Riccardo Trattoria

I am eating at Riccardo Trattoria tonight. I have heard good things about it, but I didn't seem to find that much on the Forum. Has anybody been there? Can you recommend anything? Thanks.

Riccardo Trattoria
2119 N Clark Street
Chicago, Illinois
773-549-0038

I had dinner with two friends at Riccardo Trattoria on Friday night. Overall the experience was good but not great. Since this restaurant is not near my neighborhood or located somewhere with easy parking, I probably won't be back.

To start, we had reservations at 7:30. We got seated at 8:45. During that time, an 8-top walked in and got seated! A member of our party complained and was told that they just "happened" to have an 8-top available. We all know that an 8-top is really two 4-tops put together. One of those was rightfully our table. We were also sat after another party of three who walked in after us because the host/waiter said they had reservations at the same time but waited 1.5 hours last week. Since this party arrived at 8 rather than 7:30 I strongly suspect that they had a reservation at 8 and were promptly seated while we waited.

After another round of compliants, we were promised a table promptly and given complimentary drinks. One may wonder why we didn't leave, but it is not easy to walk in to any restaurant at 8:30 on Friday night.

Once we were seated, we were immediately given two complimentary appetizers. One bruschetta and one calamari. I thought the calamari was quite good, fried nicely and not greasy. It had a spicy puttanesca dipping sauce which was tasty. The bruschetta was just okay. My two friends had soup to start. My one friend thought her pasta fagoli was good but not great and my other friend agreed that her tomato bread soup was just okay as well.

For main courses, I ordered the short rib in Chianti wine sauce. My two friends ordered pasta dishes, gnocci and parpadelle. My short ribs were tender and flavorful but the sauce was extremely salty. This detracted from the dish considerably. My friends again thought the pasta was good but not great. I think there was just something missing from the flavor of most of the dishes.

The wine list was good and our table service was good. The chef looked like he was working his butt off in the kitchen. The room itself was beautiful.

This place needs to fine tune its menu and find that extra something that takes a dish from good to great. Most imporantly, the front of the house needs to do a better job of taking reservations, etc. Interestingly, we talked to the host/waiter after our meal and he mentioned that he was overwhelmed that night and that no one seemed to want to leave. However, I also remember him saying that people waited 1.5 hours after their reservations last week, so I don't think we just stumbled upon a bad night. His suggestion was to implement time limits at each table. I told him that such an action was not likely to make customers happy and not very Italian. I would be interested to know if this suggestion is ever acted upon.

My friends raved about a meal they had there so we went. We thought it was fine but not particularly wonderful. They had an appetizer of fresh (?) fava beans with shaved pecorino and truffle oil. That is the main reason we went and it was pretty good, though I wonder about the "fresh". The complimentary bruschetta was on stale bread. When we mentioned it, they said that it was intentionally hard from the toasting. We could be wrong, but there is a difference between stale hard and toasted hard, and I've never had such hard bread in a bruschetta in all the many bruschettas I've eaten. The antipasto selection was nice: grilled eggplant and zucchini, artichokes, roasted peppers, and a potato frittata, but the serving we got was mostly the peppers and olives.
The pastas were good but not exceptional. In the end, it all seemed kind of average so don't think we'll be back while there's so many other interesting places to try.

It's been about 6 months since my introductory meal here, and I've got reservations this weekend. Could anyone give me an updated opinion??

Thanks!

When I hear of a chef that’s been cooking 50 years and also has a Bice pedigree, I can’t help but to take interest. A cousin of the Bice family of Milan, Riccardo was the corporate chef that opened many of their new restaurants. While here in Chicago, he decided to jump ship and go out on his own. Their loss is our gain. While this little gem has been on my radar for quite awhile, it was only this last weekend that I was able to rally the forces and check it out. The open and inviting room segued into some of the best trattoria style food I’ve eaten outside of Italy.

The service was efficient and unfazed at our request to order one course at a time and also to allow us to bring a couple Super Tuscans in for a reasonable $15 corkage fee. Grazie.

Among the numerous standouts were a wonderful Zucchini Foccacia in the bread basket, an absolutely sublime quivering Burrata (think Mozzarella di Buffala but richer and less dense, hence the quiver) with Culatello (marinated Prosciutto). Favas with Truffle Oil and Pecorino, some exquisitely plump Black Mussels and a Risotto special with Shrimp and Scallops that was truthfully one of the finest examples of well made Risotto I’ve ever encountered. Not a glop or heap in site as so many lesser versions consist of. Each kernel of rice was separate and to the tooth with intense flavor. Cotechino (Italian boiled sausage) with Garlic Rapini was also great but my favorite by far was the Porchetta (grilled roasted cured pork) with Herbs and Fried Polenta. I thought long and hard before I eventually resisted reordering it as my entrée.

