Pour One Out For French Bistro Paris Club, Which Closed Monday

By Anthony Todd in Food on Jan 5, 2016 6:17PM

A pasta dish at the new il Porcellino, taking over the Paris Club spot.

It's no secret that River North is filled with mostly-forgettable restaurants, which makes the loss of Paris Club a bit depressing. The French bistro, which opened as an epic spot under a quartet of Chefs (including Jean Joho of Everest) in 2011, closed quietly yesterday, according to a statement from Lettuce Entertain You.

This wasn't the first blow to Paris Club. Last year, a chunk of it was carved out to make room for Ramen San (which won't be affected by this closure). The spot re-concepted, sort of, into a darker, more intimate version of itself but with the same cuisine. We actually were quite fond of it, while it lasted. But French onion soup and steak frites (some of the best around) will be giving way to pasta, pizza and antipasti, as il Porcellino, a new Italian spot, takes over.

The opening date hasn't been released yet, but we don't expect it to take long to make the change.

We have mixed feelings about this. We not only liked Paris Club—Chicago also has a shortage of French restaurants, and too many mediocre Italian places that have nothing to recommend them.

However, if il Porcellino can get Italian trattoria right, we'll be first in line. The restaurant will still be run by the Melmans plus Chef Doug Psaltis, so the quality should carry over. Plus, the official release promises a selection of wines in "those familiar Italian wicker baskets," which makes us unnaturally happy.

More details to come.