The Other Critics

Osteria Ottimo Does Just Fine; Folklore’s False Seduction

Chilam Balam
Chilam Balam Photo: Chilam Balam

• Vettel takes to the ‘burbs this week, checking out Orland Park’s Osteria Ottimo, which we haven’t thought about since we noticed that their logo is a direct ripoff of Mario Batali’s Otto. And hey, they still haven’t changed it! But graphic design aside, Vettel finds a solid Italian restaurant offering lightly tweaked renditions of the old standards, punctuated by family-friendly gimmicks like Lasagna Thursdays and Spaghetti and Meatball Tuesdays, and the occasional deviation from the redsauce repertoire. [Tribune]

• Julia Kramer compares dinner at Folklore to going on a date with a guy so smokin’ hot that you don’t realize he’s a crazy dog-killer until you’re already committed. Sure, the lighting is perfect and that first bite of empanada makes you swoon, but by the time you get to the soggy tilapia you’re wondering how you can gracefully excuse yourself from the mess your life dinner has become. [TOC]

• Even though the dining room at Le Mediterranee is almost completely empty, David Tamarkin has hopes for the place. Too bad the pork chop is unsalvageably dry, the steak lacks oomph, and the kitchen has — quelle horreur! — run out of desserts before 8pm. [TOC]

• Joe Gray has an enthusastic four forks for Chilam Balam, where the hyper-fresh Mexican food is elevated by crafty flavoring, and the charred shrimp incites lust. Everything was so good that Gray never managed to get around to trying dessert. A good thing? [Tribune]

Osteria Ottimo Does Just Fine; Folklore’s False Seduction