Mmmm... a Tavola

I hadn't been there in over a year, but when a friend and I went there last night, it was just as good as I remembered.

We started with a selection of roasted vegetables: squash, red bell peppers, zucchini, and eggplant. Simple and delicious. We then had a half order of the ever sublime gnocchi, lovely little pillows cooked in butter and sage. I could eat them every day quite happily.

For the main course, I had leg of lamb, medium rare, tender and lamby--not that annoyingly mild lamb that seems to be everywhere nowadays--this stuff tasted like LAMB. My dining companion had tagliatelle with a lamb ragout that was also delicious; the noodles were perfectly al-dente.

For dessert we had their amazing panne cotta. The texture alone is incredible, silky, cool, and the flavor is somehow silky and cool as well. Very delicate, mild and sublime. I think this is my favorite dessert of all time.

With dinner we had a red table wine recommended by the waiter that went very nicely with the lamb.

All in all I was extremely happy with our meal, and relieved to know that a Tavola is still a great place. It would be a good location for a date--small, good service (there are only two waiters and they've been there forever), and nice jazz played low, simple/elegant atmosphere, not too expensive.

a Tavola
2148 W. Chicago Ave
(773) 276-7567

i'm planning on going here tonight, i think--well pending getting a table i guess... i can find suprisingly little info about this place, but the places that do have info on it all rave about it.


does anyone happen to know if they take credit card, specifically amex? business meal, just makes it easier ... i tried calling but they're not answering. their web site makes it sound like you might only be able to call at 5:30? not really sure... i'll try again later.

i'm looking for good italian (italian NYer in town visiting...) in the Ukranian/East Village/southwest Wicker Park area (would prefer somewhere along the division strip if in Wicker Park)... if anyone has any other suggestions... (francesca forno is a backup plan but a little further north than i wanted to go)

Just went to A Tavola last week, and it was simply fantastic. We started with the frito misto, delicate sweet shrimp, calamari, and lemons fried in olive oil. Simple and yet delicious. We also had the cured meat selection for appetizer. It was fine, but not noteworthy.
What was noteworthy was the gnocchi in sage and brown butter. They have been called the best in the city, and I agree. Light and flavorful with a nice texture, I only wish the portion was bigger.
Main courses were lamb and the Italian style steak. Both were cooked perfectly seasoned just right.
The service was friendly and attentive, and yes, they do take credit cards.

MikeL wrote:It was fine, but not noteworthy.
What was noteworthy was the gnocchi in sage and brown butter. and yes, they do take credit cards.

...thanks :O

the big consensus in just about every review is that the gnocci are wonderful... to me sage/brown butter gnocci seems fallish... ???

anything in the area you might try over that? baccala, lucia? (was trying to avoid byob though). and i just read that bacalla is "redone" now (or is it that it was called something else and renamed to bacalla?). they had closed and are opened, but i don't know if the reviews i've read are the "new" or the "old" ... yada yada.. logistically i much prefer tavola though..

dddane wrote: i just read that bacalla is "redone" now (or is it that it was called something else and renamed to bacalla?). they had closed and are opened, but i don't know if the reviews i've read are the "new" or the "old" ... yada yada.. logistically i much prefer tavola though..

Here's a post about a very good meal I had at Baccala. I've never bee to aTavola so I can't compare, but Baccala was well worth visiting.

A Tavola is the best italian in that neighborhood IMO (without having been to baccala).

I'm also a fan of Lucia's, especially for their carpaccio, but A Tavola is definitely a step up on all levels.

Last time I was there I paid with my Amex, they are also very good about returning phone calls if you leave a message. I've usually had my reservation request messages made in the morning, returned mid-afternoon.

Ditto on the gnocchi, which are fantastic. However, last time I was in -- almost a year ago, fwiw -- I found some of the other dishes a bit undersalted/underseasoned. That wouldn't have been a problem if there were shakers on the tables but there are not and I felt bad asking. Still, it was a thoughtfully prepared meal which took advantage of quality, seasonal and locally-sourced (where possible) ingredients.

=R=

A Tavola is my regular Italian. The gnocchi is written up a lot, but everything I've ever had there, top to bottom of the menu, is good. I only wish that they would change up their specials more often. They have an excellent short rib, but now that it's warmer, I'd like to move on from the braised dishes. What's more, I go there about every two weeks, and I always get the same "spiel" about the "excellent" short rib special, and it's like, yeah, um, I had that two weeks ago.

