Jul 27, 2019
Chicago Sun Times | Ji Suk Yi | July 24, 2019
The James Beard Award-nominated chef Paul Virant has an upscale restaurant, Vie, in Western Springs and a more casual spot — Vistro — in Hinsdale. He also plans to open another restaurant in the trendy West Loop soon.
For many who eschew vegetables, “Crispy Tuscan Kale” doesn’t sound like a must-order appetizer. But after one bite of Chef Paul Virant’s leafy dish flavored with honey, lemon and brown butter, all skepticism can be set aside.
The delectable “Crispy Tuscan Kale” starter is on the menu at Virant’s Vistro in downtown Hinsdale. The casual Vistro, at 112 S. Washington St., is celebrating its fifth year.
The more upscale Vie — Virant’s first restaurant in Western Springs — will be marking its 15th year in August.
While the menu is seasonal at both restaurants, “We’re not as religious as focusing on the regional stuff as we are at Vie. We bend the rules a little bit [at Vistro],” said Virant, a multiple James Beard Award nominee.
“Bending the rules” means Virant often incorporates unexpected ingredients into the bistro-inspired menu with global inspiration.
There’s a poke bowl for lunch at Vistro that features tuna, spring onions, cucumbers, avocado, sushi rice, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and fried shallots.
The fried pork sandwich is made from a Slagel Family Farm pork tenderloin that’s been brined, three-step breaded and fried. The sandwich, which pays homage to the Iowa classic, is served with bread made in-house and butter pickles, onion and dill garlic mayonnaise.
International flavors are also abundant in the Belgian-style Bar Harbor Maine mussels, Spanish sardines, a falafel plate, hummus appetizer and Steelhead trout with green curry, eggplant and bok choy.
On Mondays, for $10, you can build your own pizza for the 700-degree wood-burning oven, and bottles of wine are half-off. On Tuesdays it’s the $10 dry- aged griddled burger special with half-off draft beers.
Virant, who has achieved national acclaim for his contemporary Midwestern cuisine using hyperlocal and seasonal ingredients, often works with local farms, including Werp, Klug, Seedling, Ellis, Frillman, Green Acres and Genesis.
“Any respectable talented chef anywhere around the world will embrace as much as they can what they can get locally,” Virant said.
Virant grew up outside of St. Louis with parents he describes as “kind of hippies.”
“I grew up on some land, but it wasn’t a working farm,” Virant said. “They [my parents] originally bought seven acres and built a house in 1971 … but they ultimately ended up having 100 acres. So we had pigs and chickens when I was little.”
Virant’s expertise on canning came from watching his grandmothers perfect the culinary art. He was so enthused by preserving food that in 2012, Virant co-authored the cookbook “The Preservation Kitchen: The Craft of Making and Cooking With Pickles, Preserves and Aigre-Doux.”
Although his two current restaurants ultimately center on his roots, Virant is ready to draw inspiration from his wife’s semester abroad in college and their subsequent travels to Japan.
This summer, Virant plans to launch Gaijin in the West Loop neighborhood, focusing on the Japanese okonomiyaki — a savory, customizable cabbage pancake that is served with a variety of incorporated proteins, toppings, sauce and bonito flakes.
And even though the latter establishment will focus on cuisine from the East, Virant still plans to showcase a myriad of Midwestern ingredients.
Vistro is located at 112 S. Washington St., in Hinsdale and can be reached at (630) 537-1459. Vie is located at 4471 Lawn Ave. in Western Springs and can be reached at (708) 246-2082. For more information, visit www.paulvirant.com.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE
Jul 12, 2019
Eater Chicago | Ashok Selvam | July 11, 2019
The yoga pants vendor is bringing smoothies, acai bowls, plus burgers and beer to Chicago
Lululemon, the athletic apparel company known for its yoga gear, is entering the world of food and beverage. The company’s first restaurant, Fuel, opens today on the second floor of a massive new flagship store in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Customers will find healthy (acai bowls, smoothies, salads, protein boxes), beefy (an 8-ounce burger), and boozy (draft beers from Chicago’s Marz Community Brewing) options on the menu.
