Vive la France
By Naperville Magazine
October 2024 View more Table for Two
By Phil Vettel
Petite Vie Brasserie serves up French classics
I was among the many who mourned when Vie, an outstanding restaurant in Western Springs—and one of only two Chicago suburban restaurants to receive a Michelin star (the late, great Courtright’s in Willow Springs was the other one)—called it a career in late 2023 after a 19-year run. “It would have been nice to have gotten to 20,” says chef-owner Paul Virant. “But we had landlord issues.”
As lease negotiations were stalling, however, another restaurant property, mere steps away, was putting up the for-sale sign. “We struck that deal in June, kept running Vie until the third weekend of October, got hustling, and opened [the new location] in April,” Virant says. (During that hiatus, Virant took home the Jean Banchet Award for Chef of the Year, awarded in January 2024.)
Rather than reopen as Vie, Virant dubbed the new restaurant Petite Vie Brasserie, adopting a classic French menu. Which was a less drastic change from Vie’s contemporary American style than one might think. “Most of my formal training was French,” Virant says. “Besides, a lot of people thought that Vie was French; well, now we are.”
Petite Vie certainly looks the part. A collaboration between Jennifer Virant and designer Jody Tate, the interior abounds in French accents. Most of the decor is black and white, save for the brick wall hung tastefully with bits of art and a beautiful circular mirror. Comfortable stools provide seating at the all-black bar and a counter looking directly at the open kitchen. The tables are too generously sized to be true bistro pieces, but I doubt anyone will complain.
There are just over 20 appetizers (listed as hors d’oeuvres) and entrées, and there isn’t a wrong choice anywhere. Among starters, oysters are handled with care, paired with a Lillet and Champagne-vinegar mignonette; scallops swim in a perfectly balanced sauce Grenobloise with sliced Marcona almonds. The pâté maison plates and cheese plates are well-executed classics, as is the salade Lyonnaise, augmented with pieces of crisped pork belly.
My picks for main courses include the trout amandine and the halibut Veronique. When bouillabaisse is on the menu (an occasional plat du jour), grab it; ditto for the mussels in tomato broth, accented with plenty of rouille.
Meaty courses include a very good duck leg confit with roasted leeks and Calvados-soaked apples; and pork chasseur, pork tenderloin, and mushrooms in white-wine sauce. I didn’t try the steak frites, but based on the crispy fries that came with the duck poutine (a must-try classic Canadian dish off the brunch menu), I’d recommend the dish without reservation.
Speaking of brunch, it’s served every weekend, and my tip is to visit on a Saturday, when the dining room is far less busy. In addition to that poutine, there’s a custardy quiche, which changes seasonally but tastes like someone snuck a soufflé onto a pie crust. The croque madame sandwich is wonderfully indulgent, and the garlic sausage (an à la carte side) is so rich that one order will keep four people happy.
Dessert highlights include a delicious nougat glacé with candied orange and a lovely Parisian flan tart (mine featured fresh peaches, but that season will be over by the time you read this).
Do not overlook the kitchen’s pastry work, which is outstanding. There is a pitch-perfect demi baguette with salted butter and very good gougères stuffed with truffled Gouda cheese. Unique to the brunch menu are the pain au chocolat and the kouign-amann; these sweet treats are so delicious, I’m guessing that Petite Vie might start serving grab-and-go pastries and coffee to the morning commuter crowd (the restaurant faces the Western Springs BNSF station).
“We’re just focused on dinner now,” Virant says. “Instead of rushing [into morning service], we’re going to process what we’re doing well and what makes sense for the future.”
Beverage options are in the capable hands of bar manager Patrick Swanson (a familiar figure to Vie fans)—for my money the most creative mixologist in the western burbs—and wine steward Grace Bradley, a reliable source of food-wine-pairing advice. Petite Vie has developed a very nice selection of nonalcoholic choices (a bit ahead of the curve in that regard).
The thing I most appreciate about Petite Vie is that it fills an important gap in the west suburban dining scene, where French cooking is hard to come by.
“Funny,” Virant says. “At first I planned just to close Vie and focus on Vistro Prime [in downtown Hinsdale] and Gaijin [his Japanese-inspired concept in Chicago’s Fulton Market District]. But then the opportunity came.”
Photos: Regan Baroni
