Erba - Lincoln Square

Just noticed a new storefront at the fomer location of Simplon Express. Was driving by, so I couldn't get a close look, but it looked pretty well-transformed from the last time I had seen the space. There is already a Metromix entry (see below), and it seems to be scheduled to open soon. Was just wondering if anyone else had heard anything.

Erba
4520 N. Lincoln Ave.
http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/sear ... 9623.venue

Liquor license and patio service notices dated April 28 are posted. I wouldn't hold my breath either for when the get the licenses or the food given the Metromix reference to same people as Brioso.

I was disappointed with my first experience at Erba. The tables are too close together, you can easily hear your neighbors conversation. The inside was packed and the noise level is so high, it's challenging to carry on a conversation. They really need to do something about the noise sooner than later. After you sit down the busboy brings over olive oil and proceeds to fill almost the entire small appetizer plate with oil. The ironic thing is they only give you 2 pieces of bread to sop up all the oil. And really...who wants so much oil anyway? We asked about a wine on the menu and the waiter knew nothing so he needed to check with the someone to get more info. Mussels for the appetizer were yummy! My goat cheese gnocchi with pesto was good but they overdid the basil which was sprinkled throughougt the dish. My husband had pork loin which was good but nothing special. There was no dessert menu which seemed odd. They said it wasn't printed yet. There were only 3 choices the waiter told us about. We chose to skip dessert cause none sounded that great.

They clearly have issues to work out. I'd go back in a month or so. Service was VERY slow and the noise was on the verge of being intolerable. Food was decent though.

swissy wrote:My goat cheese gnocchi with pesto was good but they overdid the basil which was sprinkled throughougt the dish.

they sprinkled basil throughout a dish that already had a pesto sauce? that does sound like overkill.

Very much looking forward to more feedback on this place, as we really like Brioso and have been waiting for this to open for some time...to this point, haven't been able to get near it during prime time (it's always mobbed)...

We went there last Friday. The consensus was underwhelmed. I had a ribeye steak which was great (I also was kinda drunk so Alpo would have been good). We ordered a dessert which tasted like paste. Nobody would eat it and they thankfully we were not charged for it.

There are dozens of good Italian spots around so I would recommend one of them (Terragusto!).

I'm the one that had gnoochi stuffed with goat cheese. The topping was the raw ingredients of pesto (basil, pine nuts, oil and cheese) but it wasn't pureed like the pesto I'm used to. I'm used to putting all those ingredients in a blender or food processor.

So...it was good BUT there was a little to much basil.

we tried to go to erba a few weeks ago. the maitre'd didn't seem to know his head from a hole in the ground as he kept quoting us different wait times, ranging from 30-120 minutes, and could not seem to answer our questions, otherwise. we ended up bailing (sounds like wisely) and ultimtely settled on brioso. none of the five of us had been there, and we were all very impressed and are likely to go back. as for erba, it'll take some awfully good word of mouth to get me back there. this thread doesn't help matters.

My friend Brenda and I had dinner at Erba about two weeks ago. The experience was ok. It was one of those god-awful hot days and the restaurant seemed overheated. Our waiter was kind of flakey, but very nice. I asked for a club soda or sparkling water and he looked at me like I had two heads. They had just gotten their liquor license and they had very short wine list. The choices were interesting, though, and I enjoyed the glass of wine that I had with dinner. (Can't remember what it was at this moment.) But the place was hot and noisy, ugh! I don't know that it would be that way every day. Like I said, the outside temp was very high. Also, they apparently have a patio, which I did not see. That might be a better option than the dining room.

I don't remember too much about the food. I had the agnolotti, which was filled with some sort of meat (veal? Somebody help me out). The portion was small. This made me happy because I'm not too crazy about these huge plates of pasta they give you at a lot of restaurants. I WILL eat the whole plate of pasta if it's in front of me. Why have the temptation?

Brenda and I agreed that Erba had some glitches to work through, but that it was worth another try. However, we tried Frasca this past Thursday and our reaction was much more enthusiastic. So maybe we'll be going back there instead.