I was transported. It was as if I was on a street corner in Bari or in the towers of San Gimignano. I know they're two very distinct regions, but it just was so authentic in the Italian style I so love when done well.

Entrée wise, Peppered Tuna with Cannellini Beans and Arugula was outstanding and a Veal Tenderloin Milanase was nothing like the standard cliché that dish can be. For those who like to play with their organs, the Tripe Florentine style was excellent as well. My Breast of Pheasant was nice, but a bit Saltimbocaesque (minus the sage) something I’m not a great fan of.

Not ordered but seen being served and looking wonderful were a grilled seafood platter and a seafood stew. Both looked and smelled fantastic as they were served to a table next to us.

I’m thrilled to have finally tried this spot. If our meal on Saturday night was status quo, I will definitely be revisiting soon and often.

Riccardo Trattoria
2119 N. Clark
Chicago, IL 60614
773-549-0038

A friend and I stopped in to Trattoria Ricardo a few years ago (after placing our traditionally losing bets on the Kentucky Derby). I remember enjoying the tripe Florentine, silky honeycomb morsels, with a little mushroom and carrot, really good with rosemary-flecked focaccia.

Jazzfood wrote:Cotechino (Italian boiled sausage) with Garlic Rapini was also great but my favorite by far was the Porchetta (grilled roasted cured pork) with Herbs and Fried Polenta

Having prepared cotechino with less than stellar results Riccardo Trattoria's version was a bonus, delicious, rich collagen laden sausage perfectly balanced by the bitterness of rapini, plus I garnered tips for next time I prepare it at home.

Grilled Cotechino, (Italian boiled sausage) with garlic rapini/polenta


Porchetta, as Alan (Jazzfood) said, was amazing, I felt as if I was revisiting Monte San Savino, which is known for porchetta and holds a dedicated festival every September.

Porchetta grilled roasted cured pork with herbs fried polenta


Perfectly fried, light as a humming birds flutter if a Chicago style breaded steak met Riccardo Trattoria's Veal Tenderloin Milanese it would weep with embarrassment.

Veal Tenderloin Milanese with arugula and grape tomatoes, aged balsamic


Risotto, a special of the day with prawns, scallops, radicchio, bacon and grape tomatoes did not succumb to the stereotypical American overs, over cooked, over cheesed, over seasoned, remaining firmly, or should I say toothsomely, in the Italian paradigm.

Risotto with prawns and scallops, radicchio, bacon & grape tomatoes


Tripe Florentine, the dish I was most looking forward to trying, lived up to expectations. Intensely rich shockingly tender a lyrical melody to menudos Flamenco.

Honeycomb Tripe Florentine, braised with vegetables, tomato and parmesan


I was quite taken with Riccardo Trattoria, as Italian of an experience as I've had without the benefit of an airplane. Very much looking forward to a return visit.

Enjoy,
Gary

I've never been but I've heard good things before about Riccardo. A friend tells me they make their own pasta, too. Can anyone confirm?

=R=

After a brief discussion about my general disappointment with Italian food in Chicago in this thread, I was reminded of recent discussion about Riccardo by Mike G. Cookie and I were delighted to join Mr. G for dinner recently with very high hopes.

Overall, I was pleased. Riccardo prepares high quality ingredients with a level of restraint and respect that reflects maturity and good taste.


Antipasti

Burrata and Culatello
This was my first taste of culatello and I'm not sure how well I could distinguish it from prosciutto aside from it's texture. It was silky and much softer than a prosciutto and went nicely with the creamy burrata (you didn't have to tear through the meat, it was easy to enjoy both together). The aggressively fruity olive oil topping the cheese really made the whole plate shine.


Grilled cotechino with Green Lentils
A beautiful plate of sausage that had a depth of flavors and texture.


Primi

Orecchiette with Wild Boar Sausage, Rapini, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
The weakest of the pasta dishes, if only for a simple lack of seasoning. It was nicely composed, but the pasta was undersalted.


Penne "Strascicate" (beef, sausage, & chicken liver ragu with pecorino cheese)
The strongest of the pasta dishes. The chicken liver was not underused, and lent a lot of richness and flavor to this fantastic ragu.

Not pictured:
Veal Ravioli "Massaia" (in a lightly creamy meat sauce with porcini mushrooms)
Another nice sauce that highlighted delicate, flavorful ravioli.

