Perennial Virant

Check out Paul Virant's new menu (w/pics) on perennialchicago.com. Click on @PerennialCHI for update's. Look's very tasty!

Redcolhead wrote:Look's very tasty!

Does it? There's nothing but a "coming soon" message on the site right now. You're supposed to update the site before you spam the board.

You can certainly see pictures of the dishes via the Twitter feed here: http://twitter.com/#!/PerennialCHI. Maybe that's what the OP meant? I must admit, however, that I've seen much better photography on this site (that's a complement, btw).

It would never have been my intention to "spam" the board. Jeez Louise!

Ok guys, calm down. Redcolhead has only a few posts, but none are in any way indicative of a shill. So he/she is excited about the new Perennial and mis-spoke about the web site - big deal!

There are pics and suchlike on the twitter account - http://twitter.com/#!/PerennialCHI

Please, if you think someone is a shill, just click the red ! button. The moderators will check it out. Claiming someone is spamming is bound to drive them away and keep other enthusiastic folks from posting. Why shouldn't someone be happy about a new restaurant?

yep... photos suck....

Wow...I have been a member on this site for a long time....I was only trying to pass along info I had on new menu pics they posted today. I have been a loyal LTH'er for quite some time and have recommended and printed out the guide and included in gift's for numerous fellow family & foodie's (dare I use that term?). I guess it might be time to check out of this forum.

And by the way...I'm not a twitter gal and had no idea how to post the pics directly. Thank you to Vitesse98 for posting the link. I'm sick to my stomach for the comment's that have been raised about my intent.

Redcolhead wrote:. I'm sick to my stomach for the comment's that have been raised about my intent.

I've had a few of these types of experiences here, too -- with similar reactions (i.e., sick and swearing I'll never come back). Regroup and come back for the people who are less quick on the attack. Focus on the comment by leek, and remember that while not everyone is kind and welcoming, a heck of a lot more folks are nice. And the community is just too hard to walk away from -- both because of the people who don't shoot first and ask questions later, and because there is so much info here.

I hope we haven't lost you now. I see you've been on since 2007, and that's a fair bit of history to leave behind.

interesting to see it's part of the boka group. as far as i know, Vie isn't right?

not that i know anything about the restaurant business or if this is "odd" or not.

Redcolhead wrote:Check out Paul Virant's new menu (w/pics) on perennialchicago.com. Click on @PerennialCHI for update's. Look's very tasty!

Thank you for posting. Took me a minute, more like 15-seconds, to figure out you meant the twitter feed for the pictures, but I appreciated the early glimpse of a restaurant and chef in which I am interested.

Far as the negative comments, as I am a moderator I could pull them, but I think I will leave them up as yet another example of people jumping on a nice person whose only crime is not being as technically literate as their IT guy at the office.

As Leek said if you think someone is a shill click the big red button.

Snark, if you are only going to post once or twice a year please make it something useful as opposed to obvious and snarky.

Regards,
Gary

Cynthia wrote:Regroup and come back for the people who are less quick on the attack...and remember that while not everyone is kind and welcoming, a heck of a lot more folks are nice.

Good advice, in my experience.

Thanks Cynthia & Gary...appreciate the back-up.

Being a fan of -- and regular customer at -- Vie, I received a complimentary invite to Night 2/2 of Perennial Virant's soft opening on Tuesday and I really enjoyed the experience. The Vie aesthetic is clearly all over the place -- from the vibe, to the service to the food -- which instantly makes it a top-tier farm-to-table dining destination in a city where the genre is already very well-represented. I'm not going to write detailed descriptions of the dishes because I've posted a picture of the menu, which contains all the details . . .


The bar area
The space feels brighter and more open than the previous incarnation of Perennial.



Dining Room
A few communal tables occupy the center of the room.



Kitchen during service
Nothing like seeing a 22.5" Weber Smokey Mountain right there in the kitchen . . . along with a few familiar faces.



Wall of Jars
Chef Virant's calling card.



The inimitable Matty Eggleston heads the bar at Perennial Virant
In addition to the P.V. Mai Tai pictured below, we enjoyed several original cocktails, including the Zephyr, which is made with Buffalo Trace bourbon and house-made pineapple shrub and the Big Brass Bed, which pairs Lillet Blanc and Cocchi Americano in a fantastic way.