Okay, that aside, it is a very good place that generally works under the radar.

ok... i ended up going there... it turned out to be a very excellent choice. probably one of the cutest restaurants i've been to lately. small inside, very elegant and classy. service was top top notch, very friendly too.

started out w/ the calamari appetizer mentioned above--very delicious. we shared a plate of gnocci. again, very very good... i liked that we shared it--i wouldn't have ordered it for myself it would've been too much of the same for me. i had a short rib special (atop a saffron risotto), it was good ... not sure i'd get it again, though. dessert had the flourless chocolate cake--good, very brownie-like.

...i'll definitely be back.

Aaaaaaah, a Tavola! This restaurant has been a favorite "GNR" place of mine for many years, as I used to live across the street. Okay, across from Ukrainian Grocery which is close enough, right?

Anyway, since it's walking distance from our house, of course we drove...crappy weather for walking four blocks. (btw, the meters run until 9pm, $30 lesson learned) We had comfort food on the brain, and hadn't dined here since summer on the patio (highly recommended if you haven't had that pleasure). We were warmly welcomed and seated right away by one of the two waiters on duty tonight.

Disclaimer: I am friends with the manager, Brad, since he was one of my apartment neighbors across the way...back in the day.

So we went for old favorites, grilled/marinated veggies (sweet potato, red pepper, zucchini and yellow squash tonight) and house salad. Followed that with two specials: tagliatelle with lamb ragu, and the ever-present-special of braised short-ribs with saffron risotto and lemon gratinata. Absolutely delicious!

Wine pairings were the "house" prosecco for first course, and a bottle of 1999 Podere Rocche dei Manzoni Barbera d'Alba Sorito Mosconi, which at about $60 was an outstanding value, and sorely missed once the bottle was empty.

We skipped dessert, and instead talked with our waiter, Robert. Okay, I gotta say this: I have been a "restaurant professional" for over 20 years, and Robert was a pure joy. Very professional, and a fantastic sense of humor on top of that. Be careful, though...once you get him talking he is hard to quiet, but I mean that in a good way! Please request him or Brad the next time you stop in.

Mangia!

I enjoyed a wonderful meal at A Tavola last night which included the much-admired gnocchi. Nothing much to add to the general praise above, except Ronnie, there is now salt on the table and I actually found a few items (the grilled vegetables, pasta dish) a bit oversalted. But overall, very tasty.

But for those of you who really enjoy A Tavola, you may want to show your favorite a little love soon. On a Thursday night, our four-top was the only table there between 6:30 and 9:30 save another couple who came in later. The movie Humboldt Park is filming around there and parking is an issue, so I wonder if that is causing some drop in business. While it was nice to have an almost a private dining room, I'm sure they'd love more guests.

I returned to a Tavola about a month ago after a year's hiatus, and found it to a mostly positive experience. The gnocchi are second only to Spiaggia, in my opinion. I won't order the roast chicken anymore, because a second attempt about a year ago yielded the same result as the first: overcooked and dry. On my most recent visit, I liked the leg of lamb quite a bit, and the accompanying parsnip puree was silky-smooth, and loaded with with a just-right humongous quantity of butter. While service is professional, I found just a touch of Terragusto-like pretension, with an over-the-top explanation of the chef's pedigree and an albeit shorter speech about traditional course progression in Italian dining. I realize there's a fine line here between pretension and useful explanations that help avoid surprises about portion size, and I'm sure other people would disagree that a Tavola crosses to the wrong side of that line.

Kennyz wrote:While service is professional, I found just a touch of Terragusto-like pretension, with an over-the-top explanation of the chef's pedigree and an albeit shorter speech about traditional course progression in Italian dining. I realize there's a fine line here between pretension and useful explanations that help avoid surprises about portion size, and I'm sure other people would disagree that a Tavola crosses to the wrong side of that line.

Kenny-

Although I've never heard a speech there about the chef's pedigree (ill-advised, IMHO), I won't jump up to disagree with you. However, I've always found the mini-spiel about the progression of dining to be more of a heads-up than a pretentious lecture in the past. Having said that, there is one server in particular there, who, while polite and well-meaning, has a way of over-dramatizing his service, which includes affected Italian pronunciations of the menu items as part of the show, and I could see how he would come off as pretentious. (I tend to giggle at this rather than get annoyed, though.) The other two long-time servers are more professional, so I guess you have a 1 in 3 shot of having a slightly annoying service experience there. But, overall, I like this place.

