Vie4471 Lawn Ave.Western Springs(708) 246-2082
www.vierestaurant.com 　
If you don’t believe applesauce, chicken tenders and chocolate pudding are the stuff of fine dining, think again.”Sunday Suppers” at Vie in Western Springs are redefining comfort food for families.
Launched in February and held once a month in the modern yet comfortable restaurant, these casual suppers provide a great sample of Chef/Owner Paul Virant’s dedication to fresh local ingredients. With a limited menu of offerings set at $25 per person (includes soup or salad and entrĂ©e) and a Children’s Menu where children under 11 pay their age, Vie has created an affordable way for parents to expose kids to an upscale dining experience.
You never know exactly what you might find at Vie since Virant relies on what’s available and freshest from the many local farms with which he works. Interestingly, all his menus give details about the origins of his entrees and side dishes. My trout, for example, came from Rushing Waters, a trout farm in Wisconsin, while the dry aged beef in my husband’s meatloaf was from Dietzler Farm.
There is a real comfort to knowing exactly where your food originates. When my 8-year-old acknowledged his chicken tenders were a lot better than the ones we cook in the microwave, I told him that’s because they were freshly prepared from chickens raised at a farm in Indiana. Even a simple grilled cheese was elevated when wood-fired on homemade sourdough bread. Each of the children’s meals came with a homemade applesauce appetizer, a nice touch since the adults are served first courses with their dinners.
Since Vie is not a paper tablecloth sort of place, I was concerned about keeping my rambunctious 4-year-old occupied before dinner, but Vie gave each child a packet with"Wikki Stix,” bendable/posable sticks which they can free-form or stick to a unique connect-the-dots picture.
From start to the delicious chocolate pudding finish, we had a Sunday Supper to remember.
The May Sunday Supper had not yet been scheduled at press time. Check the restaurant’s Web site for more details.