Opening Menu
The left side is the PV3 menu, which is pretty straightforward. The right side offers plates of all sizes that are intended to be ordered on their own or in addition to the PV3 menu. Cross-ordering from both sides is welcomed and encouraged.



P.V. Mai Tai
Appleton Estate VX rum, El Dorado 5-year rum, pistachio orgeat and lime.



House-Baked Whole Grain Bread



Smoked Rushing Waters Trout



Crispy Carnaroli Rice
In this dish the cooked rice and cheese curds are blended together then breaded and fried...yowza!



Confit of Slagel Family Farm Pork Shoulder



Ted's Organic Cornmeal Cake



Werp Farm Lettuces



Grilled Asparagus



Seared Diver Sea Scallops



Yukon Gold Potato Gnocchi



Gunthorp Farm Rabbit Ballotine



Gunthorp Farm Chicken Fricasse



Crispy Great Lakes Whitefish



Grilled Dietzler Farm Strip Steak



Butter Pound Cake



Seedling Farms Preserved Blueberry Tart | almond frangipane, sheep cheese gelato



Bron's Honey Nougat Glace | poached rhubarb, candied orange, whole wheat sable



Templeton Rye Panna Cotta | smoked Seedling Farms cherries, puffued rye, crispy sage
The smoked cherries here really focused the Templeton; a very addictive dish.

It's exciting to have chef Virant bring his distinctive aesthetic to the city, especially in this location, right across the street from the Green City Market. It seems like a very natural fit. I was impressed by every aspect of our experience, especially given that it was a pre-opening service. Cocktails were precise, service was friendly and remarkably polished, and the food was delectable. In chatting with chef Virant, we learned that the menu at PV will, of course, follow the market season but will differ slightly from that of Vie. It's very unlikely that you'll ever see a dish on both menus. Perennial Virant will echo some elements of the Vie experience but in a style that's all its own. For fans of chef Virant, it's a chance to experience a slightly separate expression of his considerable talents and vision. For those who've never had the pleasure, it's a chance to experience what he does in a location that's likely much closer to home.

=R=

Perennial Virant
1800 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago IL 60614
T 312.981.7070

Beautiful pics Ronnie and great post. Maybe it's just me, but I've been almost as excited about this opening as I was for Next's. I've got a table booked Memorial Day weekend . . . but I'm not sure I can wait that long. And I agree - the location is a perfect match.

Thanks for a great report, Ronnie. Can't wait to check this out. $37 prix-fixe sounds phenomenal.

Lovely photos as always, Ronnie. Thanks for the post. I'd really like to try this place.

I love Paul Virant, and I'm really excited to eat at the revamped Perennial, but I have to say that I'm a little baffled by the construction of the menu.

Why not just do a simple 3 course prix fixe with choices for each course, or have a menu of small plates (or even something along the lines of what Balsan does)? I'm not sure how I feel about this hybrid model. How do they describe how much food you're supposed to order? Basically this is the same thing that bugs me about Province, but scaled down.

ETA - So after looking at this a bit longer, I think the way I would approach this is to order either the prix fixe or a collection of stuff from the other side. Is that really the intent?

I've got a $100 gift card for the Boka restaurants; anyone know if it can still be redeemed at Perenial Virant?

Independent George wrote:I've got a $100 gift card for the Boka restaurants; anyone know if it can still be redeemed at Perenial Virant?

yes

I never went to Perennial in its prior incarnation, despite the fact that it is a few blocks from our house. I also have never made it to Vie (never could justify the transportation time with the meter ticking on a babysitter), so was really pleased that Paul Virant was taking over the kitchen and made a mental note to self to go when it opened. Upon seeing ronnie's photos and write-up yesterday, I checked Open Table and was able to secure an 8:15 reservation, as my wife and I were planning to go out to dinner last night anyway.

We each got the prix fixe menu (we ordered one of everything) and added the Werp Farm lettuces and grilled asparagus. Everything was as pictured in ronnie's photos, except that the turnips on the chicken fricasse were shaved as opposed to julienned (assuming those were turnips in ronnie's photo). Everything was very good to excellent, and I am really excited to have this new(ly reconcepted) restaurant in our neighborhood. The place was full and service was quite polished for the second night (with a few minor glitches that did not detract from the experience); I usually give new restaurants a few months to get on their feet and work things out before going to new openings, but was really pleasantly surprised about how smooth everything was.