Wanted to report a wonderful service experience at Erba since some have commented unfavorably on the service. We went with friends on Saturday night, when it had rained earlier in the evening (in fact, just before our arrival) and the skies continued to look threatening. We wanted to sit in the back patio nonetheless (it had been an element of the experience we were looking forward to, and the restaurant's interior was jammed and too noisy for us), and although, given the weather, it didn't seem as if the restaurant were expecting any customers to choose that option, they were fine with us wanting that. The guy in charge (I had the impression he was an owner) instantly dispatched a team to wipe down a table for us (they were out there doing so even before we reached the patio ourselves) and later, unbidden, after our drinks and totally beyond the call of duty (because it hadn't resumed raining), a couple of staff members happily brought out and set up a table umbrella over our heads, just in case the skies opened up again. It indicated a level of caring that made us feel quite welcome. And everything about our interaction with the restaurant's folks (from the head guy to our waiter to all the other staff who served us and helped us) had an intangible sense of easy, casual, intelligent friendliness that enhanced the evening. Food was very nice, too--most exceptionally, my prosciutto and asparagus appetizer. I almost never dislike any version of this dish, but this was noticeably above-the-norm. Anyway, thanks, Erba!

(And it never did rain again that night. Not another drop. Eventually we were joined by other hardy souls, and we were quite glad we had decided to be pioneers and "brave the elements.")

Glad to hear about your good service experience.....this is also the owner (as many know) of Brioso down the street.....and he has always been extremely friendly and accomodating over there.....thus, I was baffled by the complaints...

We were two for dinner at Erba last week...I believe it was on a Thursday evening. I must say that I liked the vibe of the place and service was outstanding. The place was half full, we sat inside, at about 8:15 p.m. or so for a late dinner. They apparently have nice patio seating in the back. I really don't know what the bread complaints on here are all about as both I and my gf were given three slices of bread each to go with a heaping portion of olive oil - but where the hell was the fresh shredded parmesan? Still very nice though a bit disappointing without the cheese topping.

I had the prosiutto and asparagus appetizer which I like but did not love. The prosiutto was fresh and tasty but I found the asparagaus too hard and tasteless. There aslo wasn't sufficient shredded parmesan on top. The dish had a touch of olive oil as well. I much prefer this dish with artichoke hearts instead of the boring asparagus but I digress...

The gf ordered a very nice chicken dish which she loved - sorry but I just can't remember the specifics but seem to think that there was only one chicken dish on the menu if that helps.

I had the tagliatelle with Italian sausage that I liked but felt the noodles were undercooked and the dish, while refreshing, lacked any punch or flavorful fulfillment - no notcieable spices were added. would have been nice to see some fresh basil and oregano from their herb garden out back. It was rather pedestrian. In fact, I made a hell of a lot better version of this dish last night for a fraction of the price.

We split a bottle of red wine, again, apologies for lack of detail, which we found pretty good but I promise it was not Chianti - don't even get me started on the lack of any redeeming quality of that forgettable varietal.

All in all, a pretty good addition to Lincoln Square. However, we won't be going back anytime soon for the simple reason that Erba is extremely overpriced for the level of dining experience. One appetizer, one soup, two entrees and a moderately-priced bottle of red wine ($34) set us back $116 with tax and tip. Again, the service we had was as good as any restaurant I've been to in Chicago in awhile. But, quite frankly, I can get a hell of lot better dining experience in Chicago for $116 - we didn't even have any dessert or cocktails.

Erba is is a good dining experience but the price point kills any potential of a return visit from us. Shoot, forget Chicago, you can go right next door to one of Chicago's best bistro restaurants for one of the most fabulous dining experiences in the whole city at Bistro Campange for only a few bucks more.

Non-gourmet Italian food just doesn't warrant $116 for two.

Bster

Italian food just doesn't warrant $116 for two.

Sure it does! Just not, apparently, at Erba.

Bster wrote:Italian food just doesn't warrant $116 for two.

B,

I'll agree that there is a whole lot of overpriced Italian food around and that Erba may very well fall into the overpriced category, but the general form of the statement cited above makes no sense to me. An Italian meal, composed intelligently and executed by a skilled staff, comprised of finest ingredients... That should cost less than what other sort of a meal, French?

Antonius

... As addenda to the above...

