Warm light spills out of the front windows of Osteria Langhe, a sliver of a place in Logan Square focused on the land of truffles and nebbiolo. Owner Aldo Zaninotto is on hand to walk diners through dishes and through his wine list, which is a virtual master class in Piedmont wines, from Contratto’s elegant sparkling rosé of pinot noir through lesser-known varieties like erbaluce and timorasso, freisa and ruché. He’s also well stocked in Barolo and Barbaresco from every commune. Most remarkably, he holds most prices below $100, which is a good thing, as the expertly prepared Piedmontese classics—like plin, diminuitive pasta pockets stuffed with melting La Tur cheese, or vitello tonnato—demand repeat visits.
2824 W. Armitage, Chicago, Illinois
Italian
773-661-1582
Caitlin Griffith knew her future career would entail food and drink when, at the age of six, she munched an anchovy from her father’s Caesar salad thinking it as a small strip of bacon—and was more than pleasantly surprised. While enrolled in New York University’s Food Studies program, she learned the secrets of affinage in the caves of Murray’s Cheese.
This story appears in the print issue of June 2015.
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