Cinghiale – Osteria

I went to check this place out during restaurant week because I like to try new places when they have the restaurant week specials to see if they live up to the hype and their normal prices. We arrived a little before our reservation and the staff were completely accommodating and sat us within a few moments of us getting there. Once seated we got the red carpet treatment, our host introduced the menu while gently placing the napkins on our laps and making sure we all understood the menu. Then came over the waitress who was super knowledgeable about the menu and all the drink pairing. Since there were three of us and three entrees on the restaurant week menu we all tried something different and each of us were pleased! Overall this place gets five stars for taste and service. I wish I could give it an over all 4.5 because it was great, the only reason I deduct anything is because the dessert course was fit for a two year old. It was seriously cake crumbs instead of an actual piece of cake. And for the sweet tooth I have I need an actual dessert!

Being that it was restaurant week in the city and that it was nicely extended due to the snow, we decided to try out Cinghiale. Upon entering the establishment, we were greeted by the vallet guy holding the door open for us, a very nice touch I must say. After chatting with the hostess for a second, we were seated in roughly 10 minutes. We had made a reservation, however we were early and they were very accommodating seating us even earlier. As soon as we were seated we were greeted by what was thought to be our waiter, asking us what kind of water we would like, bottle or tap as well as opening our napkins for us. So far, they had me feeling like the inner queen I know I am!
After looking over the menu, we decided to do the wine pairing with dinner. Each item had a wine that would be paired with it for restaurant week. When each wine was brought to the table, the server explained a little bit of information about each choice. Now you ask, if I am saying all these wonderful things about the restaurant why only 4 stars. Well, the service was great the food was ok. I wasn’t whoa, to the point that I have to come back to get more.
This is a perfect place to take a special someone for date night, the service was amazing and the nice little touches that are added to the meal make you feeling like royalty.

This place has three things going for it: 1) wine selection, 2) deserts, 3) ambiance/​location. Everything else will let you down. The food was very plain and the service was horrible up until halfway through the meal.

My boyfriend took me here for a nice dinner date. I had high hopes, but was greatly disappointed. When we first arrived, no one greeted us for several minutes. My boyfriend had to get the attention of someone working there, and even after that the hostess staff didn’t seem to care that we had been kept waiting. After sitting down and being greeted by our waiter, we asked for a few minutes to look over the wine menu… he never returned to check on us. Eventually after staring at enough servers, one came over to ask if we had any questions about the menu. So things were fine, we placed our orders and hoped that the food would be better than the service. Surprise, it was not.
My boyfriend ordered off the RW menu, and I ordered the three course dinner from the standard menu. To say bland and dull would be an understatement. The arugula «salad» hardly qualified as a salad, and the pasta in my main course wasn’t quite al dente. On top of that, the bolognese sauce was basically just a spoonful of unseasoned meat plopped on top of a pile of pasta, with hardly any tomato sauce holding the meat together. I didn’t try my boyfriends food so I can’t comment directly, but he was very unexcited by his meal as well. And now maybe we were just unlucky and happened to make poor choices on the menu, but seeing as though we both ordered completely different things, I don’t really think so.
The one redeeming quality, however, was the dessert. If you’re looking for a good dessert place, I highly recommend the chocolate cake, it was delicious. The ambiance and décor of the restaurant were nice as well, but overall the cons strongly outweighed the pros at this place. I can’t see myself ever going back, there are plenty of Italian restaurants in Baltimore with significantly better food and much better service.

We came in for Restaurant Week and ended up ordering one 3 course meal from the R.W. menu and one 4 course meal from their regular Presso Fizzo menu along with a bottle of wine (½ price on Tuesdays). Every course was fantastic and well timed by the staff. Still recovering from the blizzard, there was still a full staff and no detail went unnoticed; attentive, but not overbearing.
The food was fantastic and we were very full and happy by the end our meal. We also appreciated the complimentary valet since the streets were especially slushy and snow covered from the storm.

This place is a favorite! I went yesterday because I thought it was restaurant week and I was early (whoops). Had a great meal, with a gorgeous and delicious cheese and meat plate and the duck magnet served just right. Then, perhaps because we thought it was restaurant week and it wasn’t, they brought out a delicious bowl of three flavors of sorbet, gratis. Yum!

Always delicious. Always feel special. Always taken good care of by all the staff. Love it!

