CheekyChicago

They say that behind every successful man is a _______ woman (fill in the blank: smart, intelligent, feisty, motivated, saucy, cheeky…).  This statement falls true at Merlo la Trattoria on Halsted Street (they have two other locations: one on Maple and one on North Lincoln).  Luisa Silvia Marani, Executive Chef and wife of front of house master Gianpaolo Marani, decided she wanted to give Merlo’s menu a little makeover.  That she did.  And the result is delicioso.

The menu is slightly confusing due to the fact that there are ten different categories…but lucky for diners at this very cozy, very well-lit, neighborhood trattoria, the service staff is beyond knowledgeable, willing to walk you through the menu complexities (which are even more complex after one of the best vodka negronis in town).

Very Eat Pray Love, let’s take a culinary tour of the menu.  To the left we have ‘Small Plates,’ which are further broken down into ‘Fried,’ ‘Carpaccios,’ ‘Terrines,’ ‘Salads,’ ‘Homemade Spreads with Crostini’ and ‘Salmumi e Formaggi.’  One by one we tasted our way through the first page of the menu (and had to go buy bigger pants a la Julia Roberts).

The Pizza Fritta (cherry tomatoes, capers, olives and Mozzarella di Bufala Campana on fried pizza crust) was one of my favorite bites of the night.  It’s basically a mini pizza on steroids.  Simple and delicious.  The Calamari e Broccoli fell a little flat in the sense that there was no sauce to accompany the big bowl of fried squid and veggies – we ordered extra lemon, mollifying the situation.  The Filetto di Manzo con Salsina Verde (beef fillet with salsa verde) was a lovely and simple carpaccio, which was washed down beautifully by the lightly dressed Carciofi, Finnochi e Pesto salad (artichoke, fennel, arugula and olive pesto).  Out of the three ‘Homemade Spreads with Crostini’ that we tried, the Conigilio in Confettura (rabbit confit served in a covered pot) was a standout.  The Red Tuna Tartar with raspberry vinaigrette and pistachio was a close second and the Baccala (cured cod) with E.V.O.O. and capers was a very salty third.

We did not try any of the Terrines, Salumi or Formaggi because – ciao! – we still had to try the entire second page of the menu (now bigger belts, and maybe shoes, have been purchased).

Page due: ‘Small Plates and Pasta’ (wasn’t page one titled ‘Small Plates’ as well?) broken down into ‘Zuppe,’ ‘Le Paste,’ ‘Stufati’ (stewed) and ‘Dal Forno’ (from the oven).  Of the pastas, we tried the Gnochetti di Ricotta con Ragu di Carciofi (Ricotta and Parmigiano Reggiano gnocchi in an artichoke ragout), the Ravioli Gamberi (tiger shrimp and basil ravioli with zucchini and asparagus) and the Sagne Chine (lasagna pasta, peas, Champignon mushroom, Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, boiled eggs and Parmigiano Reggiano in a white ragout).  Our fabulous server brought us one sampling of each of these triumvirate of carbs.  As a pasta-loving, pasta-making, continually pasta-eating half Italian, I was a little underwhelmed with the options.

Next time, I would focus my energies on the last two sections of the menu.  Although not having tasted any of the ‘Stufati,’ I would absolutely return to try the Guancine Stufate con Pure (veal cheeks with red wine and potato puree, stewed for six hours).  We did, however, taste two of the ‘Dal Forno’ options: the Brodetto nel Vetro (tiger shrimp, heart of celery, red onion, green tomatoes, basil and red wine vinegar) and the Salamelle Casalinghe e Salsa Verde (roasted homemade sausage with salsa verde).  The tender shrimp dish was served in a glass mason jar and I had almost as much fun with the preparation of it as a child does with a big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs.  The sausage was a little eh for me, but then again, I am no sausage lover (???).

Skip dessert (gasp!) and sip on the very well-paired wines that the server will be happy to assist you with throughout your meal.

Executive Chef Luisa should be applauded for her well-executed, very authentic Italian cooking, but – more importantly – she should maybe treat herself to a little Eating, Praying and Loving around the world because it was her mastermind that put together Merlo’s new tasteful, tour-of-Italy inspired menu.  We won’t judge you, Luisa, if you come back with bigger pants…