P.S. They are shooting Humboldt Park along this stretch of Chicago Ave., so parking can be a bit of a problem. I'd check side streets. FWIW, I think they had a big week of filming. (They have turned the old Ukrainian Village Grocery a few doors down from A Tavola into a Puerto Rican grocery for the movie.) From what I can tell, they've been filming there round-the-clock. Assuming they don't continue to film on this type of rigorous scheduling, the parking/congestion issue might go away soon.

aschie30 wrote:[... Having said that, there is one server in particular there, who, while polite and well-meaning, has a way of over-dramatizing his service, which includes affected Italian pronunciations of the menu items as part of the show, and I could see how he would come off as pretentious. (I tend to giggle at this rather than get annoyed, though.) The other two long-time servers are more professional, so I guess you have a 1 in 3 shot of having a slightly annoying service experience there. But, overall, I like this place.

The guy you describe above is definitely the guy I had last time. He told us that he had been at a Tavola for a relatively short time, but made a point to note that he has "worked in Italian fine dining for 20 years and has a true appreciation for the mastery the chef here displays daily." The phony inflections were abundant througout the evening, as well. As you suggest, a mild chuckle is really the best reaction to this sort of thing, as he means no harm and is genuinely trying his best to be a good server. My taking the time to crticize this relatively meaningless thing is probably more pretentious than the thing itself

Kennyz wrote:. . . "worked in Italian fine dining for 20 years and has a true appreciation for the mastery the chef here displays daily."

[ . . . giggling . . .]

Just a quick note to add that there was 0 pretention on display last night. Our server was friendly, funny, engaging. We didn't get any explanation of the course progression, though that may be because I jumped in to ask about the size of the pasta dishes and he clarified the courses for us then.

I'm thinking that the server you are referring to is Robert, who was our server the last time we were in. He's been in the biz a long time, and we found his tableside manner very charming and entertaining. I used to live across the street from the Uk Grocery, but now am a crazy 6 blocks away. I always loved walking across the street for a glass of wine, espresso and their fabulous panna cotta.

Oh, and I was wondering what the movie being filmed was...now I know!

I've always wanted to go to this place, and have called 3 times over 3 years, and they have never returned my messages when I've wanted to make a reservation. I must have the same last name as someone that screwed them. That's the only thing that I can think.

aschie30 wrote:P.S. They are shooting Humboldt Park along this stretch of Chicago Ave., so parking can be a bit of a problem. I'd check side streets. FWIW, I think they had a big week of filming. (They have turned the old Ukrainian Village Grocery a few doors down from A Tavola into a Puerto Rican grocery for the movie.) From what I can tell, they've been filming there round-the-clock. Assuming they don't continue to film on this type of rigorous scheduling, the parking/congestion issue might go away soon.

Just a brief update - filming of "Humboldt Park" along this stretch has ceased, in case anyone was staying away from this restaurant for this reason.

I had a really memorable dining experience on the patio a couple of weeks ago after a six month-or-so hiatus. I mentioned the garden in this thread, which is a working vegetable garden to serve the restaurant.

I'll go out on a limb and say that, apart from either Cafe Spiaggia or Spiaggia, this is the closest approximation to authentic Italian dining in the city. A two- or three-course progression will take you from simple, balanced flavors, to more complex saucing and textures. We started with the prosciutto and figs and the prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella, which, along with a glass of prosecco, was a balanced, light way to ease into the meal. We split a pasta course as second course. Terragusto's bolognese had nothing on the one served at A Tavola that night - meaty but balanced and textured. For entrees, I had the short rib with saffron risotto (which is always advertised as a special, but it's been a special for a very long time), and my dining companion had the beef tenderloin with rosemary potatoes and sauteed spinach.

I have grown to really love this short rib. It's a little heavy (but it's a braised short rib - it should be). But any heaviness is balanced with a refreshing citrusy lemon gremolata garnish and the aromatic saffron risotto. Even though the risotto is "just" an accompaniment (as opposed to the main dish), it always prepared correctly, a little loose and soupy with rice that retains some firmness. More importantly, from what I can tell, the kitchen refrains from using short cuts to achieve the creamy texture through the use of inappropriate additives, like cream.

