New Restaurant Roundup
With so many new restaurants constantly opening in Chicago, it can be hard to keep track of it all. In order to help navigate the onslaught of dining destinations, here’s a handy guide to upcoming spots to make not of.
A restaurant hinged on olive oil and inspired by coastal France, Italy, and Spain is bound to be good. Get ready for FIG + OLIVE, coming to Oak Street next month. With executive chef Pascal Lorange at the helm, FIG + OLIVE serves as a grand homage to all things olive oil, with each meal preempted by an olive oil tasting and each subsequent dish paired with olive oil in lieu of butter. Inspired by Lorange’s homeland in the French Riviera and owner Laurant Halasz’s origins in the South of France, the three-story restaurant echoes a cozy countryside home, a nice respite from the retail mania taking place down the street. Small plates include zucchini carpaccio; mushroom, truffle artichoke, and Parmesan crostini; and fig-Gorgonzola tartlets. Larger plates include paella del mar and Mediterranean branzino glazed with balsamic vinegar. The restaurant will also feature olive trees and a retail portion stocked with olive oils, vinegars, spreads, and other apt provisions.
The Southport Corridor is about to go across the pond. British and Irish food favorite Spencer’s Jolly Posh Foods is en route to the Lakeview strip in June, moving from its original location on Irving Park Road to larger digs with 35 seats, an expanded grocery area, a patio, and a broadened menu. During the week, expect lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner, while brunch takes the stage on weekends. Get hungry for fish and chips, bangers, sausage and bacon butties (aka sandwiches), and more.
Dollop Coffee Company, Metropolis Coffee Company, and Hoosier Mama Pie Company struck caffeinated gold with their Evanston collaboration last year, and now they’re poised to do it again in the South Loop this spring. Situated in the historic Fisher Building, the cafe promises to be a new nook for craft coffee from Metropolis and a full-fledged savory and sweet menu by Hoosier Mama’s Paula Haney. Think pastries, breakfast sandwiches, deli sandwiches, and of course pie aplenty.
When one doors closes, another swings open. Such is the case with Current, the new face of dining at the W Chicago Lakeshore. What was once WAVE is set to reopen as an Italian-inspired restaurant manned by chef Gregory Elliott. Keeping things “current” if you will, Elliott promises a menu that is at once fresh and contemporary, offering an invigorating, dynamic approach to Italian cookery. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus span dishes that include Nutella-stuffed French toast, paninis, sea urchin risotto, bone-in ribeye with lardo-rosemary pesto, and flourless chocolate cake with espresso gelato and grappa cherries.
FIG + OLIVE
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Spencer’s Jolly Posh Foods
3755 N. Southport Avenue, Chicago
(872) 802-3840
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Dollop Coffee Company
343 S. Dearborn Street, Chicago
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Current
644 N. Lakeshore Drive, Chicago
(312) 255-4460
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