Chicago Winery adds new restaurant, Liva, focusing on Midwest flavors
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A new restaurant in River North is putting an emphasis on flavors of the Midwest. The goal is to turn some classic flavors into a unique dining experience.
Liva opened this fall at Chicago Winery, at the corner of Clark and Superior. As CBS News Chicago's Jamaica Ponder reports, head chef Andrew Graves is trying to redefine what we consider to be traditional Midwestern flavors.
"The menu is built around having dishes from wherever. I came up with ideas throughout the Midwest to have them all shareable, and be able to be put down on the table, so that guests wouldn't be ordering their own food, they were ordering for the table, so that it becomes more of a gathering, friendship type of thing, a family thing," he said. "Yet there's also things that are challenging the diner a little bit, too. There's some other things, like a venison tartare that is a little bit off the beaten path. So you can come here, have a very, you know, middle of the road, very warm, comforting dinner. But you can also come back again, and try those things that are like, 'Hmm, I never would try that otherwise, but you know what? I might as well this time.'"
Chicago Winery hosts a fully operational winery run by head winemaker Erik Subrizi.
"Working with Erik influenced the menu for me, because working in the actual winery with him, I got to learn about, first of all, all the things that he knows about wine, which is unbelievable how much he knows. And all those things, while I'm talking to him about the wine, I'm translating it. 'Oh, maybe I can use that idea into the restaurant,'" Graves said. "Like, for instance, making a purple mustard with the leaves that we've collected from the barrels from him making wine. Those are the little things that tie everything together and create a larger experience, I guess, of Chicago Winery."
During CBS News Chicago's visit, Graves took some time to whip up a few of his favorites from the menu, a true smorgasbord of modern Midwestern flavors. He sources most of his food from Midwest farms.
"We try and do most of our stuff as locally as possible, because that's just the right thing to do these days. And you're going to get the best product by working with the farmers who are closest to you anyway. Most of the inspiration comes from as local as we can get – the Midwest," he said.
"I love that, you know? We don't have enough of that. So I really love that you're kind of adding to this idea of what Midwestern cuisine is, and how wonderfully high end it can be, while still remaining super familiar and homey, which is kind of like the ethos of the Midwest. It's like feeling like you're at home," Ponder told Graves.
"Exactly. That's what it is," Graves said. "For me, cuisine and food is about nurturing people and creating an experience that is loose, fun, happy. … So that's why I've created the food here to be put down in front of you, and shareable, and something that you can talk about with whoever you're dining with."
You can visit the Chicago winery at 739 North Clark Street, and they've recently opened their tasting room with more than 20 different wines available for sampling and wine education.