Not only does the store, at the Northeast corner of Sheffield and North Avenues, contain a restaurant, but there’s also two fitness studios. They’ll offer 40 to 50 classes a week. Signups for the initial run of classes have already sold out.
The opening of Fuel can be looped in with the emerging trend of retailers who are attempting to attract more customers to their stores as more and more sales continue to happen online. For example, on Tuesday, another retailer with a national reputation, Crate and Barrel, opened its first full-service restaurant. Table for Crate opened inside a suburban Chicago shopping center, taking over a vacant Land of Nod, Crate and Barrel’s children furniture store.
Lululemon, founded in 1998, spent two years tweaking the counter-service restaurant and the surrounding 20,000-square-foot space to ensure it matched the brand’s values. Folks unfamiliar with the apparel have at least seen those popular red and white bags on trains and buses. They’re the ones with supposedly inspirational messages like “friends are more important than money.”
“We know that food fuels you, but good food fuels you emotionally, too,” said Maureen Erickson, Lululemon’s VP of experiential retail.
She pivoted when asked if the restaurant was a response to the challenges of operating a store in an era of Internet sales:
“Building community through connection has always been at the heart of Lululemon — both online and offline, and Lincoln Park is the physical manifestation of the heart and soul of Lululemon,” Erickson said.
So why does Vancouver-based Lululemon want to dip its leggings into the restaurant pool? Chicago is a strong market and was one of the handful of cities the chain first expanded into. A restaurant also helps grow the brand and fulfill its full potential, Erickson said.
“What we know is our guests want everything under one roof,” she added.
Lululemon is pouring its resources into this Chicago store, as earlier this summer it closed a smaller store located about a mile away. Normal Lululemon stores recruit four to eight “brand ambassadors” who wear the gear and form a sort of street marketing team. This store has 45. Ambassadors were surveyed and asked what they wanted out of a restaurant and the result is Fuel.
The restaurant features an island in the center with bar seating. There are two coolers full of grab-and-go drinks and food for customers in a rush. There’s an espresso machine with beans from West Town’s Dark Matter Coffee. The dining tables sit in front of two fitness studios. Sweaty customers can grab food immediately after classes. They’ll sit on seats and couches in a space called the “connection room.”
Erickson talked about using the most seasonal and beautiful produce. Nice looking fruits produce pretty plates, which also produce pretty photos. The sunlight on the second floor is bright; very good for Instagram photos.
Executive chef Paul Larson knows the Midwest presents a challenge. This concept would be right at home in California’s sunshine, but Chicago is home to polar vortices and the like. Also, of note: fad diets come and go. One day a customer is into keto, the next month it’s paleo or whole 30. Larson said they’ve built in the flexibility to change the menu to accommodate trends.
“Trends change and we want to make sure we always stay on trend and we what they need,” Erickson adds.
Larson works for Blue Plate Catering, a popular Chicago company that caters weddings and other private events. Fuel is a collaboration with Blue Plate. Before he was hired, Larson wasn’t familiar with a lot of diets Lululemon customers follow. This was a learning process for him. That menu was then edited by registered dietician Mia Zarlengo. Zarlengo is a social media influencer with more than 56,800 Instagram followers. That makes her a good choice as a Lululemon brand ambassador.
Zarlengo advised Larson on little tweaks such as switching smoothie sweeteners. Honey, for example, is controversial in vegan circles and not great for keto diets. They’re using dates instead. Larson’s favorite dish may be a citrus salad with watercress, radicchio, edamame, radish, fennel, lemon granola, edible flowers, seasonal citrus, and poppyseed dressing.
A menu with burgers (they have beef, black bean, and Beyond Burger) and beer will surprise some visitors, given Lululemon’s reputation as an active lifestyle brand where customers hold on to wellness goals. But Erickson said it just shows how the company and its fans don’t take themselves seriously.
“It’s also for people like me who like to workout out so I can eat a good cheeseburger,” she said.
Also, it doesn’t appear the restaurant serves pop. Lululemon founder Chip Wilson had a major aversion toward soda. The company has distanced itself from his views since he resigned in 2015 as CEO.
