Rose Angelis

Hi,

New to the forum, but have been a long-time lurker.

I have family coming to town this weekend and would like to take them out for Italian. I live in Lincoln Park, not far from Rose Angelis. The place is crowded whenever I pass, and it looks cute enough. Any thoughts on their food?

Rose Angelis
1314 W. Wrightwood Ave
Chicago, IL
773-296-0081

Been a long time, so take that in mind, but I think Rose Angelis is a perfectly nice place that gets about twice as much business every night as it should. So you could take them there, and have a good time and pretty good food, but also have a healthy wait.

Some others in the same area, about as good and probably less crowded (though again, in either case it's been a while; maybe someone with more recent experience will chime in) which you could consider are Filippo's, on Clybourn near Webster, or Via Carducci, on Fullerton near Southport.

Also in the same general area is Merlo (on Lincoln), which is very good as well. Be sure to make reservatins first if you decide to go there.

I took my boyfriend to Rose Angelis for his birthday 3 birthdays ago. I ordered their duck tortellini, which is supposed to be their best dish. It sounded good in theory, but I couldn't really enjoy the taste of the duck, all I could taste was the wine and cognac used for the "reduction." For my personal taste, I like the wine to be a background flavor as opposed to being so dominant.

On a more positive note, my boyfriend enjoyed his lasagna and had the pleasure of seeing Marv Levy dining two tables away from us. (He's a Bills fan.)

Granted, I haven't been there in awhile, but I think Rose Angelis is one of the most over-rated Italian places in the city. I'm going out on a limb here, but I would attribute its success to Lincoln Parkers/Lakeviewers who rarely leave that neighborhood and think it to be a "unique" dining experience, i.e., unique in that its atmosphere is quaint and intimate and its dining room has character. Because it is all of those things to diners, I think the food gets a push that it does not deserve.

I was induced to dine there upon the enthusiastic recommendation of several people I work with who live in that neighborhood. So I found myself going back there several times, hoping I'd have a "magic" experience that would, in turn, cause me to also enthusiastically recommend it. After several mediocre experiences, I figured out that the reason these people adore Rose Angelis is that they just don't leave their neighborhoods enough. In terms of atmosphere, you can find any number of Chicago Italian restaurants that have comparable atmosphere with better food, but you may have to leave Lincoln Park.

As for their food, I found that the meats were usually not cooked well and the food lacked flavor. As for the sauces that accompanied the food, the primarily flavor was usually butter, which the kitchen I think used in large quantities to try to boost the flavor profile of a sauce that otherwise lacked it. Consequently, many of my entrees would be overcooked meat/pasta in butter sauce. Or, they would use garlic in molto quantities, as if the kitchen thought, "garlic is popular with diners these days (as is freshly ground pepper), let's use it to death."

Having vented about that, I would recommend Merlo over RA, which is also in the same general neighborhood. Merlo's food is more interesting and caringly prepared, although more expensive than Rose Angelis.

That sounds about right. I have nothing against RA myself, but I do find it's wild popularity puzzling. I also chalk up its success to the fact that it is among a small group of "old school," "atmospheric," and/or "ethnic" places that has been given the Trixie stamp of approval making it a socially acceptable dining/mating dance venue. Other places in this genre include Tapatio, Las Tablas, and Twin Anchors. None are bad, but I don't get the lines out the door. I might add Tango Sur to the list because it clearly has the Trixie green light, but the food and the refreshingly uncompromising vision of the owners saves it.

An aside: When I lived nearby about ten years ago, Tapatio was a steady if unexciting standby corner Mexican. At some point it was "discovered," and is now a safe Mexican dining destination with hour-long waits. I've moved on to the similar but better Fernando's, which serves one heck of a whole snapper Veracruz style for a place that seems like a Valley strip mall Mexican place from 1979.

I haven't been there in a while but I always found RA to be a good place to take visiting parents. It's crowded enough for your parents to think they're at a happening city place, but tucked away so that they think they're getting to go to a local secret.
I agree with JeffB that it's more popular than good. But if your parents are form a small town like mine they're used to getting giant portions of bland food. Not that RA's food is bland per se, it's just that there are better places out there that cost less.

Last time I was there we waited at the bar across the street. If that's still the case, it should make the wait a little better.

