In what is undoubtedly the speediest turnaround of 2015, Nick Spencer last night reopened his Southport Corridor storefront—formerly English grocer Spencer's Jolly Posh—as Vivial (3755 N. Southport, Lake View, 773-312-3755), an elevated comfort food and cocktail spot.
Save for its bones, Vivial boasts precisely zero holdovers from Jolly Posh which closed November 1. “I’m the last British thing standing in the space,” says Spencer, and indeed, the menu is markedly American. The 24-seat dining room will serve ritzy meat-anchored fare including duck confit ($22) and short rib bucatini ($20) courtesy of chef Garrett Christiansen, 25, born in Kansas City and plucked from Aviary. Desserts are dangerously approachable, too (try the homemade toasted marshmallow served with a shot of hot chocolate).
Vivial's interior has been spruced into a cozy-casual eatery—think candles and indoor shrubberies—and if that’s not comforting enough, the bar will traffic in easy-drinking craft cocktails and beers (Moody Tongue) as well as West Coast wines (including pours from Poseidon Vineyards).