Lululemon employed crews to build-out a full kitchen inside the space once occupied by Restoration Hardware. Coincidentally, Restoration moved Chicago operations into a tony new location in Gold Coast where Hogsalt Hospitality (Au Cheval) operates a restaurant. Hogsalt’s Brendan Sodikoff took that template to New York where he opened a restaurant in October.
Erickson wouldn’t commit if Lululemon planned to open more restaurants. Chicago is one great experiment, and they’ll study the store’s performance. For now, take a look at the space and some food items below. Fuel opened with the rest of the Lululemon space on Thursday morning.
Fuel, inside Lululemon, 944 W. North Avenue, restaurant open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as first studio class starts at 6 a.m.; store open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE
Jul 6, 2019
Eater Chicago | Kat Odell | July 3, 2019
Go beyond Good Humor and scoop shops
As summer commences in Chicago, frozen dessert season kicks in. Luckily, Chicago is rife with great scoop shops, but for those interested in more unique and plated ice cream-based desserts, local restaurants are ready to serve. A myriad of eateries offer inspired sundaes, like Sunda’s jackfruit and coconut gel-garnished dish with avocado, sweet corn, cheddar cheese, and ube-macapuno ice cream. Others riff off frozen cream via creations such as Aba’s iteration of kulfi — the classic Indian sweet — with Turkish coffee, coriander caramel, and Marcona almonds. From North to South, here’s where to cool off this summer with Chicago’s most compelling composed ice cream dishes.
Note: Restaurants on this map are listed geographically.
1. Mon Ami Gabi – Lincoln Park – 2300 N Lincoln Park W
2. Dos Urban Cantina – Logan Square – 2829 W Armitage Ave
3. Café Cancale – Wicker Park – 1576 N Milwaukee Ave
4. Ina Mae Tavern & Packaged Goods – Wicker Park – 1415 N Wood St
5. Somerset – Gold Coast – 1112 N State St
6. I|O Godfrey Rooftop Lounge – River North – 127 W Huron St
7. Sunda – River North – 110 W Illinois St
8. Flora Fauna – River North – 11 W Illinois St
9. RPM Steak – River North – 66 W Kinzie St
10. Travelle at The Langham – River North – 330 N Wabash Ave
11. London House Rooftop Bar – Loop – 85 E Wacker Dr
12. Aba – Fulton Market – 302 N Green St, 3rd Floor
13. Joe’s Imports – Fulton Market – 813 W Fulton Mkt
14. Yūgen Restaurant – West Loop – 652 W Randolph St
15. Bad Hunter – West Loop – 802 W Randolph St
16. Blackbird – West Loop – 619 W Randolph St
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE
Jun 29, 2019
Eater Chicago | Morgan Olsen | June 28, 2019
There are many great Chicago spots to bring man’s best friend
The “dog days” of summer have arrived and for canine lovers, bringing that four-legged buddy along to Chicago bars and restaurants is one of the best ways to spend time, no matter the season. Here are 20 great spots that welcome pooches, some that even give out free treats and water bowls. Additions to this year’s list include Taureaux Tavern and Paradise Park. Nellcôte was removed after it shuttered this year.