(12/​31/​2015) I had been to Cinghiale many years ago for Restaurant Week just after they’d opened. The feel was stone cold (like the plentiful white marble within) and tomb-​like, food was all right from what I remember but not memorable. Had the Roman Fried Chicken, I remember our comment on the crust was that was rather oily and puffy (I believe the Roman-​style batter has eggs in it) and the meat was not juicy. Honestly, had not been back since (had many other places to try).
Fast forward to 2015, just did NYE there last night and had a great time, the vibe was totally different. Place was packed when we got there and abuzz with energy, very fast-​moving staff (try not to get mowed down going to the restroom). We were seated over a ½ hour late, but waited at the bar (chatty bartender, possibly artificially amped), had a 10 pm reservation and was banking on getting out in time for fireworks over the Inner Harbor at 12 am. The pacing of the meal was rather drawn out, and the delay in seating didn’t help. Made it 2 courses of 4 by the time midnight came around. Most of us had the wine pairings and all were deemed excellent (both the quality of the wines and the matching of palates with the chosen dish). I can’t remember any of them except that someone had a Vin Santo from Tuscany region with dessert (wasn’t me, I was jealous, had the Moscato with my Baba au Rhum with Caramel Corn, fun!). I started with the Bluefin Tuna Crudo, beautiful ruby red slices of mild, fresh, clean tasting tuna subtly garnished with preserved lemon, pickled red onion, possibly caper berries. Lobster Fagottini was squid ink striped pasta pouches (touch to al dente for me) chock full of chopped lobster, mostly claw meat in a savory lobster and tomato cream. I’m not a fan of undercooked duck, asked for the Magret of Duck to be medium-​well. It came closer to medium but was nicely seared, substantially fatty (as expected), and seasoned with an exotic spice mix, possibly based on ground coriander and/​or fennel seed. Was accented well by sweet-​tart pomegranate syrup, pine nuts, and pureed golden raisin. I tried a few other bites from plates on the table, Beef Tenderloin with Bone Marrow Sauce was beautifully executed, substantially-​sized medallions, sauce rather salty, Salsify Flan rather bland (not texturally interesting). It’s the dish for people who don’t really like to experiment with food (a meat-​and-​potato kind person). Roasted Acorn Squash with Ham and Fresh Mozzarella, also, not so much contrast with the mouthfeel, but delicious and inoffensive to the palate, if rather safe.
The prix fixe menu was varied, well-​executed and delicious. Each and every one of us virtually licked the plates clean. It’s a great special occasion place, generally can’t go wrong with Wolf/​Foreman offerings.

Brought a client for an impromptu dinner.
Beautiful décor. Low lit dining room.
No one greeted me for the first 5 minutes I was in there. I came in around 9:00pm on a Thursday.
We opted for the wine pairing with the meal which turned out to be wonderful! The atmosphere is romantic, slightly noisy, but could also be good for events (they have two private dining rooms).
Some of the food highlights for me:
Pumpkin soup, assorted meats app, and raviolo, the chocolate cake. I enjoyed the dried wild boar app, but the entrée was a bit too gamey to be enjoyable.
Why I didn’t give it 5 stars — water glasses went empty, bread wasn’t replenished, olive oil wasn’t replenished, settings weren’t reset, inconsistent timing between courses, waiter went missing…
All around it was a great place and overall the food was delicious but they had several service mishaps that made for an imperfect experience.

Located in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, sometimes known as «Vegas by the Bay,» Cinghiale (How many times is that name mispronounced?) has the Italian restaurant business model down pat. Don’t get me wrong. The food is very good and the room designed appropriately, with just the right touch of Italia. However, I’ve eaten here before– in Chicago, in Boston, in Atlanta, in Phoenix…
There is nothing new, unique, or special about Cinghiale, except it’s name and prices.
The large room is divided into three spaces separating casual, formal and private dining. A large, comfortable bar extends along the back wall. The menu is prolific, both for food and wine. A great deal of investment went into this place. If you have the cash, you can find something you like at Cinghiale.
My tuna crudo was good, not memorable, just good. My black ink squid spaghetti was good, but missing a healthy dose of squid. Everything at Cinghiale was good, but nothing was memorable. Desserts were better, but again not memorable. Service at Cinghiale was well meaning, but rather unprofessional. The staff portray expertise without the requisite curiosity or engagement. Our order was forgotten twice, and while servers ran around looking busy, actually cursing out loud, they don’t get the job done. Management appear aloof, letting service fumble about.
Cinghiale has been seen before, in cities throughout the U.S. Every city should have one, but not at these prices. Our bill for two was well over $ 300, including an averaged priced bottle of wine. This is corporate dining at Michelin starred prices and not worth the price of admission.

