Perennial Virant | New restaurant

Perennial—the restaurant across the street from Green City Market that used to belong to chef Ryan Poli—is gone. The chef is gone (he went to a different restaurant group), and so is the room (it’s been completely gutted and rehabbed). So why isn’t the word Perennial gone, too? The answer has to do with the restaurant’s new chef, Paul Virant. Virant has made a name for himself as one of Chicago’s best chefs (not to mention one of the chefs most dedicated to the farm-to-table movement, and most obsessed with pickling). And he’s earned that reputation at his restaurant in Western Springs, Vie. Perennial Virant will be dramatically different from Vie—the seasonal American food will be offered as shared plates, for one thing. For another, the new restaurant will serve brunch, which will include a “meat and three”—a Southern-food concept where diners pick a meat and three sides. But the heart of the place will still be chef Virant. So it makes sense that just as his Western Springs restaurant is named after his initial, his new one will, too. That’s right: You can call Perennial Virant “P.V.” for short. 1800 N Lincoln Ave (312-981-7070).