Secondo

Prawns and Scallops with lentils and lobster bisque sauce
A very nice plate of seafood that reflects the chefs respect for his top-quality ingredients.

The only two oddities I found about Riccardo were the limited number of wines by the glass (most of which didn't interest me), and the breadth of the menu. Mike G commented that he expected to see a much smaller menu, and I agreed. I find a menu with eight or ten options to be a much better omen than one that has nearly 20 pasta options alone. Nevertheless, the execution was very good and I'm looking forward to tasting more.

My reaction upon leaving Riccardo was that now I finally have a place to recommend to friends searching for an Italian restaurant in Chicago. The ingredients are high quality, the dishes are as close to authentic as I've seen here, and the cooking and preparations show both patience and restraint.

Best,
Michael

PS

ronnie_suburban wrote:I've never been but I've heard good things before about Riccardo. A friend tells me they make their own pasta, too. Can anyone confirm?

I forgot to ask about the provenance of the pastas, but in reflection I would say that the orecchiette and ravioli were definitely made in-house. The penne, I don't think so.

Reevaluating Riccardo's. I have now been to Riccardo's many times and I must confess that we now think it is quite good. We still find the bruschetta odd, but the fava beans are good and the dish of focaccio with two cheeses, arugula, and prosciutto is wonderful. Also my friend ordered the trofie with pesto (he asked that if they usually put cream in it, to please leave it out). It was excellent. Overall, we think the food is quite tasty.

I probably could have ordered better, but my recent and first-ever visit to Riccardo's didn't leave me longing to return. I will say that Gwiv's description of the risotto matches exactly what I tasted, and it was wonderful. But the bruschetta topped with tasteless, out of season tomatoes is just odd, and I found the homemade pastas not even close to on-par with those at Terragusto. Riccardo's pasta was too light, thin, and bland to stand up to any of the sauces. Service was gracious and accommodating, though I would have preferred something other than the overused yet useless "Our most popular is..." response to my request for wine and food recommendations. Perhaps partially as a result of the very high hopes I had when I walked in, I was somewhat let down by the Riccardo's experience.

To be fair, it should be noted that my experience at Riccardo was light-years better than the predecessor in that space, Via Veneto.

I've been wanting to get to Riccardo Trattoria for quite some time, so we finally made it happen last night.

We were seated 15 minutes late for our reservation, and that's really the only critical thing I have to say.

Along with great food, this place is actually a bit of a steal. They have the summer black truffles from Umbira in and you can order them over pasta, risotto or polenta/egg. An entree portion is $22, and this gets you a heaping pile of truffle. I had an appetizer sized portion for half the price, again with a serious heaping of wonderful truffle. I also had lamb chops, which weren't quite as "lamby" as I would have liked, but were still awfully tasty and prepared exactly to my specified medium-rare.

So all in all a great night, which I was really happy about since this place is about a 15-20 minute walk from my house. Also, another rebuttal for those who would claim that Lincoln Park is a culinary wasteland.

anyone have anything to tell me about this place? a friend recomended it, and I am eating there is a few weeks.

any recomendations?

Thread here.

I used to be a frequent walk-in at this place; guess I'll have to talk up the waiters again. First time around I secretly shared some nice wines I had brought in, and that was enough to secure me a gracious place. The new hostess (brunette from texas) is a little off her game, so be patient with a smile and she should take care of you.

My favorites have largely been mentioned -- cotechino, fava&truffles, porchetta, honeycomb tripe... the baby octopus and spaghetti carbonara are good as well. Real, non-Chicago, Italian food. Posters are right about the bruschetta, but that's actually how it's meant to be prepared, with stale bread (cut on bias, light rub w/ garlic, sprinkle of salt, light use of tomatoes). It's sort of a thumb in the eye of over-indulgent american versions. But why the hell would you get bruschetta anyways?

One thing not mentioned: get an after dinner espresso and savour the violet/anisette/pistachio biscotto, made by riccardo's wife. I think they make ristretti as well. maybe do an affogato? If you're kept waiting in the small front area, ask for drinks or espressi -- the waiters are now mostly italian by birth, and should know how to do a corretto, which should be enough to keep your and your companion's thoughts from the waiting time.

I ate dinner at Ricardo Trattoria last Friday night, and despite the food being very good, my dining companion and I were so put off by the service that we will likely not return.

