112671 Mon Apr 28 11:05:55 -0700 2003 8 7 Chicago Area 0 612143 Ferrari My first thought as we entered Ferrari was, here we go again, attractive waif thin hostess, gleaming bar with a couple of younger guys in suits pretending not to stare at the pretty bartenderess, reserved looking waitstaff in designer threads straight from 'Guys and Dolls', lots of red and even a Murano chandelier or two for good measure. Fortunately my first impression of all sizzle, no steak or, as they say in Texas, all hat, no cattle, was off base. MsWiv and I were a few minutes early meeting RevrendAndy so a drink at the bar seemed in order. The bartenderess was not all show and no go, she made a mean drink, even asking, without my prompting, if I would like blue cheese olives in my dirty martini, the answer being yes, of course. She also brought additional blue cheese stuffed olives when she noticed my wife nabbed mine. While we were at the bar the very personable Marco stopped to chat with us, when we commented on the open kitchen he segued immediately into Versace Charger Plates that are so expensive they have special wiring in the bottom that activates an alarm in the door, no kidding. Well, actually, I was pretty sure Marco was kidding, but he showed us an alarm in the door, told us a story about a well dressed woman setting off the alarm, she contended it had fallen into her purse, and was so convincing I ended up believing him. Though I am not discounting the possibility that plate alarms in the door are the restaurant version of a snipe hunt. The Rev arrived, which necessitated a bit more conversation with Marco, then off to our table, Versace Charger plates at the ready. As soon as we sat down four, yes four, one more than was in our party, waitstaff converged upon our table with water, bread, menus and and amuse of a thin slice of cucumber with mascarpone whipped with gorgonzola, topped by a baby caper, which alerted our tastebuds to good things to come. There were three kinds of bread, I enjoyed the light Italian bread with a thin crisp crust, Andy felt the tomato was a bit nondescript. The menu reads well and the specials, which our waiter recited, sounded outstanding. We started with Ferrari's signature appetizer, and Chicago Magazine recommended, Italian Sashimi, call it what you will, sashimi, carpaccio, thin sliced raw fish on a plate, it was wonderful. A large artsy looking platter, decorated beautiful with a tomato rose, held surprisingly generous portions of four types of paper thin fish and three oysters in bent spoon cups. The smoked salmon was served with a horseradish cream, swordfish with crunchy lightly sweet and sour vegetables, Ahi tuna with a tomato, caper, basil oil mix and the scallops, humm, actually, I don't remember what the scallops were served with. My favorite was the oyster, which obtained a slightly sweet note from the a small cup of reduced balsamic vinegar on the serving plate. Marco came to our table as the Italian Sashimi was served to make sure we ate the oysters in the proper fashion, they were meant to be dipped in the reduced balsamic, which explained the interesting spoon presentation. When we commented on the generous portions to our waiter, he informed this was the standard portion, though they added an extra oyster as there were three of us and oysters are a bit difficult to share. Attention to detail is quite good at Ferrari. For our second course the three of us split an entree of Tagliatelle with reduced duck sauce, which was delicious. Shreds of flavorful duck in a subtle sauce with the absolute best tagliatelle I have had outside of Italy. The pasta had a tender, yet toothsome texture and an indescribable olive oil goodness about it that really took it over the top. To steal a phrase from Chef Evil Ronnie, the tagliatelle Rocked. Ellen had an entree of beautifully rare sliced and fanned duck breast served with a light glaze, actually more of a hint than a glaze, of reduced red wine vinegar and honey, served with sauteed vegetables in a fried potato shred basket. Andy's swordfish (fish of the day) was served on a beautiful beet red risotto with, interestingly, four fluffy dauphine type potatoes and a slice of orange. I had risotto with sausage and baby back ribs though I was expecting links of sausage on top of the risotto, along with the ribs, as opposed to ground sausage incorporated into the risotto. The risotto was quite good, with Marco stopping by out table to make sure our food was accented properly, in my case a flourish of Parmesan. Marco also seemed quite approving of my request for crushed red pepper. The baby back ribs were interesting, a symphony of flavors, I tasted a bit of anise, Andy thought 5-spice, I also noticed a bit of lemon peel and possibly even pernod. With a last minute glaze before grilling they were quite good, but not something I would order again. In fact, I was a bit sorry I did not order one of the specials of the day, which were wild boar ravioli or pork shank prepared as osco bucco. Some of the other dishes that sounded quite good were quail sauteed with raisins on a bed of spinach and pancetta, risotto