Friday, July 20, 2007
Food & Drink / Food Chain Oak Park hot for Trattoria 225
Posted by David Hammond on 07.20.07 at 02:50 PM
We’re allowing Trattoria 225 in Oak Park a little time to hit its stride before giving it a full review, but co-owner Craig Charlton says that since it opened about two weeks ago there's been a line out the door. Having driven by the place several times in the past few days, I can confirm that it's quite busy.
Charlton suggests that this could be in part because the restaurant had been in the process of opening for several months and eager Oak Parkers--always starved for a promising new food venue--had a lot of pent-up enthusiasm.
Trattoria 225 offers “rustic Italian dining” that draws heavily upon regional, seasonal produce and features an oak-fired pizza oven, still a rarity in this part of Chicagoland. Prices seem reasonable, the wine list looks good, and I'm as eager as any Oak Parker to give the place a shot.
Addendum: "Saturday July 14. You were my waitress: Dark hair, pulled back, glasses. . . ."
Comments (9)
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I'll have to try it again later, but I wasn't too impressed my first time here. The restaurant claims to have a wood-burning oven, but we couldn't tell from the pizza, which was so un-crispy it was almost undercooked.
Sam, I have not yet had the pizza at Trattoria 225, but if they're cooking in something like a Neapolitan style, the pizza might tend to be a little "un-crispy" here and there. Last year, we had pizza at one of the premier pizzerias in Naples, and it was downright soupy at the center. This is not the style most of us prefer in the States, but it is a style. Whether it's intentional at Trattoria 225, I can't say.
What's the point of a wood-burning oven if you use thick, doughy crust and don't cook it enough?
I am not sure what your pizza was like, but mine was dark in areas and you could taste the wood fire. the dough is not thick or thinl...kinda in between and mine wasn't soupy either...it was delicious! I also had the octopus as an app and it was the most tender and delicious octopus i have had in a long time.
Although I agree the pizza crust could be crispier, I did enjoy the two different varieties that I ate. The ingredients were very flavorful and fresh and the crust wasn't bad. The green salad was awesome, especially the dressing. I definately plan to return for another visit and try other items on the menu. Customers need to realize that most new restarants will have a couple of kinks to work out in the first few months of operation. Give this wonderful restaurant a chance. Good quality food, friendly service, inviting decor - what's there not to like.
My wife and I were impressed with Trattoria 225 when we were walked through the door. The décor is warm and inviting. Many diners were seated with children and the volume was at an enjoyable pitch. As soon as we got to the hostess station the pleasure went downhill. Our eyes met the eyes of the hostess and two employees. They instantly looked away and continued with their conversation with each other. Only after they were finished was our presence acknowledged. We were promptly seated at cramped table for two with a low wall on one side and the waiter’s station behind us. It was about 5:30pm on a Saturday and the restaurant was barely half full. I asked to be relocated. We were, but to a high traffic area near the archway joining the two rooms. The floor was poorly supported and every time someone walked by our table and chairs bounced. There were other tables available as was the case 90 minutes later when we left. Our waitress was young and inexperienced. She would get into my face when she talked. She offered way too much information (“This is the first restaurant I have worked in without a microwaveâ€). She would go on and on about the food even after we ordered. She was selling the food not presenting it. The food was not my cup of tea. It was a little on the sweet side. It was fresh and well presented. The pizza was like the California Pizza Kitchen style with a softer crust. If you like that style it would be good. I also ordered the ravioli special with the caramelized onion white sauce. The onions were a bit under cooked and the sauce was bland. I found myself reaching for the salt which I never do. This was an unfortunate experience for us. We live in the neighborhood and were excited to have a nice restaurant walking distance from the house. I don’t think another visit can be justified at this time.
We didn't have pizza, but I thought my chicken saltimbocca was wonderful, with very fresh, perfectly prepared green beans. My dining colleagues had the asparagus risotto and ravioli and loved it. Find room for the gelato. We had the peanutbutter banana gelato with flourless chocolate cake all lightly drizzled with white chocolate. Heaven! Reasonably priced. Great servers and even a visit with the co-owners, how cool is that!? Definitely a place to which we'll return! I want to judge that pizza next time.