This place was a disaster. The food was just really bad. The service was very slow and we could not really understand what the heck they were telling us we ordered. wE had three people and all three hated our meals. Even the desert was bad. I would never come here again.

The food was good. Not worth it. We came as a large group and ordered practically everything on the menu. The tuna speatzle was weird, I prefer it without the tuna (tasted like canned tuna really). What was really good were the grilled scallops and the grilled octopus. I would recommend this place as a «Lets try it out on our date» kind of place. Ambiance was nice. I wouldn’t go back.

Compared to the Charleston, this place blows it out of the water. The pricing is reasonable for the quality of the food that you get. We came for the four course menu, the foie gras to start was delicious, perfectly seared. The next pasta dish was also heavenly, I got squid ink risotto. Surprisingly, the main course was delicious as well. The rabbit leg was perfectly cooked and not over-​seasoned. I would have to say that the dessert was definitely one of my favorite parts. I had the deconstructed cannoli.
Overall an amazing experience. Will definitely come back for the service and food. One thing is that it was a little bit loud in the restaurant.

Located across the street from Charleston, this location was great with complimentary valet parking. We chose to dine in the osteria side, which is a bit more formal with table cloths instead of plain wooden tables on the enoteca side, though there is no huge divide in the two sides besides a step. We were seated in a corner, which was cozy. Not to be nitpicky, but the seats were a bit worn and the cloth napkins were not the nicest, however, the rest of my SO’s and my experiences made up for these two very minor criticisms. We were immediately served a warm bread basket with olive oil, which was a delicious start.
We decided to do the $ 62 menu with cocktails on the side. We enjoyed the cocktails we had on the side: the cinghiale (a beautiful orange cocktail) was absolutely delicious while the bellisima was not as impressive though (just peach flavorings and alcohol). Our first course, we chose a veal tartare as well as the foie grois ($ 6 supplement). The tartare was very plain and we were both a bit disappointed. The foie grois, however, was excellent. The sear and flavor were great and the sauce served with the beans underneath was fantastic. Well worth the supplement price. For our next course, we chose the squid ink risotto as well as a seafood farfalle. Both were delicious. The squid ink risotto was creamy and buttery and a perfect portion size. I personally thought the centers of the farfalle were a little to al dente for my liking, and the texture was not as chewy as I would like, but my SO loved it. The seafood and the sauces were excellent and I greatly enjoyed the small chunks of lobster, which made the dish seem very decadent. Our main entrees were the veal and rabbit leg. The veal was tender, served medium rare and accompanied by a delicious (albeit small) portion of mushrooms and a dab of potato mash. There was a unique crunchiness accompanied by the sear on the veal, but I wished for a bit more flavor to have infused into the meat. The dish overall was lovely though. The rabbit leg was a well-​executed dish with an excellent sauce, again, however the bed of sides it was on was a bit flavorless without the leg to accompany it. For dessert, we had the gelato-​cannoli as well as the expresso gelato. They were both excellent desserts and the best ones we have had at a nice restaurant. I am usually overwhelmed by sweetness in desserts but the flavors were great. The gelato-​cannoli was great: the ice cream was sweet with delicious toppings and sour preserved cherries that balanced out the sweetness (though I was not a fan of the twisted piece of fried dough on top). The expresso gelato was delicious and a perfect ending to our meal. Overall I had a nice time and a great experience. Bill came out to be over $ 200 for two people. Definitely go if you want to splurge around Baltimore.

The Little Italy section of Baltimore near the Inner Harbor has quite a few Italian restaurants, and I cannot say that I have tried them all — actually this is the only one I have been to. I think I started at the top, or Cinghiale sets a good example or sets the bar high. Whatever the case, this is a good place to eat.
Cinghiale is what I believe is called a new Italian style restaurant, which means that the portions are not as overflowingly large as you find in typical Italian restaurants. This does not mean that you are cheated and leave hungry as happens at some trendy places. It is just that you are able to finish your meal without being unable to move and that you do not have to leave a pound of pasta on your plate.
You have choices of meals: a $ 62 fixed price meal with four courses, a $ 29 fixed price meal with three courses, or anything a la carte. I went with the $ 29 meal. The baby arugala salad with lemon and parmiagian cheese was a good start. The plain spaghetti with tomato and basil sauce was surprisingly good for being so simple. Not an overwhelming flavor but very good. The la torta chocolate cake with caramel and sweet cream gelato was a nice finishing touch.
The service is a nice touch with the staff in their suits. You do not have to dress up here, but I would lean more toward business casual as opposed to shorts and flip flops.