1) In mentioning 'French' above I do not mean that to reflect any sort of negative view of French cuisine or culture -- the sort of nonsense that Batali says about French cuisine during his shows, for example -- but rather just that it is clear that many Americans think of French cuisine as the more refined, more justifiably expensive sort of cuisine... Along these lines, I remember someone on the board once said that Italian cuisine lacks the subtlety of French cuisine... Such sweeping generalisations aren't very meaningful.

2) A meal that Amata and I had recently in Berkeley at Chez Panisse cost about what Bster's meal at Erba cost and, from that perspective, Bster's complaint regarding Erba seems all the more well-founded. The meal at Chez Panisse, very pleasantly ambiguous with regard to any Franco-Italian border...
(See here for details: http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=88616#88616)
... was to my mind definitely worth the money. Great ingredients, great cooking, great service... alas, that's not cheap these days...

All the more reason not to spend money on badly overpriced meals...

Antonius

Bster wrote:We split a bottle of red wine, again, apologies for lack of detail, which we found pretty good but I promise it was not Chianti - don't even get me started on the lack of any redeeming quality of that forgettable varietal.

Just FYI, Chianti is a region, and in that region in addition to the wines labeled Chianti they also produce wines called Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino and vin Santo and other wines. So give those a try before writing off such a big chunk of Italy.

but I promise it was not Chianti - don't even get me started on the lack of any redeeming quality of that forgettable varietal.

Things have changed considerably since "Chianti" was a synonym for mass-produced-or-homemade-served-in-a-strawbasket-atop-a-checked-tablecloth table wine. Here's a nice summary of the current state of the art:


http://www.samcooks.com/savor/chianti.htm

I agree that my Italian food generalization at the end could have been stated better although it was meant as a generalization and not as an absolute statement without exception - I have amended it.

I stand on my slight of Chianti and will not change or add to my comments regarding same other then the commentary stated herein. Wine, like fine art, is a matter of personal preference. If you love Chianti, please continue to enjoy. I've maybe had Chianti on about 30-40 occassions in my life and never will again. It tastes to me like diluted distilled water that went bad months ago. I've tried the table wine of Chianti up to an expensive bottle off the preffered wine list and everything in between. I simply can't stand it and would rather drink water. It has been about 4 years since I last tried it though. Perhaps there may be a Chianti out there I can appreciate, but it's not worth a penny more from me to find it.

Bster

Had dinner at Erba last night and thought that, for the most part, it was very good. Service (Courtney) was excellent, prices were reasonable and the food was tasty, mostly well-prepared and seasonally-minded.

The herbed polenta with morels, ramps, cremini mushrooms and thyme was delicious. It was served with a rich brown sauce which didn't overwhelm the featured ingredients. I would have been happier with more morels and fewer cremini but it was tasty. I also thought that the romaine and arugula salad with creamy parmesan dressing and '24-hour' tomatoes was excellent. It had just the right amount of dressing, which went nicely with the neutral romaine and the peppery arugula. Another tasty starter was the goat-cheese gnocchi with green beans, fingerling potatoes and pesto. The pesto was well-executed with no off notes. It was applied judiciously and the gnocchi were delicious, though a bit mushier than perfect. A special, risotto with rock shrimp, corn, spring peas and zucchini was pretty good. It boasted clean, individuated flavors and fresh ingredients but I thought it was a bit bland and could have used some additional seasoning.

We tried a couple of additional pastas, which were brought out with our entrees. We wanted them served as a separate course but I'm not sure we communicated that very well, so I cannot fault the house for it. The tagliatelle bolognese was delicious, with nicely-cooked al dente noodles and a rich, aromatic bolognese sauce. The homemade pappardelle with slow-roasted duck, cremini mushrooms, spinach and marsala sauce was tasty and well-executed.

Entrees were more of a mixed bag. Two of us went for the huge slab of veal milanese, which was terrific. It was crispy, flavorful and juicy inside. It was served with grilled, pencil asparagus, fingerling potatoes and roasted lemon halves. I can't exactly say it was distinctive but it was a solid rendition. Whenever I order this, including this time, I always find myself wishing for some sort of sauce, which I realize is not the convention. The crispy exterior would be nullified by a dousing but a squeeze of the roasted lemons wasn't quite enough, either. Still it was well-executed and at $21, a good value. Pancetta-wrapped sea scallops with creamy cannellini beans, grilled romaine and balsamic glaze was fantastic. The scallops were delicious, tender and cooked perfectly. The pancetta was a great component and the cannellini beans, which were soft but not mushy, brought the dish together nicely.

