Chef Paul Virant Will Return to His French Roots

2024 is off to a roaring start for chef Paul Virant, the venerable hospitality veteran who in January won Chef of the Year at the local Jean Banchet Awards.

On the heels of this victory, and around five months after he closed pioneering suburban restaurant Vie in Western Springs, Virant is deep into preparations for a new spot in the same village around 20 miles west of Chicago. Construction is well underway at Petite Vie, a French cafe and brasserie, which he aims to open by late spring at 909 Burlington Avenue, perched just around the corner from Vie’s former home.

Virant doesn’t dwell on sentimentality about Vie’s closing, which after 19 years “just didn’t feel right anymore,” he says, especially in light of ongoing issues with its former landlord. This won’t be an issue at Petite Vie, as Virant purchased its Burlington Avenue building. It’s slightly smaller than Vie and will seat around 65.

For Virant — known for hits like Japanese-influenced okonomiyaki den Gaijin in West Loop, neighborhood steakhouse Vistro Prime in suburban Hinsdale, and landmark Lincoln Park collaboration with Boka Restaurant Group, Perennial Virant — French cuisine represents a kind of homecoming. It’s the cuisine he was formally trained to cook, and after decades away from the style, it feels like a refreshing return to his roots. He’s also observed a French culinary void in the area following the 2021 closure of Mon Ami Gabi, a suburban outpost of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises’ bistro in Lincoln Park.

“When I opened Vie in 2004, I was 34 years old, and like a lot of chefs who have that opportunity, you want to [cook food] that’s innately your own,” he says. “That was great, but years have gone by and for anybody in a creative field, it’s nice to be able to do something different.”

A menu isn’t yet finalized, but for culinary inspiration, Virant recently took a trip to France — his first since 1995 — which generated ideas like a selection of quintessential hors d’oeuvres (think “little potted things,”) like duck liver mousse and smoked salmon rillettes alongside pickles and crispy lentils designed to whet the appetite. He also encountered a tweaked version of oefs mimosa, or classical French deviled eggs, that will make its way onto the menu at Petite Vie. Instead of traditional hard-boiling, his team will soft-boil the eggs to create a delectably jammy texture and top them with a delicate crab salad or seasonal vegetables.

As this new project shows, Virant remains enamored with feeding patrons outside the city limits — a population that has seen a dramatic increase in options since Vie’s mid-aughts debut. He’s welcomed that change and has watched with great interest as urban restaurateurs have expanded into the suburban landscape.

“[That’s] a good thing,” says Virant. “In rural parts of Europe, there’s great food everywhere. I do think there has been a lot of great food in the suburbs — obviously, I’m biased — but now there’s just more of it. I don’t think you can get away with mediocre, or even just above average. There’s too much competition and you’re going to get squeezed out.”

Petite Vie, 909 Burlington Avenue in Western Springs, Scheduled to open in spring.