In terms of ordering, to jesteinf's question, I thought getting the prix fixe plus a few additional courses was just the right amount of food for us, although my wife suggested she would have been fine with just the prix fixe, as she was bordering on too full. We ordered additional courses because we wanted to see what they did with some of the seasonal produce where the produce itself was the focus, not because we thought the prix fixe would not be enough food or because our server suggested it. Based on our server's explanation and what we could glean from asking him questions, the menu is organized similarly to what you see at the Publican (and I think perhaps also Sable), where as you move down the list (or in this case, down the left column then over to the top of the right and down), you get to bigger portions that might be viewed as sufficient single-person entrees. Note that the menu as pictured in ronnie's photos has been changed in terms of order of dishes but not the specific dishes themselves (I believe the scallops for instance, are now in the right column), which may have been to help with that concept of moving from smaller plates/starters to entrees.

In terms of drinks, the cocktail menu is really nice, and I could see this as a place to get a few drinks and some snacks after work. While the bar itself is relatively small (maybe 8-ish seats), there is a lounge area (in the transition from the restaurant towards the hotel lobby) as well with fairly ample seating. I had a Remember the Maine Forest, a riff on a Manhattan with pu-erh tea infused Rittenhouse Rye, Dolin red (I think), and Cherry Heering, with a brandied cherry, served up in a cocktail glass. It was pretty good, but I found it a bit "light" for whatever reason; I guess I was expecting it to be a bit more boozy. But overall well-balanced, with a subtle tea note that you might miss if you weren't looking for it. My wife had the Big Brass Bed, which ronnie referred to above -- Lillet Blanc, Cocchi Americano, dry vermouth (I believe Dolin again), lemon and soda, served on the rocks in a tall glass. Really nice and refreshing (will be great for when the patio is open), and probably somewhat dangerous due to its easy drinking nature (although mitigated I'm sure by the low proof spirits used). The wine list, which I did not spend a ton of time with, looked very reasonable in terms of by-the-glass and bottle options and pricing. I had an $11 French pinot noir with my meal that was solid but unremarkable. Coffee (both espresso and drip) was Intelligentsia and tea is a really interesting and varied selection from Rare Tea Cellar.

Finally, not sure what Vie is like, but this is pretty casual despite the sophistication and execution of the food. Servers are in t-shirts and jeans, and one would be fine there in relatively casual attire something south of business casual (at least as that's defined in my place of work). I like what they did with the space (while I had never been inside Perennial before, I passed right by the big windows tons of times and got somewhat of a sense of the decor and vibe) and overall look forward to adding this to our semi-regular rotation.

We've only eaten at Perennial for brunch in the past so it looks like it's time to try the dinner menu. I just scored reservations for tonight so I'm excited! The new menu and renovation looks awesome.

Everything about the way Paul Virant's cooking is described by experts and amateurs alike leads me to believe that he's my kind of chef. Unfortunately, my positive preconceptions have never quite translated to love for what's on the plate.

Dishes at Vie - and now Perennial - always have enticing descriptions that highlight the best of seasonal produce and classic techniques, but in these dishes I often find at least one component of the execution that detracts. Take the pork shoulder confit with the gorgeous photo in Ronnie's post. I've had preparations like this in the past, where succulent meat is first cooked low and slow, then pressed and formed before being pan-fried for service. When done right, as in the mind-blowing cochinita pibil at Topolobampo, you get a fantastic textural contrast. At Perennial, the disk of admittedly delicious pork shoulder offered just extra grease that pan frying provides, without any crispness at all. I suppose serving it this way makes looks prettier than a heap of confited meat, but besides that it provided nothing but extra grease.

Vie's gnocchi has been touted by many as an iconic dish, but I didn't love it there or at Perennial. The flavor was great, with a hefty dose of nutmeg to bring out the potato's natural sweetness. But texturally, the gnocchi themselves were gummy and the dish had way too much going on. The kitchen bought the kitchen sink of produce available at a late May Farmers Market in Chicago, and combined what seemed like every single Green City Market item (and more) with the gnocchi. There were asparagus spears. There were peas. There were green onions. There was green garlic. There was fennel. There were turnips. Combine all of that with a strongly flavored pistacchio pesto, and the logic behind this clean-out-the-vegetable-bin preparation completely escaped me. Making matters worse, the vegetables were cooked California-cuisine style, to a state that I guess is called "crisp tender". They were crunchy, and to me "crunchy" and "gnocchi" are two words that should never be used in the same sentence.

