There was only one. Therefore, I'm not sure if she was the one that Steve called the "good cop" or the "bad cop." But if she was the bad cop, the good cop must be an absolute saint.

The service was charming and uber-competent. If this young twenty-something girl could make sure we were waited on promptly, bring all our food and drink exactly as ordered and with perfect timing, answer all our questions to our satisfaction, and do it with a sincere smile and great attitude, I'm not sure why other service people at far more pretentious/ambitious places can't do the same. She made it look like rolling off a log, rather than brain surgery. Of course waitressing is hard work, but it's nice to see it made to look utterly effortless.

The food? Terrific. We shared an appetizer of calamari. We were considering grilled, but the waitress recommended fried. She said (words to the effect of) "Don't worry, it's very light." And you know what? She was right. The breading was very light, allowing the fresh true flavor of tender, correctly-cooked calamari to come through.

Similarly, with my entree--a special, a bone-in veal chop lightly breaded, as big as my plate but pounded thin--it was the flavor of the basic ingredient, the meat, that shone through. The veal was tender, tasted wonderfully like great veal, and didn't need a lot of complicated spices or sauces to work. It was seasoned, but in such a way that the seasonings got out of the way of the meat; one simply thought, this is what veal is meant to be. When I saw the size of it, I didn't think I'd be able to finish it, but it was one of those times you finish something just because it's so darned good you never want to stop eating it.

Yea, Piatto! A great experience from start to finish.

i thought this restaurant was way to expensive for what it is. i think entrees started at around $17.

re the old broads, they are rude. whose mother are they that put them in front? Its like less attractive versions of phyllis diller.

riddlemay wrote:First of all, the hostess was very nice. There was only one. Therefore, I'm not sure if she was the one that Steve called the "good cop" or the "bad cop." But if she was the bad cop, the good cop must be an absolute saint.

Riddlemay,

I was there with a group of eight on Saturday night, Piatto was quite busy our reservation was prime time and we ended up waiting 45-minutes at the bar. Both hostesses were very nice apologizing, buying rounds of drinks and generally concerned. Our group was having such fun at the bar, the bartenderess makes a mean negroni, we almost asked if we could wait a few minutes before being seated.

The apologetic theme continued as we were given a couple of desserts at the end of the meal. There were out, it was late on a Saturday night, of papardelle with duck ragu, but substituted papardelle in another pasta without a wrinkle.

Last Saturday it was good cop, good cop at Piatto.

Enjoy,
Gary

Has anyone heard anything new about Piatto? They have changed hours- closed on Monday and the chef left over the summer. It seems slow there most nights as I walk by.

Piatto has an ad in the local newspaper about a second anniversary party on Monday, August 17 from 6-9 pm. Sounds like there will be some free food, wine, and entertainment that night.

Piatto has their windows papered over. Checked in Moher's as there is cross ownership. They confirmed they are closed. Too bad. Had such high hopes when they opened and disappointed right out of the gate. At least the Elephant, Al Primo Canto and the local pizza joint are doing okay.

Maybe someone will step in and start a new place. Place needs a good scrub from top to bottom.

We really enjoyed Piatto under their original chef (who went to Al Teatro). Our experience over the past year has been spotty; mostly good but not up to the standards of their first year.