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Convito Cafe & Market
  
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In times like these, there are those who might be skeptical of some of the inventory and menu at Wilmette's Convito Cafe & Market – $100 bottles of aged balsamic vinegar, specialty truffle oils, boutique pastas and wines imported from Italy and France. Probably these are folks who haven't experienced French and Italian cuisine first-hand on the continent, where the quest for culinary quality is ingrained in the culture. It's just such unique, high-quality ingredients that allow Convito to do the best replication of the striking and simple flavors of Italian and French food that I've had anywhere in the States.
Nancy Brussat Barocci first opened the store/restaurant combo called Convito (an archaic Italian word meaning, roughly, "banquet”) in 1980 in the Plaza del Lago space that now houses Starbucks. She'd lived and traveled with her family throughout France and Italy and wanted to share the food she'd experienced there with the North Shore. In '92 she opened Betise, a French bistro, in Convito's current location. When the original Convito's building began to deteriorate, Barocci saw an opportunity to expand the Betise space and combine both concepts – the Italian market/restaurant and the French bistro – into a single new entity. Convito in its current form was born, seating 80 indoors and about 65 outside.
We met Barocci and her daughter, Candace Barocci Warner, who herself lived in Provence, France, and is now GM of her mom's restaurant, for lunch. They showed us around their store and around Executive Chef Noe Sanchez' dinner menu, a thoughtful mix of traditional Italian and French fare with some bold contemporary notes (about half rotates seasonally, the other half is permanent).
"[Chef Noe] is the best chef we've had in 29 years," Warner says. "From managing the business aspect to the actual food preparation, he's the best at getting the ideas in my mom's head to show up on the table."
The turnout at Convito reflects a high demand for authentic Italian and French flavors (the dining room was full for our Monday lunch). Once you have a few good meals in these countries, you'll do most anything to relive those experiences. The crowd is also a telling cross-section of the North Shore. Warner tells us Convito sees an equal mix of the older, Manhattan-and-duck crowd alongside a younger, family clientele, which explains a menu that is traditional and focused, yet modern and diverse.
Our Top Five
1. Rotisserie Free Range Amish Chicken ($17.50) – A tender half chicken roasted with lemon, garlic and natural jus with homemade pommes frites – a classic done right.
2. Seaside Shrimp Fusilli ($17.50, seasonal) – The whole wheat pasta is a customer request, but the shrimp, grape tomatoes, olives, baby arugula and extra virgin olive oil – plus some red pepper flakes – fill this dish with fresh, vibrant Italian flavors.
3. Chocolate Fondant ($7) – Flourless chocolate cake with a gooey chocolate center (of melted chocolate and egg whites). A no-brainer with your specialty roast coffee at the end of the meal.
4. Arugula & Beet Salad ($8) – Baby arugula, roasted yellow and red beets, red wine vinaigrette – fresh, tangy and sweet.
5. Whitefish Piccata ($21.50) – Lake Superior whitefish, Yukon gold potatoes, croutons and green beans all humbled by an awesome lemon, white wine and caper sauce.
Other favorites: Onion Soup Gratin ($6.5), Spaghetti & Meatballs ($16), Pan Seared Calves Liver ($19.50), Apple Crostada ($6.75), Cookie Plate ($6).
Convito Cafe & Market, Plaza del Lago, 1515 Sheridan Rd., Wilmette, 847-251-3654, convitocafeandmarket.com. Seating hours: Mon-Thurs 11:30am-9pm (9:30pm outside), Fri-Sat 11:30am-10pm, Sun brunch 11am-3pm, dinner 3-9pm.
Nancy Brussat Barocci first opened the store/restaurant combo called Convito (an archaic Italian word meaning, roughly, "banquet”) in 1980 in the Plaza del Lago space that now houses Starbucks. She'd lived and traveled with her family throughout France and Italy and wanted to share the food she'd experienced there with the North Shore. In '92 she opened Betise, a French bistro, in Convito's current location. When the original Convito's building began to deteriorate, Barocci saw an opportunity to expand the Betise space and combine both concepts – the Italian market/restaurant and the French bistro – into a single new entity. Convito in its current form was born, seating 80 indoors and about 65 outside.
We met Barocci and her daughter, Candace Barocci Warner, who herself lived in Provence, France, and is now GM of her mom's restaurant, for lunch. They showed us around their store and around Executive Chef Noe Sanchez' dinner menu, a thoughtful mix of traditional Italian and French fare with some bold contemporary notes (about half rotates seasonally, the other half is permanent).
"[Chef Noe] is the best chef we've had in 29 years," Warner says. "From managing the business aspect to the actual food preparation, he's the best at getting the ideas in my mom's head to show up on the table."
The turnout at Convito reflects a high demand for authentic Italian and French flavors (the dining room was full for our Monday lunch). Once you have a few good meals in these countries, you'll do most anything to relive those experiences. The crowd is also a telling cross-section of the North Shore. Warner tells us Convito sees an equal mix of the older, Manhattan-and-duck crowd alongside a younger, family clientele, which explains a menu that is traditional and focused, yet modern and diverse.
Our Top Five
1. Rotisserie Free Range Amish Chicken ($17.50) – A tender half chicken roasted with lemon, garlic and natural jus with homemade pommes frites – a classic done right.
2. Seaside Shrimp Fusilli ($17.50, seasonal) – The whole wheat pasta is a customer request, but the shrimp, grape tomatoes, olives, baby arugula and extra virgin olive oil – plus some red pepper flakes – fill this dish with fresh, vibrant Italian flavors.
3. Chocolate Fondant ($7) – Flourless chocolate cake with a gooey chocolate center (of melted chocolate and egg whites). A no-brainer with your specialty roast coffee at the end of the meal.
4. Arugula & Beet Salad ($8) – Baby arugula, roasted yellow and red beets, red wine vinaigrette – fresh, tangy and sweet.
5. Whitefish Piccata ($21.50) – Lake Superior whitefish, Yukon gold potatoes, croutons and green beans all humbled by an awesome lemon, white wine and caper sauce.
Other favorites: Onion Soup Gratin ($6.5), Spaghetti & Meatballs ($16), Pan Seared Calves Liver ($19.50), Apple Crostada ($6.75), Cookie Plate ($6).
Convito Cafe & Market, Plaza del Lago, 1515 Sheridan Rd., Wilmette, 847-251-3654, convitocafeandmarket.com. Seating hours: Mon-Thurs 11:30am-9pm (9:30pm outside), Fri-Sat 11:30am-10pm, Sun brunch 11am-3pm, dinner 3-9pm.
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