I want to start by admitting something: I was not impressed with the new River North restaurant Olio e Piu—initially.
Located at 445 N. Dearborn St. (the site of several eateries over the years, including the Rosebud restaurants Joe Fish and Mama's Boy Peasant Italian), Olio e Piu (which means "oil and more") is the first Chicago venture for the NYC-based agency The Group.
And if I had to go by my initial visit to the spot, I would wonder how The Group became successful. I went with one of my friends (who, shall we say, knows his Italian cuisine) and we were both taken aback. This first visit was a soft opening for media and influencers. While we admired the decor, the food left a lot to be desired. For instance, the two of us were given beet salad (done well, but how hard is that?), a small bowl of (overcooked) orecchiette and a tiramisu with too much cocoa powder—while the people around us were given substantially more items. In addition, the bill for those three items we received was $201. (Thankfully, the meal was comped.)
However, my dining companion and I were lured back to give Olio e Piu another try—and I do believe in second chances.
The crowd was a healthy mix of people of all backgrounds, from young couples to small groups of friends to a seemingly genial man with a head that was completely tattooed. The music was festive and the staffers were attentive to everyone.
And, this time, the culinary journey through Italy was an enjoyable one.
We started with red snapper crudo. (Other varieties include hamachi and tuna.) The rose peppercorn, tarragon powder, blood orange and chive oil certainly gave the dish a gustatory jolt that we appreciated. However, the high point for both of us was what came next: tagliere Toscana focacce (pillowy focaccia with fresh mortadella, Fontina cheese and arugula). My friend said he could've eaten this dish all night—and I wholeheartedly agreed.
But that's not to say what we had afterward was bad; it's just that the focaccia was so amazing that it set the bar very high. For example, the chitarra alla carbonara was quite rich and satisfying—although my friend thought the dish could've used something crunchy, such as pine nuts or pistachios. (He sounded like a Chopped judge, but I totally concurred with him. Something with a different texture would've made this pasta dish soar. Nevertheless, it still deserved high marks.) However, Olio e Piu has lots of other entree choices, such as Caesar salad, roasted halibut, chicken scaloppine. Antipasti include fritto primavera, eggplant caponatina, bruschetta and burrata, and beef carpaccio.
The meal concluded with one of Executive Pastry Chef Jean-Baptiste Scordel concoctions: the exotic panna cotta. This dish (consisting of vanilla bourbon panna cotta, pineapple brunoise and passionfruit sauce) was light, refreshing and absolutely delicious. Other dessert options consist of limoncello sorbet, Italian chocolate custard and the aforementioned tiramisu, which seemed to be a popular choice during our second visit.
There are some amazing Italian restaurants in Chicago, from The Albert to Adalina to relative newcomer UMMO. After an initial fumble, Olio e Piu and Executive Chef Danilo Galati showed that they might be able to be in the company of those spots. It was good to take a second bite of the apple (or pasta, in this case).
See www.olioepiu.com .
Note: These visits were arranged.
