Osteria Langhe (@OsteriaLanghe 2824 W. Armitage Ave.) brings an authentic Italian dining experience to Logan Square with a menu and wine list inspired by the Piemonte region.
An Italian Experience Close To Home
The concept of Osteria Langhe channels the environment of a traditional osteria. Chef and owner Cameron Grant trained as a chef in the Italian region of Piemonte and briefly owned a restaurant in Tresio before returning to Chicago, where he met his current partners, Aldo Zaninotto and his wife Beth Ann Brozo.
According to Brozo, local ingredients are key to authentic Italian dining. “Our focus is on introducing traditional cuisine from the area of Piemonte with a commitment to working with fresh and seasonal ingredients, and promoting local farmers and growers from around the Midwest,” says Brozo.
With Italian food, good wine is a necessity. Aldo Zaninotto has created a wine list specifically of wines from grapes grown in the Piemonte region.
“Aldo has traveled extensively there and knows many of the wine makers and wineries of that region,” says Brozo.
To complete the experience, the owner and the chef say that they love visiting with guests and offering suggestions. They do not want guests to feel intimidated by the menu.
Mangia!
Brozo says that one of the staff’s favorite dishes is the plin, “which means ‘pinched’ in Italian and is a small agnolotti,” filled with la tur cheese, Parmesan and thyme.
Vegetarians can choose from options such as the crespella crêpes with vegetables and a spicy leek fonduta.
Diners wanting to try something completely different can try the rane, or herb crusted frog legs, a popular dish.
The nature of the locally sourced menu will allow the restaurant to surprise their regulars with frequent new menu options.
“The menu will be set with traditional dishes,” says Brozo, “however will also have constant changes depending on what we are able to get on that day.”
Wine Tasting
The spirits and wines are also an integral part of the Osteria. In addition to sometimes featuring local winemakers, the restaurant hosts a daily tasting called Vino alla Ceccha.
“[It] is a blind wine tasting where guests order a glass of something selected especially by Aldo and will have the opportunity to discover wines they may have never tasted before from very rare finds to very traditional wines,” says Brozo.
Zaninotto says that he wants diners to connect to the wine and discover new favorites without the bias of a label.
The cocktails featured adhere to the traditional Piemonte spirits while also paying tribute to Chicago’s own distilleries. The Classico cocktails features Leatherbee Gin with bitters and vermouth from Turino.
The Final Course
The Osteria Langhe team sees similarities between the communities of small Italian villages and Logan Square, which is why they thought it was an ideal neighborhood to bring the tradition of an osteria.
Zaninotto says that he could not see his restaurant fitting in any other neighborhood other than Logan Square because of the strong culture.
“Logan Square has such a strong, active community that cares so much about their neighborhood it felt like a perfect fit for us. It has been great meeting neighbors, and the other businesses have been very welcoming us,” says Brozo.
In the future, expect events like wine tasting, cooking classes, prix fixe menus and guest chefs. In the meantime, they offer apertivo at 4:30 pm, where guests can enjoy an after work cocktail with complimentary snacks at the bar.
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