Whenever I get a craving for Vitello Tonnato, I think about Ricardo's. It's the only place in the city I know of where you can still get this lovely summer appetizer, so reminiscent of the days I spent in Tuscany. The dish used to be on most Northern Italian restaurant menus, starting in the days when Convito Italiano was still on the Gold Coast. But in the last several years, it has disappeared from Chicago dining. Does anyone know where else you can get it?

Hi all,

I ran into someone who works at this establishment tonight, which is the only reason that I thought to look it up. I found this thread and other comments regarding this restaurant (most of which seem positive), and I was thinking of checking it out. I was just curious if anyone has been here recently, and can provide any reviews (either positive or negative). From looking over reviews and the menu, the burrata and prosciutto (or something like it look really good).

Thank you for whatever help I can get.

I've been there recently and is good as I've already described up thread.

Went here for dinner Saturday and had sort of a mixed experience, with good meat dishes and poor seafood dishes. I had cotechino with white beans, which was very good although the cotechino was a little fattier than I have had in the past. Also had the filet battuta, which was thin slices of filet mignon in a wine and garlic sauce accompanied by spinach and potatoes. The filet was cooked as ordered and the dish was OK but nothing exceptional. The seafood my girlfriend had was a different story. Fried calamari was greasy, limp and pale – I suspect the oil was not hot enough. A risotto frutti di mare had well cooked rice but was very oversalted and much of the seafood was overcooked, particularly what looked like a piece of octopus I tried which was like chewing on a piece of rubber. Dessert was a coffee semifreddo which was also fine.

First trip to Riccardo Trattoria last night with a friend who visits regularly from London and we were both blown away. My friend was running a few minutes late but they seated me as soon as I arrived at my choice of table. As I surveyed the scene while waiting, I was struck by the fact that I was the only person whom they did not greet by name and with an embrace. I wondered if this would mean that our service would be less attentive (when I arrived for the 7:30 res. there were tables open but that changed quickly)--not at all. Service was warm, leisurely (as we wanted) and informed.

The complimentary bruschetta was fine if unremarkable--but the zucchini foccacia was gorgeous--slightly sweet, fresh tasting--had to refrain from eating all of it because I knew what was coming!

First courses: My friend ordered the taglioline with truffles--a mountain of truffles and still only $22 (the same price noted in a post above from '08 I believe!) These may not be the most decadent truffles available but we loved them none-the-less. The pasta was ever so slightly overcooked--easy to do with that thin of a noodle--I would order with the eggs or risotto next time I think... I had the grilled sweetbreads with arugula and tomatoes--nicely grilled (a preparation I prefer to frying which always seems to obscure the taste and texture of the meat to me) although could've been just a tad crispier and lightly dressed--delicious!

For mains, friend orderd the veal chop prepared milanese style--perfectly fried and melted in the mouth. This is something I never order--again, because I feel I can't savor the taste of the meat--but it was excellent and a ridiculously large portion for those who care about that sort of thing. I had the pappardelle with tenderloin and porcini. The pasta was definitely homemade, probably the best I've had in Chicago and up there with anything I've eaten in Italy. I agree with previous posters that they can be heavy handed with the salt. While the preparation didn't suffer, I might ask for them to go a bit lighter next time. The flavor of both the meat and the porcinis were distinct and so good.

I ordered the $33 prix fixe so I had a dessert come with my meal--we were both quite full and all that friend would agree to share was some gelato--nothing to get excited about--the Pistachio was creamier than the chocolate which was a bit icy textured.

The menu is so vast it took us a good half an hour to decide what we wanted. My friend keeps "restaurant" kosher--so we purposely didn't order any pork or shellfish which helped narrow thing down a bit--if I'd been there in normal order mode, I would've been really tested! Prices are exceedingly reasonable.

As much as I enjoy Anteprima, I feel that this place is a notch above in both ambiance and execution.

Can't wait to go back!

Edited to correct my pasta which was pappadelle, not tagliatelle which I originally wrote...

I went here several months ago and thought it was excellent. Definitely want to go back.

I hadn't been to Riccardo Trattoria in some time but the recent posts in this thread reminded me it was time for a visit. I've previously had great experiences here - last night's visit was good but not as memorable as previous visits. It started with our server, who performed the basic functions but otherwise seemed disinterested - never a smile, never asking how the food tasted.