We got a distinct feeling that we had to know "the right people" in order to get the service we wanted/deserved. This was how we explained the inconsistencies between how we were treated and how others were treated. We walked in about 10 minutes early for an 8pm reservation and waited in the tiny foyer with two groups of four. Everyone who was waiting was drinking prosecco, and since the two groups were not together, we speculated that it was more likely that everyone was offered something to drink while they waited as opposed to both groups ordering drinks before being seated, especially since they seemed friendly with someone who appeared to be the owner. After the two groups were seated, we waited in hopes of being offered a drink as well, but that never came. Not a big deal, as this is something I don't generally expect, but my dining partner started to get the feeling that we were missing out. We were seated, but despite wearing long overcoats, no one offered to take our coats, and in a quick survey of the dining room, we saw few people with the coats thrown over the backs of their chairs, and we saw several parties chatting up the staff waiting for their coats to be retrieved as they left.

Service from our waiter was aloof at best once we were seated. We were brought bread but no butter or olive oil, and asking for olive oil, salt, and pepper made us feel as though we were asking for the world. I distinctly hate it when servers make me feel like simple requests are a huge inconvenience. It wasn't as though he appeared overwhelmed, he just never appeared interested.

The food was the redeeming factor of the evening. My dining partner and I both ordered exclusively off of the dinner specials menu - I the asparagus soup which was tasty but a little too cheesy for my taste, and the pappardelle with oxtail ragout which was absolutely delicious. My dining partner ordered a pacheri pasta dish, which turned out to be a large flat tubular noodle with a spicy tomato-based sauce - tasty, but a slightly smaller portion than expected, especially since my portion size was perfect. We finished with the lemon sorbet.

I liked the fact that Ricardo Trattoria has the feel of a really authentic Italian restaurant, down to the Italian accents you kept overhearing everywhere. The food was great, but I am definitely becoming more stingy with my restaurant spending, and since I don't go out as often as I used to, I want every restaurant experience to be really good. (I know, this is unrealistic.) Because I am trying to cut back on my eating out, it's unlikely I'll be giving them another chance anytime soon.

I had a similar experience when i went to Riccardo approximately 6 months ago. Me and my friend got to the restaurant 10 minutes earlier than our reservation which they were very happy about (the owner said so). We decided to do one more course than usual for the 2 of us (appetizer, pasta, main course and dessert) (i made it known to the server when we ordered) and before we even finished the main course, she already asked us if there is anything else we need. Excuse me, but a. i have not finished my plate and b. i do plan on having dessert.
At any rate, we had our desserts and coffees and guess what when we were leaving, the owner said "I thought you guys will never be done". Wow! talk about being rude and its not as if we were just eating bread and not ordering. We put in our orders right away (aside from desserts of course) and that's how you speak to your customers.

That is the last time i went to the restaurant. I don't care how good the the food is, there are so many other good italian restaurants in Chicago that deserve the business.

We went recently. Some notes on other people's notes:

1. The Burrata & Culatello--amazing. The meat delicate, the cheese so rich, creamy and buttery that it literally made me say "Oh, my God" when I first tasted it.

2. The risotto--the one we shared was with prawns and artichokes. I agree with the comments that the rice was toothsome and not gloppy or overdone. However, this dish was just a tad salty for my taste. Not a whole lot, and I don't mind salt; it just would have been better if the salt had been dialed back about 10%.

3. Had the skatewing, which I think was one of the nightly specials. It was very good. I can't say that it exceeded other good examples of this dish that I'd had, and after the astounding Burrata & Culatello appetizer, I suppose I was a little disappointed by that (the skatewing was not to other skatewing as the burrata was to other cheeses I've had), but I enjoyed it.

4. We shared desserts. My warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream was delicious, but my wife's ricotta cheesecake established a new benchmark for her in the ricotta cheesecake sweepstakes; and from the one or two bites she let me have, I agree. She's still talking occasionally about it now.

5. The service. Our experience was excellent, and doesn't match up at all with that of those who were disappointed with the treatment they received. I would describe it as "reserved, professional warmth." Warmth is the wrong word, maybe, because there was no effusion of personality, but the four of us certainly felt welcome and comfortable. And well taken care of. Pride seems to be an appropriate word--pride in knowing how to do your job, and doing it well, and pride in knowing the product you are presenting is superior. Pride without arrogance. Attention without obsequiousness. Just right.

Glad to hear it. It's been too long since I last visited, I need to correct that sooner than later. In the meantime, I've tried a few of their supposed competitors and found them to be lacking.

