The 26-year-old Gold Coast stand-out is modeled in the fashion of Italian Caffes and Offers Guests the Opportunity to Sample Multiple Smaller Dishes
CHICAGO – August 3, 2010 – Michigan Avenue’s Cafe Spiaggia, the casual Italian restaurant helmed by James Beard award-winning chef and “Top Chef Masters” contestant Tony Mantuano, is pleased to announce the completion of a refresh of its décor and menu. The restaurant tapped Chicago designer Matt Lorenz to conceptualize the new look. Lorenz also redesigned Spiaggia’s Private Dinning Rooms in February 2009. Drawing inspiration from the cafes lining Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy, Lorenz worked with Cafe Spiaggia to create an elegantly stylish environment for the stand-out neighborhood restaurant, making it even more comfortable.
“Cafe Spiaggia has been a success for 26 years and it’s been 12 years since we last changed its look. This just seemed like the right time to refresh our décor and our menu,” said Spiaggia and Cafe Spiaggia Chef/Partner Tony Mantuano. “We’re seeing a trend among our guests, they want to experience more than one or two dishes, they want to taste and share in the true Italian tradition. With our executive chef Sarah Grueneberg, I think we’ve created something really special that offers guests the opportunity to sample more of what Cafe Spiaggia has to offer. The Spiaggia team frequently travels to Italy and we’re always bringing something back with us. Our regulars are going to love it and newcomers are in for an authentic, memorable meal.”
As part of the refresh, everything in Cafe Spiaggia has been given new life – save for the hand-laid Italian marble floor and the hand-painted frescos. This includes: custom-finished maple table-tops, Sangiovese-red chenille and leather banquettes, antiqued mirrors with rosettes, roman window shades, rich brown wooden chairs outfitted with leather seats and charcoal dexter-chenille backs, Lightology’s Egypt-amber beaded and satin nickel pendent lights, and custom-built wall sconces with stamped gold-leaf and a clear etched-glass light shade by New Metal Crafts of Chicago.
Cafe Spiaggia’s new vibe is complemented by new staff’s uniforms. Similar to styles seen at the Spiaggia team’s favorite trattorias and entoecas in Rome, Milan and Bologna, the wait staff is smartly dressed in tailored black button-down shirts, slim Sangiovese-red neckties and dark indigo denim.
Cafe Spiaggia also used this opportunity to refresh its popular menu, both the physical look, which has a new graphic design that features Chef Tony Mantuano’s handwriting, and the dishes. The new menu offers guests smaller plates that will be frequently updated with rotating dishes, rather than daily special, to afford guests the opportunity to share and enjoy multiple flavors from different regions of Italy. The team is putting more focus into creating house-made breads and a variety of rillettes while still putting a strong emphasis on its wood-burning oven dishes and pizzas and Chicago’s best hand-made pastas. Regulars will not be disappointed as classic Cafe Spiaggia staples, such as hand-made gnocchi with wild boar ragu, Roman-style porchetta and house-made gelato and sorbetti remain.
Highlights from the new menu include:
- Cicchetti (Venetian dialect for ‘snack’): Olives: tri-color Cerignola olives with orange zest and fennel; Noci e Fagioli: Sicialian Almonds, chickpeas and fava beans and Cavola Croccante: Tuscan kale with Controne pepper and lemon.
- Crostini E Pane: Focaccia: house-made focaccia with mozzarella, Taggiasca olives and herb salad; Anitra: duck rillette with balsamic onions, arugula and ciabatta and Trota Affumicato: smoked rainbow trout with parsley, fried capers and grilled bread.
- Paste: Paccheri: calamari with cherry tomato, corno di capra peppers, and mint and Perciatelle: La Quercia guanciale with tomato and Pecorino Romano.
- Al Forno: Melanzane: Sicilian eggplant with tomato, Parmigiano Reggiano and basil and Panino: a porchetta sandwich with giardiniera peppers and housemade pickles.
Guests are invited to make reservations for Cafe Spiaggia by calling 312.280.2750 or at www.cafespiaggia.com.
About Cafe Spiaggia
Cafe Spiaggia is located at 980 North Michigan Avenue at the corner of Oak Street. As the casual sibling restaurant to Spiaggia, Cafe Spiaggia offers authentic Italian cuisine inspired by the regions of Italian through small plates paired with Italian wines and artisanal Italian beers. Located on Chicago’s Gold Coast the restaurant has become a favorite dining destination for locals and visitors alike. Cafe Spiaggia is open for lunch seven days a week 11:30am to 2:30pm. Dinner: Monday through Thursday: 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday: 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sunday: 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. For reservations please call (312) 280-2750. For more information, visit www.cafespiaggia.com.
Media Contacts:
David Semanoff, Quinn & Co., 212.868.1900 x222, dsemanoff@quinnandco.com
Alexandra Reichek, Quinn & Co., 212.868.1900 x245, areichek@quinnandco.com