I like that they offer the 50% bottles of wine in Tuesdays. Make sure to examine the check. They may not apply the discount unless you remind them. We enjoyed the Risotto and Gnocchi were good but ordinary so nothing to write home about them. The calamari appetizer and rabbit spaetzle were both fantastic.
The bread is great and served warm, but you may need to ask for it. Please note this review is for the bar not the dining room. I’m also sensitive that the bartenders do more than most bartenders. Fixing capuccinos and cocktails for the entire restaurant.
The restrooms are deluxe, offering cloth hand towels and stalls with floor-​to-​ceiling doors and Italianate artwork.

Came here with my family for restaurant week. Parents were not over-​the-​top amazed but they said it was an interesting and good experience. Complimentary valet parking was convenient and service in the restaurant was wonderful. Now for the moment we’ve all been waiting for-​a review on the food. The restaurant week menu is limited but that’s expected for 3 courses at $ 30 per person.
Primi: I ordered the la carne crude which was raw wagyu beef topped with mushrooms and crisp parmigiano. It was phenomenal and I’ve always wanted to try wagyu beef. It was high in fat though and the dish made my stomach feel funny after I ate the whole thing.
Secondi: Il Pettini. Scallops cooked medium-​rare. Scallops were a great texture but some were too raw and at the end of this dish I had wished that I didn’t eat so many raw things.
Dolce: could not remember the name but it is pictured below. It was like a fruit tart and it came with gelato. Was a little too sour for my liking and would have preferred ice cream instead of gelato.
Overall, good experience but nothing mind blowing except for the la carne Cruda

Maybe it was the absurdly good wine or the authentic hand-​made pasta with perfect consistency and texture, but this is my favorite restaurant in Baltimore. This is as close to italian food as you will get in Baltimore, if not better. Incredibly creative chef with room to brag about it. Trust the chef, and be amazed.
I was completely impressed with the depth and range of flavors in their charcuterie, the ink pasta was out of this world and the hand-​made bow tie pasta left me speechless. Wowowow is all I can honestly say. Everyone in my party was blown away. Must do over ASAP.

I love it here. I’ve been a few times over the course of 5 years, and every time I have had a great experience. This is authentic Italian food, so don’t be confused by its close proximity to little Italy, you won’t find ‘americanized’ favorites here, but you will find really amazing, creative but still simply good food.
The menu has different options, whether you’re looking for a simple quick bite, or a full on fine dining 4+ course experience, you can get it all here. The salumeria is located in the center of the restaurant, dividing the casual wine bar dining room from the linen clothed fine dining room. The meats and cheeses are sliced to order on full display.
The service is exceptional. Complimentary valet. Sommelier on hand at your beckon call. What’s not to love.
Must must try the desserts, full time pastry staff on hand, take advantage: o)

Came here for celebration dinner. This place is loud so if you’re bringing a group, it might be worth reserving a room where you can actually talk to each other.
Food was good, I was not blown away. The menu is a bit creative not amazing. They do use good fresh ingredients so can’t complain about that. The staff is friendly and attentive.
I know people rave about this place and maybe that’s why I wasn’t blown away. Good place to go for slightly upscale dinner and I will definitely return again.

Came here on a Saturday night and let me just say… It is a very pricey place!
But before I get into the food, there is complimentary valet parking, so that’s nice! I mean, for the price you’re paying for the meal, it better be, haha…
So when looking at the menu, they have a half platter price (15 bucks) or a full plate (30ish bucks).
I will say it was kinda annoying when the waiter kept telling our group that the food will not be enough… I get it… The portions were going to be small! But the waiter did redeem himself when he brought a complimentary cheese/​crackers/​ham plate.
I ordered the tortellini half plate… When they said half plate, they weren’t kidding! I mean it was good, but not at that price! Not sure if I would come back here.

I came here for a birthday dinner on a late Saturday evening recently. We started off with their cheese plate and meat plate both of which were pretty good. The cheeses were fresh and pretty standard. The meat was good, freshly shaved prosciutto I thought was the best. The bread service was good too (one with tomatoes on top, the other bread was a moist, dense brown bread).
My pasta dish (it was round ravioli-​like filled pasta) with meat inside was just OK. I thought the skin of the pasta was too thin and not chewy enough.
I also ordered the apple cider panna cotta for deserrt and thought it didn’t really taste like the creamy panna cotta I normally like, it was too jello-​like and not creamy enough for me. The gelato that it was served with had completely melted too by the time it arrived at my table so it was more of a sauce than actual gelato.