There’s a sign that hangs prominently above the kitchen window in the back of the Charlatan, the new West Town Italian joint from chef Matt Troost and his partners, who also operate the University Village Italian bar-food spot Three Aces. It says Che cazzo fai?—a common Italian curse idiomatically meaning “What the cock?,” or, as an irritated American chef might say, “What the fuck are you doing?” Maybe that’s the reaction Troost has when he hears some of his waitstaff garble the language (while taking an order for wine, a confident server discreetly uncorrected my pronunciation of Puglia as “POOG-lia.” Later, agnolotti was rendered”AG-nu-lowty”).
Among the first, snappy curls of grilled octopus coil around lengths of soft braised carrots saturated in beef stock and accompanied by coarse, nutty, almost solidified romesco sauce sprinkled with bread crumbs fried in marrow. It’s likely the beefiest-tasting octopus you’ll ever encounter. Carpaccio dressed with pickled beech mushrooms, grated cured duck egg, fingerling potato chips, and Parmesan is a complicated rendition of the classic with some of its simple carnal pleasures obscured—but it’s tasty nonetheless. Both of these dishes display a terrific mix of textures and contrasting umami-rich and bright, acidic flavors that are missing in some of larger plates.
Meanwhile, rigatoni is infused with black pepper and tossed with a simultaneously meaty and vegetal wild boar ragu, and spaghettini take on a vibrant green color from kale and walnut pesto, sprinkled with crumbled blue cheese. The same long, thin, tentacular noodles are employed in a classic meatballs and spaghettini, oversauced in a bright, vibrant marinara that completely overshadows the somewhat mealy meatballs—which seems reassuringly authentic.
1329 W. Chicago 312-818-2073 charlatanchicago.com