When you couple the authentic flavors and careful execution of the dishes (especially the pastas) with the garden outdoor setting, you do feel not a small bit transported to Italy (if you can ignore the hipsters and chatter of Ukrainian around you).

Kennyz wrote:While service is professional, I found just a touch of Terragusto-like pretension, with an over-the-top explanation of the chef's pedigree and an albeit shorter speech about traditional course progression in Italian dining. I realize there's a fine line here between pretension and useful explanations that help avoid surprises about portion size, and I'm sure other people would disagree that a Tavola crosses to the wrong side of that line.

A note on service: The somewhat affected, pretentious service has been dialed down significantly, so much so that I fear that someone at this restaurant has read this thread, or was told about this thread. In fact, I had the server in question this night (the one Kenny and I were referring to), and he was much changed. It was as if he had to adjust the way he was communicating, and he wasn't quite comfortable with it. I felt a little bad because he is, as I mentioned above, a very earnest and well-meaning server. He did slip in a mention about the chef's pedigree, but in a more conversational tone. Instead of calling it down to you from the Ivory Tower as part of a spiel, he brought it up at an appropriate time in a conversation we were having with him, and in a conversational tone, like "hey, the chef here has worked in Italy for x years, and he's really dedicated to what he does."

So, Kenny, if it was the "spiel" that was keeping you from returning to A Tavola, it is now safe to return to the water, so to speak.

I am just curious as to what their prices are like. There are none on the website and they don't display a menu outside the restaurant. We were talking about a return trip to West Town Tavern, but I have wanted to try A Tavola for a while.

aschie30 wrote:A note on service: The somewhat affected, pretentious service has been dialed down significantly, so much so that I fear that someone at this restaurant has read this thread, or was told about this thread.

Aschie, wouldn't this be a good thing, not something to be feared? Maybe I'm reading too much into a casual choice of word, but when something on LTH causes a restaurant to change for the better, we should celebrate our influence, not fear it.

Their prices are typically high single-digits for appetizers, about $11-14 for primi-portioned pastas, and entrees (secondi) are in the $18-32 range depending on the protein. Wine prices are very reasonable with choices from all over Italy but focusing on northern wines.

riddlemay wrote:

aschie30 wrote:A note on service: The somewhat affected, pretentious service has been dialed down significantly, so much so that I fear that someone at this restaurant has read this thread, or was told about this thread.

Aschie, wouldn't this be a good thing, not something to be feared? Maybe I'm reading too much into a casual choice of word, but when something on LTH causes a restaurant to change for the better, we should celebrate our influence, not fear it.

I say "fear," because while it may be a good thing on the whole, I'd hate for someone to change their schtick simply because of a few flippant comments on LTHForum, if that even was what affected the changes I observed.

aschie30 wrote:I say "fear," because while it may be a good thing on the whole, I'd hate for someone to change their schtick simply because of a few flippant comments on LTHForum, if that even was what affected the changes I observed.

I think this merely underlines our responsibility to be, well, responsible. We should criticize places (or aspects of these places) when they do need to change for the better, and not just to vent because it feels good. As long as we keep this guideline in mind, it can only be cause for celebration when our advice is heeded. Which I think is what happened here. Congratulations!