with a ragu of snails and shitake mushrooms and risotto with black squid ink topped with cuttlefish. With our meal we had a 98 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano La Bracesca from Tuscany, which Chicago Magazine recommended, and was quite a nice choice. I should note that while Marco works the room in a sincere genial style seldom seen anymore, sitting for a moment or two with diners and chatting, enthusiastically greeting each customer, remembering names etc. Everyone in Ferrari is paying attention, even the hostess went from table to table with a pitcher of water when she had a slow moment. For dessert we shared a rich and creamy chocolate gelato, which Ellen adored, and pears marinated in red wine with mascarpone cream and a chocolate sauce. The mascarpone was light as a feather, though rich in flavor. We were also served a generous portion of small cookies, including one that tasted quite like a chocolate eclair. Coffee, which was excellent, was served in unusual cups that instead of handles had, what appeared to be, angel wings. Awkward as it appeared, the cup was quite easy to handle. I would venture to say the coffee cup could be used as a metaphor for Ferrari. Though the restaurant, at first blush, seems a bit contrived and designed to please patrons who are more interested in what their dining companions are wearing than what they are eating, that's not the case. Ferrari is for those who enjoy food, and very good food at that. Enjoy, Gary Ferrari 2360 N Clybourn Ave Chicago, IL 60614 773-348-2106 Link: http://www.ferrariristorante.com/ Mon Apr 28 11:05:55 -0700 2003 0 G Wiv 1 612148 Thanks, Gary. Good review, and the linked menu shows that Marco is more over the top than ever. Still throwing the truffles around. Nice regional touches, too. The Sicilian pasta kind of sticks out, as does the guanciale. (Wasn't someone here looking for this recently?) BTW, as noted on the menu, Italian "sashimi" is crudita'. And those Versace coffee cups with wings are, I think, the same used by some places arount town for soup courses (eg, the truffle cappucino at Tru, a personal favorite). Mon Apr 28 12:09:58 -0700 2003 612143 0 JeffB 2 612153 Jeff, I have not been to Tru recently, but now that you mention it, vaguely remember winged cups. In fact, I've been trying to think where else I have seen them lately, aside from Ferrari. My slide into middle age seems to be wreaking havoc with my memory. Marco may have been a bit over the top in some regards, but clear, clean flavor still predominated. I am quite looking forward to our next visit to Ferrari. Enjoy, Gary Mon Apr 28 12:54:16 -0700 2003 612148 0 G Wiv 3 612158 I always liked Marco, in part because it was one of those places where my then-charming 18 month old won over an initially skeptical staff (alas, at 4 he's less likely to eat venison ravioli than he was then), so I'm glad to hear that it's good in its newer incarnation (no Ferrari pun intended). Mon Apr 28 16:37:58 -0700 2003 612153 0 Mike G 1 612159 Sir Wiv: I humbly note that your generously detailed report could have been even more detailed if your party had been somewhat more numerous, permitting even more dishes to be sampled and enjoyed. Yours truly, Harry V. Mon Apr 28 17:51:04 -0700 2003 612143 0 Harry V. 2 612194 Mr. Harry V, Point taken, sir. Sincere regards, G Wiv Tue Apr 29 13:57:47 -0700 2003 612159 0 G Wiv 1 612269 This was quite a review by the Wiv, but it sure helps when you've got Phil Vettel ghostwriting. Gary certainly covered most of the bases of our dinner. We all agreed the only other restaurant with this kind of menu was Spiaggia. However, unless someone were paying the tab, I'd dine at Ferrari in a heartbeat. I think the food is better, and while not exactly easy on the wallet, it's more reasonable than Spiaggia. The portions are also larger. Wiv mentioned how the tagliatelle was the best he's had outside Italy, but I think the pasta at Merlo holds it's own with anyone. The cooking is more complex at Ferrari. All in all, I give this restaurant 2 thumbs up-oops, sorry Phil, wrong reviewer. Wed Apr 30 21:33:13 -0700 2003 612143 0 RevrendAndy 2 612275 RevrendAndy, Yes, absolutely, the pasta at Merlo is wonderful, in fact the Tagliatelle with duck ragu is the best I have had outside of Italy. Ummm, wait, I just said that about Ferrari. [smile] Fact of the matter is Merlo's pasta is excellent as well. I completely agree with the Rev, odds are that with both Merlo and now Ferrari in town I won't be back to Spiaggia unless someone else is footing the bill. I am also quite looking forward to trying Follia after reading Bacchus and HungryHoward's Chowhound reviews. I'll also try for reservations on a Thursday for freshly imported mozzarella in olive oil, as per Bacchus. Enjoy, Gary Wed Apr 30 22:48:09 -0700 2003 612269 0 G Wiv 3 612308 Do go and let us know what you think...I haven't been to Merlo or Ferrari, so I would love to hear how it compares. My wife loves Italian, so I'll need some extra ammo to get her to some place other than Follia next time out. Thanks for the post. Thu May 01 15:41:49 -0700 2003 612275 0 Bacchus