Autre Monde Opens With Spiaggia Vets Behind Project

Over the weekend, dining in Berwyn got taken up a notch with the opening of Autre Monde Cafe & Spirits, which will kick off its official first full week of service tomorrow. The new European-feeling cafe and wine bar sees the coming together of four food industry veterans who all worked with Spiaggia chef/partner Tony Mantuano at some point in the past. Husband and wife team, John Aranza and Christine Tully Aranza, conceived of the project and enlisted chefs Beth Partridge and Dan Pancake to oversee the kitchen.

The menu pulls from throughout the Mediterranean, with a focus on cuisine from Italy, Spain and coastal France. The chefs have crafted a simple menu focusing on cold plates (pork rillette; burrata; Spanish charcuterie); hot plates (grilled octopus; manchego croquetas); housemade flatbreads; pasta and large plates (sauteed halibut; roasted cornish hen). Many of the ingredients are being sourced from the restaurant's own on-site greenhouse, which was constructed to be hyper local and defray some food costs.

Autre Monde also caters to a later-night crowd, with nightly chalkboard specials. They've crafted a seasonal cocktail list and have source well-priced wines from Italy, Spain and France. And while it's currently only open for dinner, brunch will begin in about a month.

Want more? Download the menu and wine list [PDF].

· Autre Monde Cafe's Greenhouse Kickstarter Campaign [~EChi~]