We enjoyed a lovely dinner here in the back garden on Saturday night, complete with fireworks being set off by neighbors along the alley. We had called around 5:30 that day and made a reservation for 8:30, and when we arrived, were seated at the last two top in the garden. It was definitely not the best seat in the house, but I'm sure if we reserved more in advance, it wouldn't be a problem.
Our server was ever so slightly harried, but totally affable and knowledgeable (although he did make a minor misstatement about Italian wines that would probably only be noticed by a total wine nerd such as myself), and definitely unpretentious and chatty in an enjoyable way.
We were started with water (always kept full in an unobtrusive way but various members of the staff), and excellent focaccia with super flavorful olive oil. At first I lamented the lack of salt or basalmic to mix with the oil, but they were savory and delicious on their own.
I must say I was quite impressed with the exclusively Italian wine list, which included several tempting choices, even in our low-40's and under price range. We settled on a bottle of Vignalta Rosso Reserva , a Merlot/Cab blend from the Veneto, which was absolutely fantastic and a superb value at $40. I have had a few wines from Vignalta now and I have yet to be dissapointed. I also commend our server for his enthusiasm at our choice and his lack of pushy upselling, as I have experienced elsewhere.
We started with the gnocchi for myself and the figs with buffalo mozzarella. The gnocchi were indeed light and pillowy, as well documented upthread. Initially I wished for a larger portion, but in the end I was totally stuffed after three courses. I did not try the figs with mozz but my lady absolutely love it!
For mains, I had the short rib "special" and she had the beef tenderloin. The tenderloin was maybe cooked slightly past her requested rare/medium rare (it came a bit more on the medium side of medium rare), but still delicious, well seasoned and too good to send back. Also worth noting, it was a generous portion and very reasonable at $28 (or was it $26?). My short ribs were excellent, tender, succulent and not at all stringy. The risotto and gremolata were a great complement to the meat, and while it is a rich and hearty dish, it is very well balanced and still enjoyable on a warm summer night.
On my last visit to One Sixty Blue I had a beef tenderloin accompanied by short rib, and while the tenderloin at a tavola might not be quite as good, I must say the short rib definitely surpassed what I was served at 160 (although it was not the focal point of the dish there, nevertheless).
We finished the meal with the panna cotta , which was delicious and a lovely finale. Including wine, tax and tip we spent just over $160. Not inexpensive, but definitely good value considering the caliber of the kitchen, the lovely setting and, for us, the nice walk home after. We will definitely be back!

LTHForum,

In GNR Nomination threads people tend to wax poetic, as they should, about their favorites and ever charming Ashie30 enthusiastically offers "pillowy gnocchi", "delectably moist short rib"s and the "opposite of Maggiano's" in an understated comfortable place. No hyperbole here, the gnocchi truly were light as pillows, airy explosions of flavor, brown butter and crisp fried sage leaves supporting cast to celestial star. I literally woke up thinking about A Tavola's gnocchi.

Gnocchi with browned butter and sage



Lightly sauced Penne Bolognese, penne the perfect tooth, talent, timing and years of experience reflecting in something as simple as a cylinder of dried flour.

Penne Bolognese



Drop dead tender short ribs on a bed of saffron risotto surrounded by a meat juice moat hit a high note, though I'd have cut back a bit on the chiffonade of fresh rosemary.

Braised beef short rib with saffron risotto



If pressed I would pick gnocchi as my favorite dish of the evening, though grilled mushrooms would come a close second, deliciously meaty with a subtle reduced balsamic note of sweet.

Grilled Mushrooms



Room was small, cozy, comfortable, service, informed, pleasant and subtle, and I mean subtle in the best possible fashion. It also appeared that the staff knew most of the customers walking in the door giving A Tavola a neighborhood feel,

As with all LTHForum get togethers company and conversation was the highlight it was a pleasure to see old friends and meet Nicinchic and husband, I loved hearing stories from their three years in Shanghai.

LTHers at A Tavola



Ashie30 ciphering, Mr. X working the dough



Only downer was the meter parking ticket time stamped 8:57pm.

Thanks to Ashie30 for setting up the dinner, a solid GNR nomination with terrific food and neighborhood feel.

Enjoy,
Gary

A Tavola
2148 W Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
773-276-7567

Those grilled mushrooms look amazing. I have been craving mushrooms for a couple weeks now but with the move I just don't have time. I think I will have to pick up some portobellos on the way home and fire up the grill.

Octarine wrote:Those grilled mushrooms look amazing. I have been craving mushrooms for a couple weeks now but with the move I just don't have time. I think I will have to pick up some portobellos on the way home and fire up the grill.

Octarine-

The mushrooms had been marinated, which made them extremely juicy and flavorful.

-Mary

Speaking of mushrooms, here they are in all their glory.

A Tavola Portobello Mushrooms


The mushrooms were nicely smoked and kissed with the taste of balsamic, or perhaps sherry vinegar. This dish, along with the gnocci, are signature dishes that will make me return. The rest of our meal last night was prepared using excellent ingredients and a deft touch, but not exactly earth shattering. Even so, the feel of A Tavola is solidly neighborhoody. Other than our table, the 2/3 filled restaurant seemed to be mostly regulars who were on a first name basis with the staff. There were smiles all around. A Tavola is a gem.