Service wise, it's a fine line. I've found that some confuse confidence w/arrogance but I understand your analogy and agree with you entirely. While I can't account for others experiences, what you describe has been mine and I welcome it. Would prefer that to be the standard as opposed to "Hi, my name is..."

agnesfong wrote:y wife's risotto cheesecake established a new benchmark for her in the risotto cheesecake sweepstakes

Having never had, much less heard of, risotto cheesecake, can you explain the dish and what other Italian restaurants comprise the "sweepstakes?"

chezbrad wrote:

agnesfong wrote:y wife's risotto cheesecake established a new benchmark for her in the risotto cheesecake sweepstakes

Having never had, much less heard of, risotto cheesecake, can you explain the dish and what other Italian restaurants comprise the "sweepstakes?"

I'm guessing (but you never know) that the OP meant a ricotta cheesecake.

chezbrad wrote:Having never had, much less heard of, risotto cheesecake, can you explain the dish and what other Italian restaurants comprise the "sweepstakes?"

No, I can't, brad, because it was a typo. (As Ed more graciously intuited.)

I had risotto on the brain as I typed early Sunday morning, having just written about risotto a few words earlier. But thanks (I guess) for the snark, since it caused me to go and fix the word now.

Not a snark, actually. In these heady post-molecular days, is it so far-farfetched to imagine a risotto cheesecake? It didn't even cross my mind to think of ricotta, actually.

chezbrad wrote:Not a snark, actually. In these heady post-molecular days, is it so far-farfetched to imagine a risotto cheesecake? It didn't even cross my mind to think of ricotta, actually.

With hindsight, now, knowing it was ricotta it does seem obvious but when I first read it I also thought "what the heck is risotto cheesecake?" I agree, not so farfetched really - I could see this as a re-imagination of rice pudding, for example.

OK, sorry for seeing snark where none was intended.

We ate at Riccardo Trattoria last night with a large family party and had a wonderful meal. I want to echo several others’ enthusiasm for the fabulous burrata and culatello appetizer. What an amazing cheese—creamy and delicate and delicious paired with the culatello. A must-have dish. Another excellent appetizer was a special, grilled mixed sausage au jus with fried polenta. Wow. A generous serving of several kinds of sausage (I couldn’t question the waiter while surrounded by 11 of my nearest and dearest, so I can’t say what they were) with the sort of jus you would just like to drink. The sausages were served with wonderful crisp-on-the-outside, creamy-on-the-inside polenta squares. I would order that dish again in a heartbeat. The caprese salad was very good, but not the best I’ve had—they use grape tomatoes and capers but no basil—and the fried calamari, always a necessary order for my family, was also very good, light and greaseless, but not transcendent..

I couldn’t taste everyone’s main dishes, but everything I had was very, very good or better. My “Grilled Prawns and Sea Scallops - wrapped with bacon in a lobster bisque sauce” was served with three perfect asparagus spears and green lentils, not the fried leeks listed in the online menu (the menu in the restaurant showed the asparagus and lentils). There’s a great photo in eatchicago’s post upthread of the dish. It was luscious, the shellfish perfectly cooked, the small amount of bacon smoky and a bit salty but not chewy or overly crisp, making a lovely complement to the scallops around which it was wrapped. I had a bite of the osso buco, which was very rich and flavorful.

The gelati I had for dessert were excellent, and the peach sorbet—served in a hollowed-out peach shell—was also outstanding.

Service was professional and competent, I thought, except for one misstep—a waiter poured water into my white wine (the water and white wine glasses are identical and were sitting next to each other). I was talking and didn’t see what he had done, but I sure tasted it. We still had wine on the table, so my glass was refilled. It was a surprising gaffe, considering the quality of the dinner otherwise.

I definitely look forward to going back—a very, very nice meal.

EvA wrote:The caprese salad was very good, but not the best I’ve had—they use grape tomatoes and capers but no basil

No basil!?

That seems like an oversight; if they were simply out of the herb, I believe they would have enough integrity to simply not serve the salad.

David Hammond wrote:

EvA wrote:The caprese salad was very good, but not the best I’ve had—they use grape tomatoes and capers but no basil

No basil!?

That seems like an oversight; if they were simply out of the herb, I believe they would have enough integrity to simply not serve the salad.

It seemed to me that it wasn't a traditional caprese salad at all. The buffalo mozzarella and the tomatoes, yes, but capers and olives and no basil? So maybe "caprese" is a misnomer?

I was there last night, too. they were late seating us, by almost an hour for our 9 pm reservation. but they were very nice about it- they gave us a nice bottle of complementary wine and some brusceta.

food was great, had the rissotto with truffles and it was a very generous portion of truffles.