10 replies to this topic

[1000yregg]

I finally got around to try Cinghiale near the harbor. It's an Italian restaurant that is part of Cindy Wolf's Charleston group in Baltimore.
The place divided into 2 sections, the more casual bistro-like Osteria, and the fancy Enoteca. However, you can order off both menus no matter where you sit. Since we were more slobbed out, we ate in the Osteria, but I ended up ordering off the Enoteca menu, which is like a prix fixe that you can also add wine pairings with each course.
The food was really delicious- I started with La Carne Cruda- a raw veal tenderloin topped with poached quail egg.
My next course was some boar ravioli with a brown butter sauce. The main dish was amazing - Il Maiale- a roasted Berkshire pork rack with red wine sauce, grilled peaches and an arugula salad.
My dining companions had a pretty amazing heirloom tomato salad with gorgonzola.
All in all, it's definitely got the impressive food the Charleston group is know for.
Pics

[DonRocks]

I just went to their website, and someone sitting across from me said, "Are you watching porn?"

[Dmnkly]

I just went to their website, and someone sitting across from me said, "Are you watching porn?"

I've seen that site. I don't ever want to be that hip.

(I also had a great dinner there, though)

[hmmboy]

I've seen that site. I don't ever want to be that hip.

(I also had a great dinner there, though)

Went last night before the David Byrne concert (which, btw, was off the charts amazing). Dinner was good, though I found out midway through the meal that the chef was in Italy on his honeymoon. Perfect heirloom tomatoes with a touch of gorgonzola and a light basil dressing that allowed the showstopping flavor of the tomatoes to dominate. Grilled calamari - just rings and charless - but flavorful sitting in a pool of herbed olive oil with crispy carrot slivers on top. Antipasto plate consisting of excellent Parma prosciutto, cerignola olives, which I adore, and thinly sliced grilled zuchini - would have liked to have seen a couple of other housemade items there. We then shared 2 plates of housemade pasta - a somewhat flavorless linguini and clams (white) and a delicious (albeit slightly overcooked) tagliatelle with chicken "friccasea," beet greens and walnuts. We had the Roman fried chicken (with fried zuchini and peppers) as a finale - not bad but I don't think I would order it again.

The place is huge and lovely. The Enoteca section is casual and the table-clothed Osteria section a bit more formal. We ate in the Enoteca section and were given the option of ordering off either menu. Impressive Italian wine list - I'd guess at least 500 offerings - and fairly priced. Over 40 wines by the glass - we tried 4 and one was slightly oxidized (they use a verre du vin preservation system). Not particularly busy - I'd say maybe 1/3 full, but my guess is it gets busy on weekends. Right across from Charleston and a good option if you are dining in the Harbor area. I would definitely go back if I found myself in that hood. The tagliatelle alone - al dente next time - is worth the visit. But I will probably experiment more with the Osteria menu on my next go round.

[1000yregg]

Went last night before the David Byrne concert (which, btw, was off the charts amazing).

I was at that show, too, and yes, it was memorable.

[Soup]

Went this weekend. I like the resturant set up a lot. It is a great looking space.

As for the food, the starters were great. The white beans, ricotta cheese (which was the best item I had the whole night and may have ruined me for any other ricotta) and olives were fantastic. The wife had squid. It was soft and velvetty. It rocked.

main course, we both got pasta with pork ragu. It was ok at best. The pasta had a weird texture and the ragu smelled and tasted a bit off (kind of gamey). didn't like it and I couldn't finish it. Same review from the wife.

The dessert was corn cake with peach and apple crisp. They were both sublime. Just great. Overall give the place a thumbs up and would recommend.

The service was very good if not too attentive. I just don't like someone asking me how things are every 15 minutes.

Soup

[Choirgirl21]

Cinghiale has become one of my favorite places to eat in Baltimore. We went initially because we're huge fans of Cindy Wolfe, and because it's such a short walk from BF's place, but we've been back repeatedly. The food isn't always 100% consistent, and they use a LOT of fat in their cooking, but it's inexpensive and there's always something tasty available (try the squid app, or any of their salumi plates). In addition, they change menu items relatively frequently and incorporate local/in season foods into the dishes. But the real draw for us is the wine. A huge list of wines offered by the full and half glass and the servers are more than willing to pour you a taste of something or offer their insight into what will pair well. We've gotten to know the sommelier a bit through our visits and she is always incredibly friendly and helpful (and always remembers us!).

