Erba

Just a quick note… Erba CLOSED in August 2008 and is now:
Chelsea Grill

eh. Erba is okay. It’s not the best restaurant on the row, but it definitely has its charm. They are inventive in their menu options but I will say I’m not so sure about the execution. It’s a fun spot to dine with friends, but for the cost, I’m not sure it’s the real value you’re looking for. I was satisfied, but not so much as it’s on the tip of my tongue when friends ask where to go eat in the ‘hood.
Any beet salad is typically my first course. It was a spring mix of greens and chunks for beets. The goat cheese was crusted and baked but I felt the hazelnuts were overpowered in this dish.
I had the homemade pappardelle for my dinner portion. I ordered the small size, as I wasn’t famished. It was a healthy portion, but the duck was not done to perfection as one would expect from a confit.
Overall, I thought the meal was mediocre. I would go back, as i wasn’t hugely disappointed. But as far as as stars are worth, 2 is as far as I can go. Maybe next time. Maybe I’m too picky.

I give it an A-​OK as in yeah! This place is oh kay! and I will be back. They have some yummy grilled calamari with an angry tomato sauce. If that doesn’t get you started, I don’t know what will.
Had the carpaccio which was lovely too. And the wine was nice Cute atmosphere, great service, yummy bread. Gotta go back.

My husband and I came here because we had a gift certificate. I had very high hopes and looked forward to a delicious Italian meal. But everything we tried (with the exception of the bread that was very good) was just «okay.» The service was pleasant and our waitress friendly but we just didn’t enjoy the food much.
I could definitely see us coming back here for a few glasses of wine and maybe trying some more appetizers, though. I’m not giving up on Erba yet!

Stopped in for dessert after getting some sushi next door at Tank (disclaimer — I came only for desert and a drink, and have not had dinner at Erba). Took a look at the after dinner drink menu and struck out twice — they were out of my both my first and second choices. OK, I suppose that happens — even though they weren’t anything too unusual. I’ll just have an espresso after dessert, right? Wrong. No espresso (machine). Seriously? «Urban Italian» without il caffe? Sigh. OK, had the tart. Fair at best. Rather dry actually. Ho hum.
Sorry Erba, I really wanted to like you but you haven’t given me any compelling reason to come back and give dinner a shot, especially with La Bocca Della Verita and Trattoria Trullo nearby.

Mmm, I am dreaming of the molto delicioso bread and olive oil that started our meal off… and the delectably «juicy» wine our waiter selected for us.
I had dinner here with two good friends on a Friday night. Our server (who we later found out was a trainee) was very friendly and made good suggestions. For example, when he came to take our drink order, I said «We’d like to order a bottle of red wine, not chianti, and not too expensive», he provided two options, one which was «juicier» than the other (his term, not ours, but we couldn’t resist!).
We had a basket of soft, warm bread accompanied by some lovely olive oil to start. Dinner was very good, portions were bigger than I had expected. We started with the bruschetta, which was beautifully presented with shaved parmesan and drizzles of balsamic on the plate. One of my friends had the tuna, the other had the steak, and I had the pork tenderloin. We all were pleased. My pork tenderloin was a smidge on the dry side, but the green beans were divine, along with the potatoes au gratin on the side.
This would be an excellent place for a date… it’s very cozy, and the service is not intrusive, but attentive.

Wow, I’m surprised at all the AVERAGE reviews., as my husband and I both thought Erba was out of this world. My husband and I went to Erba on a whim, we got a gift certificate. I must say the food was TOP notch and so was the service. I had the lasagna and it was the best I have ever had and for dessert we had an apple tart type treat. OH MY, WAS IT GOOD!!!
I can not wait to go back. We are actually going for mother’s day. I hope my family likes it as much as my husband and I.
The only con, Erba is a little pricey.

Great food. A little expensive, but overall delicious. It’s not a great family place though. I would recommend it for a date.
Parking is an issue. I would take the Brown line if you could.

I was dying to go here, but I’ll never return. The menu sounded great, but the food was merely average. We ate out back this summer, but they kept the lights so low that we couldn’t see each other after the sun went down. Seriously – no light.
The worst part: I took about three bites of my $ 25 pasta dish, and the waitress removed it without asking me if I’d like it wrapped. Assuming that’s what she was doing, I didn’t say anything (we were having a conversation, after all). She threw the pasta away and delivered the bill.
I won’t go back.

