Terra & Vine, the latest restaurant from master sommelier Alpana Singh and business partner Matt Fisher, and their first in Evanston, opened Sept. 29. There are two things I suggest you look for when dining: Can you find the visual pun on the Terra & Vine name in the bar? And in the handsome dining room, can you locate the one book from Singh’s extensive library that is not food- or wine-related?
Mum’s the word on my part; you’re going to have to go and find out. That shouldn’t be an onerous task, I would think, for the legion of followers Singh won over during her 10-year stint hosting WTTW’s “Check, Please!” Nor for those faithful customers of Seven Lions and The Boarding House, the two Chicago restaurants she co-owns with Fisher.
What of Evanston residents who aren’t already fans? Singh is optimistic.
“People really want to eat good food in their neighborhood,” she says. The menu at Terra, a lineup of Italian dishes with a Mediterranean slant, comes from executive chef Andrew Graves, formerly of the Alinea Group. But don’t think of the restaurant as fancy: “We’re very mindful to make sure that the dishes are comfortable … approachable in price point, approachable in presentation, bountiful,” Singh says.
That includes items like pizzettes, spaghetti Bolognese, meatballs with Parmesan and fried shallots, and roasted salmon with blood orange vinaigrette. Glasses of wine start at $9, and a short dessert list includes a chocolate torte, a tiramisu sundae and an Italian cookie plate.
Terra & Vine is in the space formerly occupied by Italian chain restaurant Bravo! Singh, laughing, says she chose Italian fare because her partners weren’t going to pull out the massive brick pizza oven. But they also thought the community needed an Italian place. “Mediterranean-inspired Italian,” Singh emphasizes.
“When I think of Mediterranean, I just think of lighter, fresher flavors,” she explains. The food at Terra has “a lighter hand; things aren’t weighed down with so much cheese. It’s not rich.”
The old Bravo! space has been carved up, she noted, into a dining room that seats 105, an adjoining 30-seat bar dominated by a long marble-topped counter, and four private dining areas, three of which can be combined to create a large space for group functions. A 60-seat patio is slated to open next spring. In the dining room, an open kitchen shows off the pizza oven and wood-fired grills. Fisher oversaw the design of the restaurant, which includes weathered wood finishes, Mediterranean-patterned tile and tufted-leather banquettes.
“I think, in Evanston, community is everything,” Singh said, explaining the decision to divide the space into smaller areas. “A sense of neighborhood and community and everybody breaking bread together.”
Terra & Vine, 1701 Maple Ave., Evanston, 847-563-4333, www.terraandvine.com
[email protected]
Twitter @billdaley
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