We have yet to have the pleasure of eating in the dining room, but based on the Enoteca alone, I would highly recommend it for a casual meal and a few tastes of really pleasing Italian wine. Plus the outdoor dining can't be beat in the nicer weather.

Oh, I'm not sure that anyone else has mentioned it here, but they offer a $25 price fixe menu - one app, one entree and a dessert. At least it used to be $25, I can't find it on their site.

[pkoons]

I wouldn't call this place inexpensive, but I would call it fairly priced - plus the menu is set up so you can put together a more reasonably priced meal with items from the Osteria bar menu, some salumi, and half portions of pasta. I went for the first time last week and really enjoyed it - had the squid app, 1/2 portion of the prosciutto/mortadella tortellini (amazing sauce, overall the dish was a little salty but I should have expected that given the ingredients), magret of duck breast with roasted pear and honey sauce (cooked to a perfect med rare), and an amazing panna cotta with salted caramel topping. Wine service was thoughtful and they had an amazing by the glass selection - full glasses ranged anywhere from 5-25 with half pours available. Beautiful space, great service, thoughtful pacing - I really enjoyed it. Can't wait to go back!

[Pool Boy]

A nice space with good food. Went late last winter and enjoyed it. I think it was a Sunday where they do a set menu (or used to) and you got to pick from a few choices for each of three courses, sort of in the 'restaurant week' style. Good stuff, but not amazing. Worth a look and a fresh take since I have last been there.

[wrash]

My wife and I went to Cinghiale for dinner. The last time I'd been overnight at the Inner Harbor we went to the Oceanaire Seafood Room and were disappointed, so we didn't want that to happen again. It didn't.

In a kind of strange dichotomy the food at Cinghiale was some of the best I've had outside of Italy. I had a pasta course that reminded me a lot of a plate of spaghetti de la frutta de la mare in La Spetzia. The pasta was hand made. the seafood was perfectly cooked, but didn't have the tiny octopus that usually graces this dish in Italy. But that's kind of beside the point. But the feeling was more of eating by the sea in France. Interesting.

We actually started out with an antipasti sampler that included a fresh tuna salad, tomatoes fresh from the field, grilled eggplant from the farmer's market and preserved olives and marinated mushrooms centered around a slice of porchetta.

The spaghetti I had was served with perfectly cooked shrimp, and was dressed in olive oil, garlic and basil. we had a bottle of MaJus from Sicily along with homemade bread. The pasta itself was handmade and hand cut. The taste brought me back to the Italy if 30 years ago when I spent months there sampling the food.

Interestingly, however, the ambiance took me back to Cannes, when we used to dine at a little place along the Croissette with the sea across the street, and the tables shared between just the two of us. This time it was the Inner Harbor across the street, and the traffic was calmer, and the Paparazzi nowhere to be seen. That made it even better. It was more than a memorable evening. We're coming back again, maybe for Restaurant Week in a few days.

But I can't get this place out of my mind. It was everything you could want in Northern Italian cuisine, and then some. It reminds me of the feeling of a place in Genoa where I meant to eat once, but where events conspired against me.

So go here, and imagine you're in Cannes, or Genoa or La Spetzia. You'll be in love, but with Baltimore.

I'm amazed.

Wayne Rash

[Marks]

We were here yesterday for my wife's birthday along with my son who goes to school in Towson. Our overall impression was great and that folks on this board should break out of DC every now and again to hit up stellar places like this that are an hour away. I would have to say that Cinghiale, though at a high price point, performed well above anything like it in Washington DC.

We started woth a mixed plate of Salumi and a plate of cheese both were great and well enjoyed. They have a chef whose sole job is to prepare these appitizers and it shows.

Wine list was expansive, we had a great Rosso di Montiplucino .

The three of us shared a truffle risotto , I had a veal chop, wife has Halibut and son had skirt steak.. All clean plates.

Service was exceptiional, desserts were amazing and sublime.

This restaurant group is firing on all cylinders....