Joe Flamm wants you to feel like you’re in Europe. Not just by eating Italian-inspired food or sipping on a French wine, but by having what he considers the best European experience. “I love these restaurants in Europe, that are all day,” Flamm says. “In the morning, you get your coffee, a pastry, and later in the day your cocktail or have wine, and then you go at night for bites. Those great European wine bar vibes.” That’s what Flamm hopes to provide when Bar Tutto (1110 W. Carroll Ave., Fulton Market District) opens in early December.
Flamm is the chef behind a bunch of my favorite restaurants, including BLVD, Il Carciofo, and Rose Mary, so I’ll admit I didn’t expect to see him opening a coffee shop (or even, as Bar Tutto promises to be, a part-time coffee shop). But when the space became available in Fulton Market, he says, it was the obvious choice. “The West Loop needs this,” explains Flamm. “There are so many good restaurants, but not a good casual neighborhood hang spot. There’s not a lot of grown-up places to just hang out — every bar is either a serious cocktail bar or meant for 25-year-olds.”
Starting in the morning, Bar Tutto will offer coffee, pastries, and to-go items, but also a full sit-down breakfast menu for those who want it. Lunch has a selection of salads, appetizers, and sandwiches, while the dinner menu is split between small bites and more substantial entrees. Flamm is particularly excited about the lunch menu — and anyone who has recently tried to have lunch in Fulton Market will be too, as there just aren’t that many great places open.
“I’ve really started to appreciate that one of my reprieves is sitting down and having a nice lunch; having 30 minutes to be able to enjoy something is such a luxury,” says Flamm. Start with an anchovy crostino with butter and pickled fennel, move onto an antipasti salad with soppressata and provolone, and end with a smoked chicken thigh with farro, celery, and grapes, and you’ll be ready to go back to the office recharged (or take a long nap).
As soon as I heard Flamm talk about the snacks on the dinner menu, my mind immediately went to one of my favorite Chicago cookbooks — Tony Mantuano’s Wine Bar Food, by the former chef at Spiaggia (If you don’t have it, grab it). Turns out, that’s not just me free associating. “Tony is a massive inspiration for me,” laughs Flamm, who used to work for Mantuano. Even the name of the restaurant is a nod to Mantuano, who used to own a restaurant called Tutto Posto.
The dinner menu is filled with tiny, hearty bites; small vegetables, grilled seafood, crostini, and charcuterie. His goal is to create a spot where you can come before dinner and have a few great bites and a glass of wine, and then choose to stay for more or head to your next destination. If you do stick around, there’s a wood grill in the kitchen, so expect dishes like a hanger steak marinated in red wine and a peperonata sauce, or a grilled half chicken with potatoes. The goal is to have food that is simple, affordable, and satisfying. “One of my favorite things in Italy is doing road trips and pulling over to the side of the road and getting three courses for 20 euros; really simple, ingredient focused food.”
Of course, it’s a wine bar, so there will be some great bottles to drink. Kyle Davidson is running the beverage program, and Flamm describes the wine list as interesting, quirky bottles that didn’t quite fit the other restaurants in the group. “Kyle approaches a wine list the way I do a menu — if he can get six bottles of something, we’ll serve it; just like if we only have a few weeks of melon, I’ll serve melon just for those weeks,” explains Flamm. The cocktails will be lighter and focused on aperitivos, an offering that’s just right for kicking off a night in the West Loop.
Bar Tutto is slated to open on December 9. Follow @bartuttochicago for updates.