Good Luck

Looks like Filippo's is gone. I can't remember if it's that space that the new Luna Caprese is in.

I think Merlo is an excellent restaurant but I would just point out that its Italian authenticity and somewhat boutique-like formality may not be what someone's looking for if Rose Angelis is the model. All depends on what the comfort level of the guests would be, if they want a more typical nouvelle-Italian-American experience with a touch of urban rehab exposed brick (a la Rose Angelis or Via Carducci), much like Curry71 described it, or something that is decidedly higher end but has the potential to be a more outstanding meal. Different restaurants for different purposes.

I think that

Angelina Ristorante
3561 N. Broadway Ave.

has some of the same ambiance as Rose Angelis, without some of the crowd/quality issues dscussed above.

Mike G wrote:Looks like Filippo's is gone. I can't remember if it's that space that the new Luna Caprese is in.

Filippo's answered their phone today.

Filippo's Ristorante
773/528-2211
2211 N. Clybourn Ave., Chicago

Luna Caprese Trattoria
773/281-4825
2239 N. Clybourn Ave., Chicago

Maybe they're what's behind the scaffolding in that block then. I was thinking they were further up, but now I guess that Luna is in the Bistro Ultra space.

Unless they answer their phone, too.

I think Luna Caprese is in the old Bistro Ultra space.

Chicagogirl wrote:Hi,

New to the forum, but have been a long-time lurker.

I have family coming to town this weekend and would like to take them out for Italian. I live in Lincoln Park, not far from Rose Angelis. The place is crowded whenever I pass, and it looks cute enough. Any thoughts on their food?

It's fantastic. We've tried many of the specials - seafood pasta dishes, talapia, chicken vesuvio all excellent. The desserts are huge (try the bread pudding if you like that - we've never had better)

I've been twice....really nothing special at all...but quaintness abounds


Sigh..is there any more hackneyed cliche than that GD "trixie/chad" reference.....every time I hear that, get the feeling the person saying it really wants to be one in their heart of hearts....let it go...

Sigh..is there any more hackneyed cliche than that GD "trixie/chad" reference.....every time I hear that, get the feeling the person saying it really wants to be one in their heart of hearts....let it go...

Remain calm, ParkLaBrea. The post you read referencing Trixies is nearly two years old, and the Trixie website doesn't even exist anymore (and hasn't for a long, long time). All is well!

Snif.....th-th-thank God

Actually, I still here this everywhere....ugh..

Sigh..is there any more hackneyed cliche than that GD "trixie/chad" reference.....every time I hear that, get the feeling the person saying it really wants to be one in their heart of hearts....let it go...

The idea that JeffB – scholar and connoisseur extraordinaire – secretly wishes to be a "Chad," is one of the funniest things I've ever heard.

Thanks for the laugh.

Not much action on this board, so I thought I'd add a quick comment. Hadn't been to RA in many years, but was in the area and we thought we'd stop by for an early dinner. On the plus side, for them at least, it was completely full by 7:00 and stayed full until we left. Despite this, we were able to walk in around 6:30-7 on a Friday with no reservations and get a table for three, so that was very convenient.

The service was also good, with a very accomodating waiter with an uncanny ability to rattle off all the ingredients in each of the dishes about which we inquired. That's a strong point. Food came out promptly and the meal itself was well paced. The setting was also very pleasant, if a little too loud. An old house that has been converted into a restaurant and retains the separate rooms and old hardwood floors snaking through the long building. A nice patio to the side that was closed due to rain when we were there.

On the down side, the food was not that great. Why it remains busy after all these years I can only guess. None of us had anything good to say about any of the dishes that we ordered, although as mentioned in previous posts, the portions were very substantial.

We ordered a chef's salad - a big bowl of big vegetable chunks that tasted like - a bunch of vegetables thrown together in a bowl. Most dissapointing were the roasted beets that are normally my favorites but in this case were just too big and lacking in flavor and sweetness.

I had the Rotini Putenesca which was too little rotini floating in an enormous bowl of vegetables and sauce tasting too strongly of capers. The canolini was filled with a couple cheese and covered with cheese, with overcooked pasta and covered with sauce. The other entree was some chicken dish where the chicken was a bit overdone and covered in some cream sauce and some additional red pepper sauce and, why not, some cheese thrown on top.