1. Octavio Cantina & Kitchen – Andersonville – 5310 N Clark St
2. Ludlow Liquors – Avondale – 2959 N California Ave
3. Broken English – Lincoln Park – 2576-2580 N Lincoln Ave
4. The Patio at Cafe Brauer – Lincoln Park – 2021 N Stockton Dr
5. The Moonlighter – Logan Square – 3204 W Armitage Ave
6. Ranalli’s – Lincoln Park – 1925 N Lincoln Ave
7. Paradise Park – Wicker Park – 1913 W North Ave
8. Big Star – Wicker Park – 1531 N Damen Ave
9. Mott St – Wicker Park – 1401 N Ashland Ave
10. Juniper Spirits & Oysters – Gold Coast – 1244 N Dearborn Pkwy
11. Somerset – Gold Coast – 1112 N State St
12. Sportsman’s Club – Ukrainian Village – 948 Western Ave
13. Barrio – River North – 65 W Kinzie St
14. Saint Lou’s Assembly – West Loop – 664 W Lake St
15. Formento’s – West Loop – 925 W Randolph St
16. Taureaux Tavern – Loop – 155 W Van Buren St
17. The Spoke & Bird – South Loop – 205 E 18th St
18. Lo Rez Brewing and Taproom – Pilsen – 2101 S Carpenter St
19. Antique Taco – Bridgeport – 1000 W 35th St
20. The Promontory – Hyde Park – 5311 S Lake Park W
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE
Jun 22, 2019
Eater | Ashok Selvam | June 18, 2019
Chicago’s largest restaurant company, award-winning chefs, and an essential brewery all have anticipated restaurants
Award-winning chefs, Chicago’s largest restaurant company, and one of the city’s essential breweries all have projects lined up to debut this summer. The spring saw Boka Restaurant Group open its two hotly-anticipated Fulton Market restaurants inside the Hoxton Hotel, as well as a South Side food hall. A James Beard winner brought a touch of sophistication to Lincoln Park by opening Galit. The year’s not letting up with eight new restaurants to make summer worth enduring 50-degree June days. A quick word on restaurants that didn’t make the cut: Time Out Market and its 18 vendors are now targeting a fall opening, and so is chef Carlos Gaytan’s three River North restaurants. There will be more on those projects in the coming weeks. For now, get excited for the summer with these alphabetically listed previews.
Chef’s Special Cocktail Bar – 2165 N. Western Ave. | Bucktown
Gaijin – 950 W. Lake St. | West Loop
Moody Tongue Brewing’s Taproom and Restaurant – 2515 S. Wabash Ave. | Near South Side
Carrie and Michael Nahabedian’s Unnamed Restaurant – 521 N. Rush St. | River North
RPM on the Water – 317 N. Clark St. | River North
Superkhana International – 3059 W. Diversey Pkwy. | Logan Square
Utopian Tailgate – 1616 N. Wells St. | Old Town
Wherewithall – 3472 N. Elston Ave. | Avondale
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE
Jun 15, 2019
Gayot | June 2019
Where to Eat for Father’s Day in Chicago
Give the man of the house a break from the barbecue this Father’s Day and take him out for a big breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. We’ve rounded up the best places to take Dad to dine, from eateries featuring a special Father’s Day menu to restaurants that specialize in steaks or craft beers.
Browse GAYOT’s list of the Top Father’s Day Restaurants in Chicago, presented in alphabetical order.
The Barn – 1016 Church St., Evanston, IL 60201
Beacon Tavern – 405 N. Wabash Ave., Chicago, IL 60611
Bistronomic – 840 N. Wabash Ave., Chicago, IL 60611
Chicago q – 1160 N. Dearborn St.,Chicago, IL 60610
Fig & Olive – 104 E. Oak St., Chicago, IL 60611
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar – 25 E. Ohio St., Chicago, IL 60611
Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse – 1028 N. Rush St., Chicago, IL 60611
il Porcellino – 59 W. Hubbard St., Chicago, IL 60654
Jake Melnick’s Corner Tap – 41 E. Superior St., Chicago, IL 60611
Maple & Ash – 8 W. Maple St., Chicago, IL 60610
North Pond – 2610 N. Cannon Dr., Chicago, IL 60614
Prairie Grass Cafe – 601 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook, IL 60062
Prime & Provisions – 222 N. LaSalle St., Chicago, IL 60601
Ruth’s Chris Steak House – 431 N. Dearborn St., Chicago, IL 60610
Shaw’s Crab House – 21 E. Hubbard St., Chicago, IL 60611
Split-Rail – 2500 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60622
STK Chicago – 9 W. Kinzie St., Chicago, IL 60654
Swift & Sons – 1000 W. Fulton Mkt., Chicago, IL 60607
Torali Italian-Steak – 160 E. Pearson St., Chicago, IL 60611
The Warbler – 4535 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, IL 60625
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE
