<a target="_blank" href="http://www.formentos.com/">Formento’s</a>

925 W. Randolph
Street

Chicago, IL 60607

Tel. + 1&nbsp;312 690-7295&nbsp;

Food:

Caesar Salad; soft herbs, parmesan, anchovy croutons

Fritto Misto; fried zucchini, fried calamari, arrabiata,
lemon

Canestri with Sunday Gravy; pork neck, meatballs, fennel
sausage

Grilled Branzino; salmoriglio &amp; seasonal salad

Steak de Burgo; beef filet, beef jus, crispy shallots

Formento’s Chocolate Cake; chocolate pudding, hazelnut
praline

Wine:

<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 2009 Stony Hill
 Chardonnay
 </td>
 <td>
 </td></tr><tr><td>1978 Sterling
 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
 </td>
 <td>
 </td></tr><tr><td>1984 Groth Cabernet
 Sauvignon 
 </td>
 <td>
 </td></tr><tr><td>1986 Pahlmeyer
 Caldwell Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon &nbsp;
 </td>
 <td>
 </td></tr><tr><td>1996 Heitz Cabernet
 Sauvignon
 </td>
 <td>
 </td></tr><tr><td>1999 Fisher Coach
 Insignia Cabernet Sauvignon
 </td>
 <td>
 </td></tr><tr><td>2000 Turley Moore
 Zinfandel
 </td>
 <td>
 </td></tr></tbody></table>

On a recent trip to Chicago to promote my book I hosted old Napa
wine dinner at Formento’s in the Fulton Market District. Sommelier Steve Morgan
and I selected a handful of beautiful wines that represented several decades of
Napa Valley winemaking.
As they arrived, guests were greeted with a glass of the 2009 Chardonnay from Stony
Hill, one of Napa’s most historic white wine producers. Founded in the 1940s at
a time when there was hardly any Chardonnay in the state, Stony Hill has
distinguished itself not only by being an outpost of white grapes in Cabernet
country, but also through the unchanging style of their wine. Picked at
moderate ripeness, fermented in rather old barrels, and bottled with blocked
malolactic fermentation, these wines tend towards an understated grace in their
youth, and often blossom with age. This particular vintage was at a lovely
place in its development-- mineral-driven and fresh, with a subtly creamy
texture and notes of Meyer lemon and brine. It was a terrific portend of the
meal to come.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1455907820334-ceasar.JPG"> Formento’s Caesar salad is an&nbsp;old school hit 

To accompany this wine, Formento’s served two old school
hits—Caesar salad and fritto misto. Both were on point and immensely
satisfying; indeed, the whole meal was extremely hearty, easy-going, and loaded
with nostalgic touches. Morgan smiled when introducing the dishes, describing
the house cuisine as an updated version of “your classic fat kid
Italian-American comfort food.” The décor was also composed of equal parts
comfort and nostalgia. Large leather banquets spread the length of long brick
walls, and the old fashioned wood bar was straight out of an old mafia movie—all
that was missing was a curtain of cigarette haze and the occasional crack of
gunfire.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1455907827860-fritto+misto.JPG"> Fritto Misto; fried zucchini, fried calamari, arrabiata, lemonThe following six reds were divided into two flights. I
elected to serve the older vintages first, in order to end with the Zinfandel.
The 1978 Sterling Reserve, which was one of the last vintages crafted by Ric
Forman, was superb. Though fully mature, the wine offered plenty of soft, sweet
fruit and haunting aromas of sandalwood, seaweed, and crushed flowers. The
Groth was as broad and generous as ever, with dark, dense fruit and only a
touch of oxidation creeping around the corners. This particular Pahlmeyer is a
personal favorite, and is simply stunning in its integrity. Sourced from John
Caldwell’s famed Coombsville property and crafted by Randy Dunn, the wine is
still quite firm in structure, with a strong vein of pencil lead cutting
through the black currant and dried mint tones. Pasta with sausage and
Formento’s famous meatballs were served family-style, as the guests traded
thoughts on their favorite wines. <img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1455908040184-pasta+with+wine.JPG"> Formento’s famous meatballs served family-style&nbsp; 

Next came a rather distinctive trio, which was composed of such
starkly contrasting wines that the room was divided into camps. Many admired
the Fisher for its dark, brooding nature and the savory, industrial tinge to
its otherwise sweet fruit. The Europhiles in the room lauded the Heitz, which
still had a subtle green quality to its aromatics and a lean, focused texture
in the mouth. The Turley had its charms, but its massive alcohol (over 16%!)
was overwhelming, and the fruit aromatics tended toward the cooked and dried.
Far too luscious for the Branzino and steak, many saved it for the chocolate
cake, though I am personally not a fan of red wine with chocolate.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1455907866015-heitz.PNG"> 

In sum, the meal was a terrific success. The&nbsp;team at
Formento’s prepared&nbsp;a delicious dinner&nbsp;served in
a relaxed and homey atmosphere. My only regret was not going back a second time
to more thoroughly explore Morgan’s remarkable wine list. Though modest in
size, around 500 – 600 selections, the list is extremely well-chosen, balancing
the familiar and the classic with a touch of the esoteric. Highlights include an
intriguing collection of international sparkling wines and a seriously
thoughtful ’50 under $50’ section, in which Morgan applies the fine
wine chops and an eye for value he&nbsp;has acquired in a career that includes stints at Del Posto, Tribeca
Grill and Alinea. This section alone would be enough to keep me coming back to
Formento’s if I lived any closer to Chicago. Well, that and the meatballs. &nbsp;

--Kelli White

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