The desserts were enormous - huge scoops of ice cream and slices of cake, but once again too much doled out with too little care in preparation. The Tre Latte was a big square of dry sponge cake in a light cream sauce topped with half a dozen slices very large strawberries and a very big dollop of strawberry flavored whipped cream. Lots and lots of OK food.

You get the idea. A whole lot of food, lots of ingredients, lots of sauces and cheese on everything. There were too many ingredients and too many flavors that didn't quite come together, and the quality of the ingredients was less than impressive. The best Italian food I have had combines a few high quality ingredients with careful preparation. This is not what you get at RA.

Fortunately, there are plenty of very good Italian options in Chicago - Merlo, Spiaggia, Coco Pazzo, etc. Scoozi and Topo Gigio are two mid priced Italian restaurants that I compare very well with RA. In fact there are dozens of better Italian restaurants in the city. Fortunately for RA, they seem to have found their market, but my general thought was that it's something I don't need to try again.

Just went to Rose Angelis for dinner Independence Eve at about 8:30. Dinner was stellar through and through. I expected a wait, seeing as it was prime dinner time right before holiday weekend. I'm always impressed by the murals, homey manse feel of the place, and enjoyed the long walk to the back of the restaurant to our table.
Sure the place was loud, and not exactly the best selection for a first date (oops), but our server's over-enthusiasm and bounce was pleasant, the warm bread with herb-infused olive oil was the perfect tide-over until our meals, and the grand presentation of those behemoth plates were just exquisit.
The eggplant parm, the go-to comfort food in any trattoria or taverna of note, I can now state most definitely is done better here then any other place I've tried in town. After chowing down for twenty minutes on the massive pile of food, it didn't look like I even put a dent in it! My partner's chicken marsala had a nice sweet, caramel note to the wine sauce, and the chicken was uber-moist and tender. I liked the melange of fresh sauteed veggies alongside; a veritable ratatouille.
For dessert, we shared the most romantic dish: the trio of chocolate mousse. Three little perfectly rounded scoops, two milk chocolate, one white, had all the rich flavor of fudge minus the heavy bloated kick. Drizzled with dark chocolate syrup and swimming in raspberry sauce, this was such a divine dessert, it left us both moaning.
Despite the rather loud din, Rose Angelis was still a fine first date. However, they nailed our dishes and I am thrilled to say that, time after time, I've been proven right that RA is a go-to Italian destination.

Interesting how far apart 2 people's opinion can be. As I've mentioned elsewhere in the forum, Rose Angelis wins the kennyz award for worst restaurant in Chicago. It's a huge place that's constantly crowded, so clearly it has a lot of appeal. When I think of Rose Angelis, I picture gigantic portions of overcooked pasta swimming in watery, sweet tomato puree or flavorless heavy cream thickened with still-raw globs of flour. Clueless staff and screaming kids round out the picture of the place. If a potential employer invited me to discuss a dream opportunity over dinner at Rose Angelis, I'd refuse.

My future brother-in-law absolutely loves Rose Angelis and will use any excuse to get us to troop over there for dinner, and I've never really understood it. We've always had helpful (if mildly over-excitedly-cheery) waitstaff, the bread and herb-infused olive oil is lovely, but beyond that it isn't worth it, in my opinion.

Kennyz wrote:When I think of Rose Angelis, I picture gigantic portions of overcooked pasta swimming in watery, sweet tomato puree or flavorless heavy cream thickened with still-raw globs of flour.

And that is exactly why. It is a cute enough place, if you can catch it when it isn't too overly loud and crowded (either a late dinner or an early dinner), and the bread and salads and desserts range from okay to good. But the pasta? I've never had anything worth eating there, I'm sad to say. I wish I liked it more.

I've had three experiences there. The first two were soon after the restaurant opened (early 80s?). The third was about four years ago. Those first two times, I thought the food was outstanding, and understood why the place was so crowded. The third (and recent) time, my dish was so lacking in flavor that I could have done better to heat up a Stouffer's frozen entree. So my guess (to account for the restaurant's continued success) is that it made such a deservedly fabulous impression on the neighborhood when it first opened that it is still going on the momentum of that.

Also, it's anomalously located on a mostly residential, upscale street where zoning regulations make sure there isn't going to be any nearby competition. Families with children, who want a place they can walk to, must regard the place as a godsend.