As for the food, complimentary bruschetta was fine, but a little light on the tomatoes . . . really nice quality tomatoes though. An heirloom tomato salad with cannellini, red onion and balsamic was a bit heavy in cannellini, and not all of the heirloom tomatoes were as flavorful as I would have hoped. But the Tuscan-style tomato and bread soup was excellent.

We then ordered a couple of pastas for entrees. The fettucine bolognese was good, not great. Pasta was fine but a little too thin. Bolgonese needed salt (it totally lacked it) - once salt was added, a really nice depth of flavors emerged. Still, I think Riccardo's version does not live up to the wonderful bolognese served at Merlo on Maple, my favorite version in town. Gnocchi fared a little better and was quite good.

BR, it sounds like you hit them on a rare off night. I was there last Saturday and our meal was stellar, as was the service. Chef Riccardo came out to greet our table and brought us a couple of dishes. Our waiter was lively and interactive without being over the top, and the food remained some of the best of its type in town. I went in wanting pasta carbonnara, but then I saw duck ravioli on the menu and couldn't decide between the two of them. "No problem", says the waiter, "I'll bring you a little bit of both." Both pasta's were perfectly cooked. The chitarra carbonnara in particular was perfectly al dente. My dining companions dishes were equally excellent. Fear not. Riccardo Trattoria is still bringing the goods.

stevez wrote:BR, it sounds like you hit them on a rare off night. I was there last Saturday and our meal was stellar, as was the service. Chef Riccardo came out to greet our table and brought us a couple of dishes. Our waiter was lively and interactive without being over the top, and the food remained some of the best of its type in town. I went in wanting pasta carbonnara, but then I saw duck ravioli on the menu and couldn't decide between the two of them. "No problem", says the waiter, "I'll bring you a little bit of both." Both pasta's were perfectly cooked. The chitarra carbonnara in particular was perfectly al dente. My dining companions dishes were equally excellent. Fear not. Riccardo Trattoria is still bringing the goods.

Steve, given the fact that this was my worst meal at Riccardo and that it was still good, I have no doubts that it was a bit of an off night.

As for service though, I was really disappointed in how disinterested the staff seemed, from the minute we walked in the door until the minute we left (except for the bus boy, who was the friendliest person in the place and made sure our water glasses remained filled).

As for service though, I was really disappointed in how disinterested the staff seemed, from the minute we walked in the door until the minute we left (except for the bus boy, who was the friendliest person in the place and made sure our water glasses remained filled).

The service during my visit last year was very similar to yours.

We had dinner at Riccardo last night and unfortunately our experience was pretty similar to BR's. Both food and service seemed mailed in. I started with a special of braised pork cheeks over soft polenta. The cheeks were tough (IMO you shouldn't need a knife for a dish like this and I almost needed a steak knife to cut the too tough cheeks) and the plating was pure amateur hour. Someone at out table ordered pasta with clams. The pasta was cold and about a quarter of the clams were unopened. I'm sorry, but every part of that screams careless, indifferent kitchen to me. 6 of us were at the table, and for both appetizers and main courses, half of the dishes would arrive about 5-10 minutes before the other half.

Too bad. Riccardo has been one of my favorite places and it's so close to where we live. Until things get better, I'm sticking with Anteprima.

Any recent thoughts on this place?

We've been a few times in the past year and it's been very nice each time, both food and service. We would've had a more current report as we had a reservation for Christmas Eve til we both ended up fighting the flu and who knows what else. Hoping to get in soon and will be sure to update when we do.

It's a perennial favorite of ours. In fact, I just booked a reservation there for mid-January. I'll be sure to report back.

Thanks. The restaurant week menu looks awesome. I think we'll go there rather than Picolo Sogno.

Question, I'm in desperate need of a veal chop Milanese, have never been to Riccardo and, of course, reservations at this late moment are not doable for 7pm tonight. Any thoughts on my odds of walking in and getting room for two to eat at the bar around 7 tonight?

After the overwhelming response to my last post, we passed last January on Riccardo opting to walk down the street in a snow storm for Mercat. Tragically, my crave for Veal Milanese was not to be sated until a recent trip to London a few weeks ago where I dined at the always enjoyable Cecconi's. Lovely veal chop, nice bottle of wine, the world was back in order.

