Dish Flash

A New Table
Giuseppe Scurato, a top-flight chef who made his bones at Boka, Landmark, and, most recently, Topaz Cafe, has been looking for his own place for a while now. He finally found it today in Uptown’s former Monticchio space (4882 N. Clark St.), where he plans to open an affordable contemporary American restaurant called Ceres’ Table. “The European influence has always been there,” says Scurato of his cooking. “But this time it’s going to be some Italian.” The name comes from the Roman goddess of agriculture (you may know her from her perch atop the Chicago Board of Trade). “Ceres was born in Sicily, like me,” says Scurato, who plans to introduce a late-night menu on weekends shortly after the place opens in early November. As for Topaz (780 Village Center Dr., Burr Ridge; 630-654-1616), life goes on: Scurato’s former sous-chef, Ryan Wombacher, has been promoted to exec chef.