The food at Perennial Virant didn't do it for me, but the cocktails definitely did. One particularly refreshing drink we had used preserved blueberries that tasted like honest-to-god, intense summer fruit. Another was the very refreshing and balanced Lillet-based cocktail pictured in Ronnie's post.

If I'd loved the food, I'd have been able to overlook the fact that the place has jumped on the dreaded "plates to be shared" bandwagon. It's a befuddling menu construction with a limited prix fixe option - which isn't really a prix fixe because if you order it they also suggest that you buy more stuff - and then a section called "plates to be shared," many of which don't actually lend themselves well at all to sharing. At every table I could overhear, the evening started with the server's rehearsed explanation, followed by a several-minute Q&A session where he stumbled over clarification questions before going back to the kitchen to "ask the chef" if he could "make it work that way".

The people working at Perennial could not have been friendlier, and in the summertime that large patio will be a draw. I’ll likely return for cocktails outside, but will probably save myself the discomfort of deciphering the food menu again.

So I made it to Perennial Virant last night and things got off to a really rocky start, but ended well. We had a 9:45 reservation, arrived several minutes early, and were told that our table was not ready yet - no big deal. We sat at the bar, had the cocktails with blueberries that Kennyz wrote about, enjoyed them very much. By then, it was 10:05 . . . we inquired about the reservation and we're told that it would be just another couple of minutes, four tables would be getting up and we'd get a great table by the window (NOTE: you can see through the windows from every seat in the place so this is not a selling point).

Still no table by 10:20, 35 minutes after our reservation and despite sitting a whole 5 feet from FOH, no attempt to acknowledge the continuing and frustrating delay. We were just about to walk out when we approached a different FOH rep who turned out to be Ben, the GM, and he came to the rescue. A couple of complimentary cocktails, bread service at the bar, and a couple of comped appetizers. Ben handled the situation appropriately - unfortunately, it was the other FOH reps . . . a few of them at least . . . who should have recognized a problem and sought a solution rather than pretending that no problem existed.

In any event, we started at the bar with the bread service (really good), then the pea shoots, peas, onions, bacon vinaigrette and dante. This was a really great dish - simple, well prepared, great flavors, and a good reminder of spring. Also had the bar snacks (fried kale, corn nuts and deviled eggs) - all were good although nothing I'd run out of the way for.

We then proceeded to our table where we shared three plates and one dessert. My favorite item was the crispy carnaroli rice with cheese curds and spring onion vinaigrette. I loved the crispy texture, cheesy interior, and the tart vinaigrette with greens. I would definitely order this again. I thought the gnocchi dish was decent, and while it sounds like I enjoyed the vegetable ragout more than Kennyz did, I found a different problem with the gnocchi themselves . . . not gummy, but grainy. Still, not bad. Finally, we disagreed on the cornmeal cake. My dining companion really liked the dish. I found that the juice from the preserved tomatoes, which was atop the cornmeal cake, made a large portion of the dish one big mushy mess - I would have preferred it on the side.

As for dessert, we shared a chocolate mousse cake of sorts with mint ice cream (maybe mint chocolate chip). It was really small for sharing, but the dense chocolate and mint flavors were very good. The only problem were the ice crystals throughout the ice cream.

Thanks to Ben for saving the evening - seconds from walking out the door and never returning, we ended up enjoying a very nice (not great by any means) dinner. I look forward to returning and sampling more of the menu.

We had a really great dinner at Perennial last Saturday. We did everything on the prix fixe menu with a few cocktails and everything was delicious. Are they doing brunch anymore?

re: brunch, The Feast reported they are starting this weekend.

http://www.thefeast.com/chicago/restaur ... 85479.html

Dinner reservations tomorrow. Looking forward to it!

Every aspect of our dinner on Friday night was, to use my wife's favorite adjective, phenomenal. We got there about 10 minutes before our reservation but were seated immediately. Really love the ambiance and decor, especially the tables for some reason. Bar and area around it were packed, restaurant filled up about 15 minutes after we were seated (so 7:30 or so) and stayed full until we left a bit after 9. Onto the drinks and food...

Started with the P.V. Mai Tai since Ronnie's picture looked amazing. Despite the crappy weather outside, I was sweating about five minutes into sitting down for some reason so the drink was really refreshing. Also drank a Zephyr which was described as a riff on a Whiskey Sour... Bourboun, pineapple shrub, soda, and orange bitters I think. Could have drank myself under the table with those.

