Photos: Inside Il Porcellino, The Replacement For Paris Club, Now Open in River North
By Anthony Todd in Food on Mar 18, 2016 3:50PM
We were sad to see Paris Club close, but its replacement, Il Porcellino, looks gorgeous. The new Italian spot in River North opened on Thursday night, and we've got the menu, photos and more.
Chef Doug Psaltis is overseeing things, just like he did at Paris Club, but day-to-day operations are in the hands of Aaron Martinez, who did a stint at Intro before going to Lettuce Entertain You for good. They've got an impressive bar program helmed by Julian Cox, named one of the most influential bartenders in American by Food & Wine, and a totally re-vamped interior. Paris Club was split into a bar and a dining room, but Psaltis is going for something different. "We're going for something very lively that can be used for lunch, dinner—a convivial environment," explains Psaltis. "We moved the bar front and center behind french doors that open to the street."
The menu, below, is inspired by the Slow Food movement, and Psaltis took great pains to source the best Italian ingredients available. "Some of the stuff that we're most excited about is our simple meats and flours," says Psaltis. "The food is rustic, the appearance is rustic, but the ingredients are what drives it."
The new menu is heavy on antipasti and pizza, with just a few big meat dishes on the list. But with antipasti like endive and parmesan with anchovy vinaigrette, and a lardo and parmesan bruschetta, we don't think anyone will complain about the small plates vibe. "We're not going to fall into the routine of getting a caesar salad, fried calamari, a huge pasta and now I can't move," Psaltis insists.
Il Porcellino is at 59 W. Hubbard.