A couple of other pork entrees proved somewhat problematic. A special entree of roasted pork tenderloin with artichokes and a cake of crispy polenta was very tasty but the pork was a bit dry, which makes sense with tenderloin. Still, it was also a bit pink so I'm not sure what the kitchen could have done to improve this dish because it really wasn't overcooked. Serving it more rare would almost certainly result in a fair amount of returns. I guess the lesson here is avoid tenderloin; one I always follow in my own kitchen. Another pork dish, the double pork chop with roman cherry stuffing, potato cake and skinny green beans was sent back because it was too dry. Here, the dryness could not be blamed on the cut. It was overcooked. Our server agreed and happily took it away. She returned quickly and told us that the kitchen was starting another one for us. But after a fairly long wait (everyone else at the table had finished), the replacement 2x chop had still not been served and we ended up cancelling it.

We split a couple of desserts, neither of which I cared for. The apple crostada with vanilla bean gelato, featured on a recent Chicago Magazine cover, was just too restrained for me. It was dry -- especially the hard-edged pieces of apple -- and not sweet enough for my taste. The crust was virtually flavorless. The caramelized banana tart was only a bit better. The crust and the custard base were tasty but the bananas themselves seemed more scorched than caramelized and the chocolate ganache was bitter overkill, which greatly obscured the sweet banana. I will say that while a couple of people in our party liked the desserts better than I did, we all went to Margie's afterwards and each of us ordered a dessert. I think that says a lot about these particular desserts and probably even more about us!

So, all in all, it was a very good meal but not a great one. It was hardly a disaster but there were some problems. I thought that pricing was right in line with where it should be for this level of cuisine. I believe that I could reliably go back or even recommend it to someone looking for something specifically in the neighborhood. Would I travel a great distance to eat this food again? Probably not, but I do think that Erba offers good value and quality food. We found hits and misses, so with a bit of thoughtful menu navigation, I think a person could do fairly well at Erba, certainly better than at many other places.

=R=

I too just dined at Erba for the first time last week, but I can't give it much of a good review. I started with the tomato bread soup which was a special on the menu. It was somewhat bland and very acidic . . . not such a good start.

But I did taste a dining companion's polenta with mushrooms which Ronnie mentioned and I thought this was an excellent combination of flavors . . . my favorite item of the night and the only item that really impressed me.

My main course was the pappardelle with duck that Ronnie mentioned, but mine was not well executed. The noodles were overcooked and stuck together, the duck was overcooked and the marsala was reduced and reduced and reduced until it was more like a dense coating on my plate. I can see where this dish would have tasted good . . . if properly executed.

Another dining companion had the shrimp risotto and I too thought the flavors were a tad on the bland side. Also, the risotto was slightly undercooked.

While I actually liked the bananas and chocolate in the caramelized banana tart, I resented the globs of whipped cream placed atop the tart to make it appear as if it had volume, and I was actually a little underwhelmed by the crust which I thought was a bit soggy.

I could swear that the menu said that the panna cotta was vanilla panna cotta. If I'm correct, it was missing an important item: vanilla. And if it wasn't supposed to have vanilla, it was still disappointing.

Service was good, but the dining room is loud and cramped. Of course, even if the dining room was quieter and spacious, I would probably not return (except for the polenta and mushrooms).

The seesaw continues.

We dined at Erba last night and gave it two thumbs up...if I can mix my review metaphors...

Roasted beets were very good. Nice flavor to the beets, nice dressing on the greens. The pickled onion was…very pickled and caught me off guard. My wife had the Crespelli of Maine Lobster, which I barely got a bite of.

Entrees were the Tagliatelle Bolognese and the Reconstructed Lasagna In a Bowl. I loved my pasta. Cooked just right with a very flavorful Bolognese. My wife’s lasagna was tasty as well…at least the one bite I got of that. Portions were big enough that we both cleaned our plates without feeling piggish.