We did the prix fixe and made sure we didn't order the same thing so we could share + 3 additional dishes. Standouts were the pork shoulder confit (as pictured in Ronnie's post, the giardiniera was to die for) and the Copper River Salmon with peas. I had the Socca with spring vegetables and a lemon dill sauce as my entree. It was good, but if I wasn't feeling adventurous, I would have passed, especially after tasting my wife's salmon.

Additional accompaniments were the Crispy Carnaroli Rice, Ted's Organic Cornmeal Cakes (had a red sauce on them and tasted very Italiany, unlike how they appeared in Ronnie's photo), and the gnocchi. Forget how this was made but we were told it wasn't yukon gold potatoes since the ones they had were not up to snuff. I think it may have been as simple as eggs and flour. They were delicious.

We weren't necessarily fasting in preparation for the dinner, but what we ordered ended up being the perfect amount of food. Regarding jesteinf's question about how much food to order, our waiter told us he'd let us know if he felt we were ordering too much food. That being said, he agreed with us that what we ordered should be perfect if we were hungry and he was correct. We also didn't experience any hiccups in service and no "I need to go ask the chef about this" moments.

I didn't take any pictures but the woman sitting next to us did. Coincidentally found out that she posts on LTH so maybe she will post hers. Also found out our server Ryan lurks and occasionally posts here, so special shout out to him and the wonderful service we received (including menus signed by the kitchen staff and off-menu rosemary shortbread cookies as a mignardise). For the record, service was great before he found out I was a fellow LTH-er

I may be forgetting something because this post has taken me two hours to write as I go back and forth between this and work, but we'll definitely be going back for more. Can't wait to try brunch. Did anyone go this past weekend?

Had a very nice meal at Perennial Virant last night. Service is gracious and efficient. The room is a bit too load for me, but I'm kinda sensative on that issue. As for dishes:
Crispy Canaroli Rice: It's been described by many, and might have been my favorite dish. Crispy rice with cheese curds. Sounds odd, but is a home run.
Carrot and peas: Nicely roasted baby carrots with three kinds of peas (shoots, pods and actual peas) and some feta.
Whitefish Brandade: What made this dish was the roasted carrot and carmelized onions on top.
Pork liver pate: This was the one miss for me, but that was because it was spiced in a way I didn't like at all. This was a matter of personal taste, not execution.

If I had to level one "critique," it would be that the flavors are all a bit tame. At a place like Avec or Mercat a la Planxa, or Bristol, I always feel that from the first bite, I'm getting flavor explosions, and I don't recall anything here that had that effect. This is, again, a matter of personal preference. I'd happily go back for another meal, but it isn't one of those places I walk out of and can't wait to get back.

Jonah

I made my inaugural visit to Perennial Virant recently and was--quite frankly--disappointed. I've read so many great things about the restaurant on LTH & other sites, plus a friend I trust raved about it. But it fell short of the mark. I might be willing to chalk it up to a bad night, and I might eventually make it back to see if my experience was an anomaly, but I certainly can't recommend it.

Things possibly got off to a bad start when we were given a table in a very out-of-the-way location, with few others seated near us. (Given that PV seemed to be fully booked in the early days, I wonder if the fact that we got a prime-time reservation with less than 24 hours' notice and that the restaurant wasn't full is a sign of larger problems.)

Service was painfully slow. Our first drink order easily took 10 minutes to arrive, with no sign of the waitress to answer questions as we waited for the drinks. We ultimately ordered eight dishes, served in four rounds, and the entire dinner took almost >3.5 hours. If it hadn't been for a particularly attentive woman bussing our table, we might have thought we were forgotten.

The preparation of the food was inconsistent. Some dishes were fantastic. Others were overly salted, too bland or just poorly prepared. The "bar snacks," for example, includes a cornmeal-coated fried okra. Blandly seasoned cornmeal, with a coating that was too thick so the okra wasn't fully cooked. I love crunchy, but there's something altogether unappealing about bland & crunchy & overcoated. A top-notch kitchen shouldn't be letting something like that hit the tables.

Oh, and the tasting menu appears to have disappeared. The menu is now divided into three sections: Small, medium & large. We only ordered off of the small and medium sections, but there seemed to be little rhyme or reason as to why dishes were in each category. One of the smallest dishes we ordered was a medium item. One of the larger/heavier was in the small section. Makes no sense to me... Six savory small/medium dishes + two desserts was the right amount of food for 2 of us.