So, I ignored the bad reviews and tried Erba myself– thank goodness! It was fantastic. Gulf shrimp, scallops, clams, and calamari in a spicy tomato sauce – delicious. Yeah, the pasta portions are smaller than other restaurants (i.e. it’s not Buca di Beppo) But, they are totally meal-​size portions (just not a meal with three nights worth of leftover size) My boyfriend was in the mood for steak, and even though this isn’t a steak restaurant he said the Herb-​Crusted Ribeye was «fantastic».
We had no wait (they now accept reservations), great service, and the meal was wonderful. What more could you want?

after reading these reviews i was really nervous to eat here. But we were pleasantly surprised. We arrived a little before 7 on a saturday night and the place was empty (which i took as a bad sign)! by 7:30 the place was packed though and the service and food were both terrific. we were even happier when we got the bill as it was not even that expensive and we ate a LOT.

Honestly, I was underwhelmed.
This spot – right up the street from my apartment – looks rustic and high-​class from the outside, and upon walking inside, it’s much of the same.
But besides the high prices, there wasn’t much out of the ordinary about Erba. In our group of four, all the dishes were heavily sauced and a overpowering, and nothing seemed quite as special as it should have been. My boyfriend had the deconstructed lasagna, which was a cute idea but just didn’t deliver the taste it could’ve.
The chocolate dessert we shared was delicious but impossibly tiny.
A few pluses: Our server was incredibly attentive, the menu was cleverly worded and our bottle of wine was great.

I’ve been to Erba three times now, and I’ve had nothing but excellent food and service. The fresh pasta is always amazing although sometimes, I feel, over-​sauced. The wait staff has always been polite and attentive during my visits. The bar has a nice selection of domestic and imported wines, and a few nice bourbons (they’ll even shake your Manhattan and then serve it on ice if you ask).
That being said, it probably it’s not for everyone. IF YOU FALL INTO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING GROUPS, JUST DON’T GO:
The Impatient: It’s a very small room, and until recently they did not take reservations. So if you came on a weekend for dinner, you could expect a wait. They now take reservations, so you can expect a longer wait unless you call ahead. So, call.
The Portly: As mentioned above, it’s a small room. There are many small tables closely spaced, like you would find in a European café. If you need the seatbelt extender on a plane, it’s going to be hard for you to navigate Erba.
The Thrifty: The portions are reasonable at Erba, not 3,000 calorie gorge-​fests you’ll at most chains. So if you’re looking for a ton of low quality food instead of attractive and delicious cuisine, just go to Olive Garden.
The Breeders: Once again, it’s a cozy dining room and the tables are closely spaced. Don’t make the rest of us deal with your screaming baby or your toddler running laps around the tables. In case no one else has told you, not everywhere in the city is kid –friendly.
The Loud: If you want to get drunk and scream about your ex’s sexual inadequacies, please do everyone a favor and head over to Coyote Ugly. If you can’t stop making urgent business calls on your cell, maybe you should be at the office, not in a restaurant. The tables here are close together, and everyone would appreciate it you would keep your voice down.

There was trepidation in my heart when I found out I was going to Erba. Would the portions be too small? Would there be fruit flies? Would the apple tart be dry?
I am happy to report no, no, and NO! I went early Saturday evening with a friend, and our waitress was super friendly. She had strong opinions on the menu, which I always appreciate. I hate it when a server says, «Oh, I don’t know, they’re both good.» Thanks a lot. I had the eggplant, which was fantastic. Full of flavor, piping hot, crisped to perfection. The bread on the table, which I used to soak up the sauce, was awesome. My mate said her pasta was good, too. Portions too small? Who are these people? If you’re expecting the never-​ending pasta bowl at Olive Garden, okay, they might pale in comparison, but these portions are what I cook for myself at home – and I hardly eat like a bird.
On to the best part-​the apple tart. Definitely didn’t need to split that one, but it’s probably wise we did. The apples were nice and tart, cinnamony and just all around good. Get this now, while local apples are still ripe for the pickin. And invite me along, so I can have some!

I suppose I was there on an off night; others who have reviewed this place have definitely had a different experience. My daughter’s carrot soup: way too creamy, but it didn’t matter because that’s all she had, wasn’t hungry and didn’t care. My son’s kid pasta, which I appreciated them making for him: too buttery but he loved it. My fettucine: portion too small but tasty. Overall experience: TOTALLY RUINED BY ALL THE FRUIT FLIES. Gross!

