Look Inside Perennial Virant, Now Open for Business

Grid View

• Stringed lights hang from the slatted-wood ceiling
• Antique mirrors grace the back bar
• Paul Virant is a master at canning vegetables and fruit
• Guests sit back to back on the banquettes
• Natural light flows throughout the space
• The lounge has a warm, cozy feeling
• The lights and trees add small touches
• Beautiful tile sits beneath the tables
• Communal king's tables

It's appropriate now that Green City Market has moved back outdoors to its summertime spot in Lincoln Park that Perennial Virant, with Paul Virant at the helm, would open its doors across the street—and it looks nothing like the Perennial that existed before. Sure, the weather doesn't say spring, but the food inside definitely conveys that feeling.

Virant, known for farm-to-table dining and practicing canning and pickling, already has many mason jars of food he's preserving on display. And the menu reflects Virant's passion for working with local farmers as many dishes, including dessert and specialty cocktails, utilize ingredients found within a few hundred miles of Chicago.

The decor is cozy and has a feeling like you're in someone's living room. Stringed lights hang from wood slats on the ceiling; antiqued mirrors lean against the back bar; long olive suede couches and low leather and beige cloth chairs beckon in the lounge; potted trees bring green into the space and light floods the room. Pastry chef Kady Yon crafts rustic and wholesome desserts; while beverage director, Peter Anderson, and mixologist, Matty Eggleston, have worked to create fun and approachable cocktails.

So, when someone asked whether Perennial Virant means "Virant all the time," it certainly looks like this space may, in fact, endure. At least the food being preserved in all those mason jars gives off that feeling.

Check out the menu:

Perennial Virant dinner menu

Dessert

· Perennial Virant Opening Mid-May With Complete Makeover