\A small corner of Andersonville's Acre has been transformed into a bustling new spot for Italian small plates. You might miss Ombra if you were strolling down Clark Street because the exterior remains the same muted gray color as Acre. The inside, however, has undergone a serious makeover.
The tiny and inviting space is made even cozier with polished wooden beams, walls covered in yellowed Italian newspaper and long booths where you might end up dining with strangers who could turn into new friends. You'll immediately be drawn to Ombra's handsome bar, which is stocked not with alcohol but with Italian delicacies like smoked trout, roasted Portobello mushrooms and calamari with Meyer lemon vinaigrette. Those bites, along with about 25 other Italian appetizers called cicchetti (pronounced chi-KET-ee), are all displayed in a case for diners to pick and choose the ones they want to try. It's kind of like a less-sugary candy store for adultswith wine!
Ombra, my knowledgeable server told me, refers to the first glass of wine, meant to be enjoyed with a couple of rounds of cicchetti, a casual tapas-style of dining popular in Venice. So, peruse the cicchetti bar on your way to your table to get an idea of what you'd like to sample, and then get down to the business of selecting a glass of wine. Ombra has a robust wine list of mostly Italian reds and whites, available for $8 to $10 a glass. I chose the Barbera D'asti Moliss, a fruity but not sweet red from the Piedmont region of Italy, and it paired nicely with all of my cicchetti choices.
Ombra's cicchetti list is so long, deciding what to order can be a little overwhelming. There's a "chef's value" option for $15, which gets you a sample platter of five items. I went that route and my entire group was pleased with all of the selections that quickly appeared on our table. Our first cicchetti platter had a cold salad with farro (an Italian grain similar to couscous) and asparagus, potato salad with rosemary and sun-dried tomatoes, some smoked trout, a slice of asparagus frittata and buffalo mozzarella drizzled with basil pesto. The cicchetti platter won't fill you, but it will whet your appetite and give you something to nibble on while you sip your wine and peruse the rest of the menu.
You'll find plenty of more substantial offerings, including paninis, bruschette, tramezzini, cold white-bread sandwiches that are similar to English tea sandwiches, and a few hot entrée-like small plates. All of the dishes are meant for sharing, and Ombra is designed for lingering and savoring: Have a few bites, savor the flavors, drink some wine, talk for a bit, try something you've never eaten before, drink some more wine, chat while you nibble on some cheese, order another round of small plates, drink some more wine. Repeat until you're pleasantly full and completely relaxed (and possibly a little tipsy).
I enjoyed nearly everything I ate at Ombra, but there were definitely a few dishes that stood out. (Hint: Order these.) The simple formaggi was my favorite of the panini choices. It's gooey Parmigiano, Asiago, Fontina and roasted garlic melted between two crisp slices of olive oil-soaked breadwhat's not to love? The other panini options sound more interesting on the menuthere's one with mushrooms, Fontina and truffled aioli and another with lamb sausage, goat cheese and spicy sun-dried pesto. Both were delicious, but the formaggi was the one that really hit the spot.
I would not advise leaving Ombra without trying a platter of cured meats and Italian cheeses. You can select as many or as few as you'd like for $5 to $8 each. The platters come with crostinis, as well as spicy mustard and sweet jam so you can build your own perfect bite. My picks for the perfect platter: prosciutto, sopressa (Italian salami), Taleggio (Italy's version of Brie), pecorino and Robiola, a pungent soft white cheese.
The beef shortribs were a favorite among my group of dining companions. The juicy meat is served atop a flavorful polenta cake with a side of wilted greens. However, my top pick from among the heartier items was the polenta "lasagna." Marinated mushrooms are stuffed between thin slabs of polenta and the savory stack is topped with a thick layer of cheese baked so perfectly golden brown that it almost forms a bready crust.
Since you're lingering, as you surely will be at Ombra, go ahead and order a few sweet treats to round out your leisurely Italian feast. Tiramisu is always a reliable option, and Ombra's version is quite good. But, if you only want to spend your dessert calories on one item, opt for the far more memorable Nutella panino. Obviously, Nutella is delicious when eaten directly from the jar with a spoon. So, when you fry it with bananas on crisp Italian bread, the result is, in a word, spectacular.
Ombra is located at 5310 N. Clark St.; call 773-506-8600 or visit www.barombra.com .
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