Which brings me to Riccardo Trattoria last night.

Still curious about this place, and motivated by the need for a anniversary dinner, I booked a table for The Princess Bride (Mrs Pursuit) and I for last evening. As it turned out a terrific call.

Upon early arrival, we had to wait about 5 minutes for a table. Once seated, we ordered some Prosseco, which I generally find a bit too sweet, but Mrs P is a fan, and toasted our years of enduring matrimonail bliss. Our waiter brought over some complimentary bruschetta which truth be told, wasn't all that great, but did give us something to nosh on while we reviewed the collasal menu.

First up we're truffled fave beans with pecorino and a buratta dish with (new to me) culatello. The Fava's were a revelation. Perhaps they could have been a schoosch more al dente, but they packed a mouthful of flavor. The buratta and culatello were good, but I think I would have preferred some prosciutto instead of the culatello, which Mrs P said seemed more like Jamon Serrano. Not a bad thing at all, just maybe not as good for this dish.

Mains were a veal meatball and saffron risotto for Mrs P, and the Veal Milanese for me. Mrs P's dish was awesome. Great flavor, perfectly cooked risotto. If you told me they snuck some Tellagio in that risotto just to help the parm do it's job I wouldn't be surprised. Such depth of flavor!

As for the Veal. My Goodness people, he in the name of all that is wonderful and joyous have you not given this dish it's proper acclaim?! Last night, in this restaurant, at my table, I enjoyed the best Veal Milanese I've ever had! Cooked to crisp perfection, once on the tongue the veal literally melted...melted!...in my mouth. Topped with peppery arugula, ripe cherry tomatoes, a hont of salt and a spritz of lemon juice, this, in a single dish is what Italian cooking is all about.

As for the rest of the meal, well who cares? It was good, but in all the excitement I've clean forgotten anything else.

Riccardo Trattoria, oh ya, we're going back.

When this place is on, it's on. I ate phenomenally here last night. I can't think of a better Italian meal outside of Italy --thinking back to dinners at Spiggia, Nico, Pelago, Babbo, Del Posto, prime-time Valentino, Risoterria Nord, Sole Mio, La Locanda, back in the glory days of Italian-Italian. I'm sure our choices helped a lot, and each order had our terrific waiter's beaming approval. The things that really stood out:

Last of the season fried squash blossoms. These used to be rare and hard to find, but now are fairly commonplace. It would be tough to do better. I enjoyed these even more than the exemplary version at Spacca Napoli.

Florentine Tripe. Veal honeycomb innards cooked with a lot of dairy, great Pecorino and an exemplary soffritto.

Trofie with pesto Genovese. Another treat in the waning days of warmth. I can't say I've had a more prefect version of this regional dish. Handmade trofie, a well-balanced and very fresh pesto, some al dente potatoes (no green beans; maybe acceptable ones were unavailable).

Spaghetti alla Carbonara: everything correct, including especially the pasta. Timing is so important to this food. Four entirely different pastas, 2 dried, two house made, and a risotto came out at the same moment and each was al dente and hot.

And the best thing I've eaten lately: polenta, topped with 2 over-easy eggs, topped with a perfectly integrated fonduta, topped with a generous shaving of Hungarian honey truffles. Over the top, sure. But I'm a sucker for cheese grits with eggs, and a sucker for truffles. Everything here was perfectly executed in a dish that would be at home at Publican or Au Cheval.

Panna cotta was also exemplary, as was the sauteed broccoli rabe. I can't wait to go back.

real nice post^ sounds like a great meal

So weird that Ricardo popped up today--SO just today requested that we go soon--and he never asks to go anywhere in particular.

Glad it's still on its game. Been eating and posting about this place for yrs, but haven't been there in a couple. Will have to rectify that oversight.

We were there last night (a Friday) - 7:30 reservation for a group of 6. We were seated right away, even before all of our party were there. Service was fine, we were slow to order - as most larger groups seem to, we immediately started talking with each other, rather than looking at drink or food menus. The food all was good, and we never felt rushed. Their pistachio gelato was very very good, the cannoli freshly filled, but the shell was underfilled. I think I would go back.