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Little Market Brasserie Coming To The Gold Coast

By Melissa Wiley in Food on Dec 11, 2012 8:40PM

Gold is many things—the stuff of high-end dental fillings, the spoils of tussles with pirates—but warm it is not. Nor, in our opinion, are enough of the restaurants lining the streets of the Gold Coast. Cool as diamonds and certain willowy blondes, too many establishments in this area of almost arrant opulence fail to stoke the hearth fires and truly put you at your ease. But Chef Ryan Poli, Mercadito Hospitality, and Tippling Bros are here to redress the balance with Little Market Brasserie, cozily situated in the Talbott Hotel and guaranteed to leave you with a rosy glow.

True to its name, the restaurant, which is slated to open sometime in January, will echo the intimacy of a Parisian brasserie while offering classic American comfort food imbued with eclectic twists gleaned from the world over.

“Little Market Brasserie offers Chicago a taste of different regions of the United States while using ingredients from around the world. Chef Ryan Poli and I traveled around 12 different cities looking for ideas and inspiration,” said Alfredo Sandoval, managing partner of Mercadito Hospitality.

Like all good travel narratives, the Mercadito team arrived back home with renewed affection for the cuisine that had been awaiting them all along. Hence the menu’s star-quality mac and cheese, which we had the chance to sample last week. In Poli's hands, our favorite TV dinner was as good as gold, if considerably tastier, a pleasing piece of culinary alchemy that left us eager to enjoy a full spread. We’re already eyeing the New York strip steak with short rib-cognac poutine and cheese curds.

Cocktails courtesy of the Tippling Brothers will center on sparkling pops, and wine will flow from both American and French producers, as will a large selection of beers from the United States, France, and Belgium. Gold Coasters, this may very well be the warm neighborhood spot you thought you’d never have.

Little Market Brasserie is located at 10 East Delaware Pl.