Desserts were the Crostada, which is now Door County Cherry and the Caramelized banana tart. If you sense a pattern here, we finished off both. Not the best desserts I’ve every had, but good, flavorful and a nice ending to a nice dinner. A pretty good Nebbiolo rounded out the meal.

We sat out back and enjoyed a wonderful early summer evening. The patio isn’t lush with vegetation or character, but the tables were nicely spaced. One compliant: The. Constant. Hammering. Coming. From. The. Kitchen. From. Some. Guy. Flattening. Veal. Must. Stop.

Courtney was mentioned in an earlier post and she waited on us and was very good. Also, she got us out in time to make it home by 8 to watch some HBO show…

I think we got out of there for about $125.00 before tip. The wine was, I think, $50. I think that's a fair price for what we got. All entrees were in the sub $20 range except for one, I think.

We'll be back.

I went to Erba a few months ago, and actually thought it was pretty mediocre. That opinion might have been affected by prices though. For what I paid I expected a much better experience both in terms of service and food. The food wasn't particularly noteworthy, and the service was pretty lackluster. I live in Lincoln Square, but I definitely won't be returning. You can have a much more special experience at La Boca de la Verita and Anna Maria Pasteria in the hood (though both are less contemporary) or at La Donna, Mia Francesca and Angelinas.

One dinner may not be enough to judge, but after last night I'm willing to declare Erba one of the best bargains in Chicago's mid-scale dining scene, especially if you can snag a table on the quaint back patio. Is everything perfect? No. But at $20 for a pound of fresh, perfectly poached lobster served with garlicky angel hair, $13 for relatively juicy roast pork tenderloin served with haricot vert and Door County sour cherry sauce, and $6.95 for ripe tomatoes, high-quality fresh mozzarella, and 3 kinds of basil picked while you watch from the restaurant's own herb garden, imperfections are easily forgiven.

Erba uses local, sustainably produced produce and meat in nearly everything and - as mentioned above - all of the herbs are grown right out back in earthboxes. The olive oil served with the light, airy ciabatta is pungent and delicious, and I loved the parmesan crisp served with the crisp romaine/ arugula salad (another real bargain at $4.95). The wine list has many nice selections in the $30-$35 range. A big, super-fresh, well-prepared dinner for 2 with a nice bottle of wine can be had at Erba for about $70. Well worth it.

Kenny,

I'm glad to see you had a great experience at one of my favorite neighborhood dinner spots!

Reading the earlier posts in this thread I have to say that I disagree with a lot of the comments about Erba being over priced.

I don't think there's an app over $10 and the only entree over $20 is the 1 lbs lobster with pasta.

The wine lists tops out at about $50, and while the list has changed and isn't quite as good as it was a few months back, there are, as you stated a number of great values in th $35 range.

I was saddened to read Ronnie's post here. Erba is no more

Kennyz wrote:I was saddened to read Ronnie's post here. Erba is no more

Didn't it say Erba will close on September 13? You have a month!

CRUD!!!!!!!!
While many here weren't fans, it is/was one of my favorites. I'll miss Allen's food greatly.

JLenart wrote:CRUD!!!!!!!!
While many here weren't fans, it is/was one of my favorites. I'll miss Allen's food greatly.

You won't miss it for long. According to Dish, they are merely "reconcepting" and will reopen with a more "Americanized" menu. I'm not sure how the new Erba will distinguish itself from any of a dozen other similar places in the neighborhood, but there you go.

Maybe the reconcepting will go like the same owner's redoing Brioso into Jack Rabbit. He seems to like gimmicky menus.

I think that slow business cited in Dish may have been going on for some time. We went to Bistro Campagne for our wedding anniversary on a weeknight in late January. On our way in Erba was devoid of customers and had maybe two tables occupied when we went home. Bistro Campagne was pretty well filled and turning away people without reservations. Restaurants along Lincoln in North Center and Lincoln Square tend to run into trouble if they do not have consistent local weeknight business even if they are packed on weekends.

Lord I hope not. I never ate at Brioso and Jack Rabbit is a waste of space in my opinion.

I liked Erba despite the owner who I find to be...well, lets just say I loved the food and staff at Erba.