I figured I would go to a place that a local, ostensibly knowledgeable about food and wine, had visited and provided a positive endorsement for the business. Holy crap, this place is a train wreck - insane markups, totally made up dishes (horseradish in vitello tonnato?), and service/mgmt that was a new industry low.
Props for having a Piemonte-focused wine list. But all of that good will is tossed onto the street when you are asking people to pay $41 for a Favorita, or $49 for an Erbaluce, I just have to call foul.
The food, and we tried 11 dishes
, was awful. Nothing even approximated authentic, traditional. But, as lousy as it was, and it was crap, the service was far worse. In addition, the noisiest restaurant I have been to in at least 5 years.
What are your actual gripes with Osteria Langhe and how was management a “new industry low”? Aldo has been in the biz for a long time and yours is an opinion that a great many people don’t share
I was in Chicago for business two weeks ago and went to Osteria Langhe. I really enjoyed the restaurant. My experience was nowhere close to your description (though I can’t comment on wine prices because we brought our own).
Even though reasonable minds can differ, I find it hard to believe that the food was “awful,” “lousy,” and “crap.” Your “review” smacks of hyperbole and therefore lacks utility. Similarly, at least in my mind, your conscious choice to post this wrong section detracts from the value of the review.
Regardless of our differing opinions, I am sorry that you did not enjoy your meal.
I’m sorry to hear that your experience did not live up to expectations. I go here regularly with folks and enjoy the location a good bit. Here are a few of my observations:
it is moderately noisy and can get loud when full as the space is somewhat small.
the food is above average quality and has received very good reviews locally in addition to several people here on WB.
the wine markup is inline with other similar restaurants in Chicago. Here are some examples, prices are Osteria/Wine Searcher Average:
Malvira Langhe Favorita 2011, $43/$20
Nino Costa “Coste Stefanino” Langhe Nebbiolo 2013, $38/$18
Vietti Tre Vigne Barbera, 2012, $38/$18
Produttori del Barbaresco, 2009, $62/$35
the service is good, but can be slow on a busy night. I find the staff to be knowledgeable and friendly so my overall experience on this front is positive.
Do I like the typical markup (and tax) in Chicago? No, so I usually balance by ordering one wine from the list and bring my own and pay corkage if there is any.
I’ll echo the thoughtful comments above: this is less of a review or constructive feedback and more of just a rant. Thus, little utility to A) the wine community and B) folks at large who are travelling or looking for a new recommendation for somewhere to eat in their own city.
I frequent this restaurant. I’ve recommended it to countless others. One friend had her birthday party there in early August on my suggestion; another hosted one there last night. I’ve attended parties and dinners, sat at the bar and on the patio, and not one time can I use ANY, let alone ALL, of the descriptors you’ve mentioned.
Lousy / awful / crap are perhaps better words to describe a sports team’s failure. “Service was uneven” or “we didn’t care for some of the food” are perfectly legitimate concerns and at the end of the day, leave someone reading your comments with the sense that you arrived on an off night, or maybe the restaurant wasn’t to your liking.
Please note Mark’s comments about wine markups in the area - OL wine prices are in line with the market here. As someone who posts regularly on WB, I’m certain you’ve taken advantage of corkage at restaurants on the past.
It sounds like your visit was not an impulsive one. If someone you knew endorsed this restaurant and you were interested in trying it, perhaps a glance at the wine list in advance will help assuage the sticker shock. Perhaps you shop at a local wine store (we have many) and pick up a bottle. Perhaps you call in advance and inquire about corkage.
I rarely feel the urge to respond to empty, negative, and unhelpful comments (awful, lousy, crap?) but I have had dozens of outstanding meals and celebrations at Osteria Langhe and I’d hate for others not to share my experiences based on your remarks alone.
Tim has been on a roll lately in terms of his posting content - it started with his critique of other folks palates if they tended to use terms like “Smooth” in describing their wine experience, continued on by dismissing a recent wine as “something went wrong in the cellar/making of this wine” (on a positive note, he was happy for me that my palate was apparently not as discerning as his because I had previously enjoyed said “flawed” wine) and has now continued with the evisceration of this restaurant.
Tim is a long-time member and has been a semi-active poster - to be honest, I’ve never considered him unduly confrontational or controversial before, but maybe he slept last night in a Holiday Inn Express .
Given how Tim’s rant about “smooth” turned out, I half expect that someone like Charlie will find a year-old Yelp review where Tim raves about Osteria Langhe.
Yeah, I hate chefs who do that “totally made up dishes” thing. You know, screw Keller/Humm/Ripert/Monis and all the rest. What the hell are they thinking?
Sorry you didn’t enjoy yourself. I’m a big fan of the restaurant and my sentiments echo those of Jimmy, Mark and Rebecca. I think it’s also worth noting for readers this is a relatively casual restaurant … more bistro than fine dining and the service, food, pricing, etc. are right in line with my expectations for a restaurant of that level. They are also generous with corkage, another reason so many wine geeks frequent Osteria Langhe. Lastly, I find many dishes to be authentic – the Plin and Tajarin are two good examples.
after reading your ridiculous rant, i have to ask myself if it’s even possible that you ate at the same place that i’ve eaten at countless times? my experiences there have never resembled what you described - i’ve always found the staff incredibly friendly/helpful/accommodating and have loved the food that Aldo pumps out.
I have been to Osteria Langhe countless times with my wine group, family and friends. I have been there for a dinner for two and in parties of 15 where dozens of bottles were charged no corkage. The food is always solid and usually excellent. The service is casual but attentive. The prices are reasonable.
I have known Aldo for years. He has been in the food and wine industry for decades and most everyone who is involved in the wine scene in Chicago knows him. He is kind, generous, passionate and has an encyclopedic knowledge of food and wine.
Mr. Heaton’s comments say more about him than Osteria Langhe.
Aldo (the owner) knows Piedmont extremely well (he has lots of relationships with producers, one of which is a certain Luca Currado, you may be familiar with him)and the executive chef has cooked in Piedmont.
Even if we assume that Tim knows Piedmont better than aldo, that doesn’t answer for what is clearly a troll post with several backhands at the whole establishment.
If you have traveled a lot in Italy, it’s sometimes annoying to find food here in the US billed as authentic, because it rarely is even close to what you get there, even when the chefs are Italian.
But I’ll let Tim speak for himself. From his posts in some of the Barolo threads, it sounds like he travels there regularly and knows the region very well.
And Aldo has spent loads of time there himself. When he was a distributor and importer, Piedmont was his principle focus.
I would take Tim’s post more seriously if he didn’t 1) post it here where he knew it would get moved(wouldn’t epicurean exploits be more appropriate?), 2) go so far as to say the management sets a new industry low (he’s going to have to explain that one a ton more given the implication of saying that), and 3) just saying the food was crap and not expounding on it much more.
I would agree with Gregg’s final point that Tim’s comments say much more about him than the actual restaurant given the people involved with it.
John, playing devil’s advocate, I think your point cuts more against Tim’s juvenile rant than it does aid his cause. To be honest, I do not if and to what extent OL holds itself out as “authentic.” Assuming it does, I know (and based on your post I believe that you know) that even “authentic” cuisine will often be, at best, a good imitation of the original. There are a number of reasons for that including ingredients and simply the fact you are not actually dining in Italy. If Tim holds these “authentic” restaurants to the standard of his experiences in in Piemonte, he will likely be disappointed (and should probably avoid any of this type of restaurant outside of Piemonte). But, that does not mean the food is “awful,” “lousy,” or “crap.” The “lack of authenticity” argument, even if true, doesn’t make Tim’s statements any less sophomoric.
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