Although Eve sunsetted over New Year’s weekend, the new restaurant in the space slated for February 1st is Bistronomic (840 N. Wabash Ave.; 312-944-8400), the brainchild of the chef Martial Noguier (One Sixtyblue, Café des Architectes), who is partnering with Matt Fisher—who owned Eve—and John Ward. (The 312 Dining Diva got someone to spill the beans about it.) For a while now, Noguier has wanted to have an inexpensive modern bistro with good, uncomplicated food like what was on Café des Architectes’ neighborhood menu. He talked to us on December 29th about his plans for Bistronomic.
Dish: What is your vision for Bistronomic?
Martial Noguier: Like a modern bistro, like I spoke with you [about] many times. Not a bistro that you find with croque-monsieur and blah blah blah. A little bit Café Des Architectes, [as with its] neighborhood menu on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. Good food but not that complicated on the plate.
D: How will the menu be structured?
MN: I’m going to do small plates, medium plates, large plates. The small plates will be like a big salad with Capriole goat cheese and white truffle oil. It will be Belgian endive with Great Hill blue cheese. It will be also, for middle plates, a salade niçoise, a tuna tartare, a scallop. And for entrées, it will be like Amish chicken breast with mushroom ragout, Italian parsley, and lemon confit. It will be like Lake Superior whitefish with green lentils—the French lentils. Frisée and Dijon mustard vinaigrette. We will have also some lamb loin. Also have some duck breast. We will have also some side dishes, vegetables. I’m doing a cheese and charcuterie bar menu at the bar.
D: What will the prices be like?
MN: The price is going to be, for example, between $7 and $11 for appetizer. And for entrée will be between $17 to $23. This is the idea. I don’t want to be expensive.
D: What will the room look like?
MN: We are going to do some wood tables. We are going to put placemats. Beautiful tables. Like a wood. Dark wood tables, you know. To be more like bistro-feeling. No tablecloths. After this what we are going to do, we are going to change the chairs. Going to be like brown and the restaurant is going to be more brown. We are going to pick up all the white. I felt the white was too much.
D: Was having your own place an aspiration of yours?
MN: It is always my goal, since I left One Sixtyblue, to open my own restaurant. The food will be great food, you know. It will be bistro-style but not the typical bistro. A little bit more elegant. You will recognize my food.