|
|
|
No sooner had Chef Robert Nava earned national recognition for his Depot American Diner, than he’s again reshaping the Berwyn area scene by partnering with Marty and Regina Mendicino to expand their martini bar into Olive or Twist “The Restaurant,” featuring American regional dishes for lunch and dinner.
“I’m having a lot of fun; I can be a little more creative,” Nava says. “It’s kind of good to get back to my roots … a little more on the fine dining end.”
Those roots include Michigan Avenue stints at The Signature Room in the John Hancock Center and at Hard Rock Hotel Chicago. Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” on the Food Network is among the media outlets to feature The Depot American Diner, which Nava’s wife, Annamarie Fillmore-Nava, oversees while he turns more of his attention to the new venture.
“(Marty) approached me on coming on board to turn it into a restaurant,” he says. “He’d come to The Depot, liked the food I was doing there, and learned I had experience in fine dining for the past 30 years. We tried to focus on a chophouse (concept with) steaks and pasta and large salads, an upscale-casual restaurant.”
Mendicino, who plans to bring back jazz bands various weeknights, moved his Martin-Aire Heating and Cooling business out of the building to accommodate the new dining room and kitchen.
“It’s been wonderful,” he says of the collaboration with Nava. “I couldn’t have found a better man to partner up with.”
The 6-year-old bar is known for dozens of martinis and microbrew bottled beers from around the country.
Playing off the martini theme, Nava says he created a seafood appetizer that’s a twist on ceviche. Inside a cocktail shaker, his recipe for shrimp, scallops and tomatoes is shaken at the table and poured into a martini glass.
A fan of the new enterprise is Mark Ryan of Berwyn.
“I love the place — it’s very welcoming, cozy, romantic (with) nice dark wood, exposed brick and soft lighting,” he says. “The menu is very wide-ranging. You can get everything from upper-level entrees to sandwiches or salads — have a very elegant dinner or have a basic sandwich type meal. The chef … has a name in the industry. When you get something like the applewood-smoked pork with cheese grits, they’re not your normal cheese grits, (but) smoother, more like a polenta. Those kinds of touches he adds really make it an elegant place in Berwyn.”
For dessert, Ryan suggests the white chocolate bread pudding, calling it a standout.
No sooner had Chef Robert Nava earned national recognition for his Depot American Diner, than he’s again reshaping the Berwyn area scene by partnering with Marty and Regina Mendicino to expand their martini bar into Olive or Twist “The Restaurant,” featuring American regional dishes for lunch and dinner.
“I’m having a lot of fun; I can be a little more creative,” Nava says. “It’s kind of good to get back to my roots … a little more on the fine dining end.”
Those roots include Michigan Avenue stints at The Signature Room in the John Hancock Center and at Hard Rock Hotel Chicago. Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” on the Food Network is among the media outlets to feature The Depot American Diner, which Nava’s wife, Annamarie Fillmore-Nava, oversees while he turns more of his attention to the new venture.
“(Marty) approached me on coming on board to turn it into a restaurant,” he says. “He’d come to The Depot, liked the food I was doing there, and learned I had experience in fine dining for the past 30 years. We tried to focus on a chophouse (concept with) steaks and pasta and large salads, an upscale-casual restaurant.”
Mendicino, who plans to bring back jazz bands various weeknights, moved his Martin-Aire Heating and Cooling business out of the building to accommodate the new dining room and kitchen.
“It’s been wonderful,” he says of the collaboration with Nava. “I couldn’t have found a better man to partner up with.”
The 6-year-old bar is known for dozens of martinis and microbrew bottled beers from around the country.
Playing off the martini theme, Nava says he created a seafood appetizer that’s a twist on ceviche. Inside a cocktail shaker, his recipe for shrimp, scallops and tomatoes is shaken at the table and poured into a martini glass.
A fan of the new enterprise is Mark Ryan of Berwyn.
“I love the place — it’s very welcoming, cozy, romantic (with) nice dark wood, exposed brick and soft lighting,” he says. “The menu is very wide-ranging. You can get everything from upper-level entrees to sandwiches or salads — have a very elegant dinner or have a basic sandwich type meal. The chef … has a name in the industry. When you get something like the applewood-smoked pork with cheese grits, they’re not your normal cheese grits, (but) smoother, more like a polenta. Those kinds of touches he adds really make it an elegant place in Berwyn.”
For dessert, Ryan suggests the white chocolate bread pudding, calling it a standout.