The worst service I can ever remember having in Chicago. Hubby and I sat outside on the lovely patio and watched our server (who appeared to have 3 tables) repeatedly walk past us without a nod, smile, acknowledgement, ANYTHING, for 20 minutes. The busboy had now been to our table 4 times bringing water, bread, olive oil, and refilling water because we haven’t even gotten a drink order placed yet. Finally he came over – without apology or explanation (and all would have been forgiven if he had been cool/​friendly about the delay – but he wasn’t). We ordered the fava bean bruschetta appetizer (YUM! But small… only 2 little pieces of bread). I ordered the seafood spaghetti entrée off the menu and my husband got the gnocchi special – homemade gnocchi with cheese, bacon, basil, and a roasted tomato sauce. All sounds delish, right?
But alas… all was not good. First, the gnocchi entrée was embarrassingly small. For $ 17 one should expect an entrée-​sized portion. If you (the restaurant) are going to go with the classical «primi» sized Italian portion then it should be priced accordingly ($ 10 or under) so that you know to order a «secondi» entrée as well. So after we balked at the size we hoped the taste would make up for it… but there WAS NO TASTE. How is this possible? It was not good – sticky gnocchi, tasteless sauce, bits of basil stem in the sauce. Seriously, how can something with BACON not be good? Mine was not much better. The pluses were a normal sized portion (but not big – no leftovers and a hungry man would probably still be hungry), and the seafood was plentiful. But once again, the tomato sauce HAD NO TASTE!!! It was spicy, and my only impression after swallowing a bite was heat. No flavor. I have opened a can of tomatoes, added olive oil, garlic, and basil to it at home, and made a far superior sauce myself!
The service remained crappy throughout. Our waiter came to the table a total of 4 times. Never asked how the food was. Threw down the dessert menus without a word.
Overall, we were completely disappointed and would NEVER go back. It’s rare that you hit upon the combo of crap-​ass service AND shitty food. Way to go, Erba.

I was really unimpressed with Erba. I thought I was really going to enjoy it and the ambience was really nice. The tables were too close together though, and the people next to me had a seafood dish that was a little to fishy smelling. The wine I had was good, but forgettable. My gnocci was a nice texture, but there was too much basil and pesto. All in all, I was really disappointed. And it was a bit over-​priced.
On a positive note, it seems like a great place is if you like seafood. Which, I don’t…really. Also, the server was great… even though the food took awhile.

GO GO GO GO GO! Erba is really special and fantastic and intimate, which I kind of love.
Our server let us taste a few wines before selecting a bottle — nice. She also gave us great recommendations because the menu is overwhelmingly delicious, and we were feeling pretty indecisive. I can tell you, however, that everything we ate was so tasty and thoughtful. I ordered the beet salad (I’m becoming quite the beet salad connoisseur — perhaps I should make a new list?), and the carrot/​zucchini ravioli with shrimp — my god, it melted in my mouth!
And for dessert, our table shared that apple tart-​thingy (of Chicago magazine fame): the first time I went to Erba, I thought it was fair and kind of dry. Either I was smoking crack then or that dessert has improved vastly, because this time I could have licked the plate clean it was so yummy!

I went here with a friend of mine after we had an unsatisfying dinner somewhere else. This is a small restaurant in Lincoln Square and the only reason we didn’t try this place for dinner was because they didn’t take reservation. We sat at the bar and had a glass of wine and ordered dessert. We had an apple Tart that was absolutely fabulous and we enjoyed every bite of it.
When we were decided what wine the bartender allowed us to try a bunch of wines so we could decide what we wanted to drink. Neither one of us knows much about Italian wines. We discovered in the process she is the manager of the restaurant and she told us all about her and the owner. After our first glass of wine the owner came in and he was a really nice guy and we talked about all the restaurants of the area. He was very complimentary about other restaurants and about the area and how he hoped Lincoln Square would continue growing positively.
He bought us each a glass of wine and overall it was just a really nice time. I can not wait to go back and try dinner here.

Either they are new and still have yet to get their feet on the ground or it’s just plan bad. Last week my special lady friend and I took a chance on this new Lincoln Square spot and were very disappointed. we ordered the brochette, the prosciutto, the goat cheese Gnocchi, and the Pork Loin. Yuck Yuck Yuck Yuck. Everything was covered in like a half a cup of olive oil and extremely salty. The prociutto tasted like feet!
Atmosphere is okay and they have outdoor seating. Wine selection is average in items and price.
I may go back later when they have had a chance to work out the kinks of being a new restaurant but it will be a while.
With all the choices in Lincoln Square this place is a definite pass.