Review: California wines shine at Oakville Grill — but what about the food?

I have been preparing for Oakville Grill & Cellar. Ever since the Lettuce Entertain You restaurant group announced the West Loop project would have the largest California-only wine list in the city, I decided to, shall we say, do some homework.

Namely, I’ve been drinking exclusively California wine at home since February. (It’s a hard job, I know.) Having worked in a Brooklyn wine shop and as a wine distributor, I also busted out my wine guides to study up on West Coast wine regions, especially ones officially recognized as an American Viticultural Area, which the government considers regions with distinct geographic or climatic features that affect the grapes grown there.

Location is everything in the wine world, and as Karen MacNeil writes in “The Wine Bible,” places in California such as Napa Valley experience that “magical combination of days that are hot but not blistering and nights that are cool but not cold.”

Know what place doesn’t experience such a moderate climate? Chicago. Instead, we’re subject to wild temperature swings bringing heat waves in July and polar-like conditions in February. No one has accused us of having a great location for winemaking, at least not for dry European-style wines.

That hasn’t stopped the Lettuce Entertain You restaurant group from latching on to the California theme. It started first with Summer House Santa Monica, which played up Southern California’s casual chic. Now we get Oakville Cellar & Grill, a name that sounds bafflingly generic, until you realize it refers to the prestigious Oakville viticultural area in Napa Valley.

My biggest worry about Oakville was that it would showcase a wine list stuffed with absurdly expensive bottles, and then fill in the gaps with undistinguished slosh. Wine director Richard Hanauer certainly landed some big names: You’ll find multiple vintages of Opus One, with the 2005 vintage going for $1,310. (The 2019 is “only” $850, and you can also get a half-bottle for $425.) If you’re feeling especially flush, why not try the 2019 Harlan Estate ($2,415) or the 2019 Screaming Eagle ($4,600)?

Have I tried any of these wines? Of course not. While fun for the ultrawealthy or those on a generous expense account, they have nothing to do with how I or most Chicagoans drink wine.

Fortunately, Hanauer made sure to showcase the state’s incredible diversity. “That’s the coolest part about California wine that no one discusses,” Hanauer said. “We have Napa wines. It’s one of the great wine regions on the planet. But my mind is really blown by the quality in places like Santa Barbara County.”

He’s right. I was thrilled to see Beckmen Vineyards, a great producer from the Santa Ynez Valley AVA. The winery’s syrah, currently available by the glass, is deeply rich, with nearly chocolate levels of complexity. I was also glad to see producers like Field Recordings, Cline and Andrew Murray on the bottle list. The white wines available by the glass are equally as good, especially the 2022 Tatomer riesling, from the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, which is bracing and dry, yet full-bodied.

The restaurant does a great job of handling the particulars. Instead of an imposing and weighty tome, the wine menu is clear and helpful, with plenty of maps and information about each region. The glasses are thin and elegant. Wine-by-the-glass options come in 6- or 9-ounce pours, allowing you to sample multiple options, or simply hunker down with a favorite.

To further your California wine education, you can also book a paid reservation at The Cellar Door, a tiny wine counter where you can try wines from a rotating selection of acclaimed California wineries. (Currently, you can sample wines from Paul Hobbs Winery.)

If you’re infatuated with California wine, or would simply like to learn more, it’s hard to think of a better place to do it in Chicago than Oakville.

So where does the food come into the equation? The menu is enormous, with multiple kinds of steak and seafood cooked over a wood-fired grill, along with pasta, pizza and salads galore. At first, the menu felt too nebulous, making it hard to know where to even begin. But according to chef Max Robbins, that is sort of the point. “We are trying not to take ourselves too seriously,” Robbins said. “We really want the guests to feel comfortable. It’s a little fun and a little playful.”

With a menu this sprawling, it’s understandable some dishes don’t quite connect. The Faroe Island salmon is impeccably cooked but arrives glazed with a too-sweet barbecue sauce. Sometimes the prices just feel needlessly high. The prime steak frites doesn’t quite justify its $46 price tag, and I can’t be the only one who wishes the kitchen served actual fries and not wispy fried potatoes.

But the majority of the dishes offer up unfussy charms. Oddly, one of the most expensive burgers in Chicago might be worth it. Titled “experience our dry-aged steak burger,” the thick grilled patty features waves of funky, mineral flavor, which is accentuated by a layer of salty Maytag blue cheese. (Slightly off-topic, but it does feel like we’re seeing the return of the thick, imposing burger after years of smashed patty dominance.)

Oakville offers two kinds of pizza each day, a Margherita plus a rotating selection that highlights local produce. I particularly like the spinach and kale pizza, which would make an excellent entree or even a satisfying starter for a group.

Some of the simplest dishes are the best. A highlight is the wood-grilled artichoke, which picks up loads of smoke from the fire. The earthy, almost nutty flavor of the vegetable is paired with a punchy, garlic-packed aioli. Recognizing that not everyone knows the best way to deconstruct the spiky-leaved vegetable, each order comes with printed directions. (Don’t be afraid to get your hands messy.) The farmhouse potato salad features delicately soft spuds enveloped in legitimately spicy mayonnaise. Make sure to add them to your order.

As with every Lettuce Entertain You restaurant, there’s a level of fine-tuning and rigorous workshopping that can also make projects feel a bit scrubbed of personality. (For its exact opposite, see the rough-and-tumble Warlord.)

But there are plus sides to such an approach. Service is effortless and generous. The chairs are comfortable, while the tables are spread decently apart. Substitutions are granted. Plates are cleared quickly. Kids get divided trays so none of the components touch, plus crayons and activity sheets.

[ Review: A restaurant rebellion ignites in Avondale at Warlord ]

The approach seems to be working, as Oakville has been packed each time I’ve been by, as crowds congregate by the bar up front or lounge in the dining room in the back. Upstairs, you’ll find a gorgeous patio.

While pleasant in the summer, I did ask Hanauer how the restaurant would adapt to Chicago in February. He didn’t miss a beat. “In the winter, the restaurant should be a bastion of warmth,” Hanauer said. “When the winter food starts coming out, California wines add freshness back into the dishes. Showing their most warmth and approachability. That’s when the hospitality and warmth of the space is going to glow the brightest.”

Chicago may never be Napa, but with Oakville, we can at least pretend in comfort.

nkindelsperger@chicagotribune.com

Oakville Grill & Cellar

163 N. Green St.

773-309-2300

Eat. Watch. Do.

Weekly

---

What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now.

By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

>

theoakville.com

Tribune rating: Excellent for the wine, three stars; Very good for the food, two stars

Open: Monday to Thursday, 3-10 p.m.; Friday, 3-11 p.m.; Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.

Prices: Starters, $9-$28; mains, $27-$68

Noise: Mostly conversation friendly, though louder around the bar

Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible, elevator to the second floor

Ratings key: Four stars, outstanding; three stars, excellent; two stars, very good; one star, good; no stars, unsatisfactory. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.