Say 'oui' to Vanille
There's a new sweet spot in town and it is located in the heart of Lake View at 3243 N. Broadway. Vanille Patisserie creates authentic French goodness with the art of pastry.
Founded in 2002, there is now a third location that opened Feb. 4.
The owner for four years, Sophie Evanoff was on hand at the recent opening night to chat with guests for an exclusive party. She is a graduate of the French Pastry School and owns other locations covering Lincoln Park and Chicago's French Market in the Chicago area.
There are macarons that are the colors of the rainbow and a new line of gluten-free layer cakes now offered. Tarts, and fresh baked tarts are also on the menu with delicious coffee to wash it down.
Try a stud muffin by the name of Chad, Wyatt, Evan, and Karl, all with different ingredients ormy favoriteRomeo, with the flavors of chocolate cake, raspberry and buttercream.
The place is open 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and an hour later on Fridays and Saturdays for late-night snacking.
Visit www.vanillepatisserie.com . Also, plan a wedding with cake information by emailing info@vanillepatisserie.com or calling 773-868-4574
Text and photos by Jerry Nunn
Fogo satisfying carnivores in Naperville
A new Fogo de Chao Brazilian steakhouse restaurant has opened in Naperville, at 1824 Abriter Ct. ( in Freedom Commons ).
Like the other Fogo de Chao eateries in Chicago and Rosemont, men come to your table with a variety of meats until you tell the extremely attentive servers to stopwhich you do by flipping the card on your table from green to red, just like a traffic light.
Fortunately, it's not just a stop for carnivores, though. A pretty substantial salad bar/market table offers items such as jumbo asparagus, Brazilian kale-and-arugula salad, tomatoes, green beats, potatoes, hearts of palm, a cheese selection and quinoa tabouleh. However, it's not just vegetables and dairy, of course, with options like charcuterie and black-pepper candied bacon. In short, there's something for everyone and the fare's pretty tastingat least judging by the multitude of smiling faces in the bustling venue.
By the way, here's an incentive: Couples dining at Fogo on Valentine's Day weekend will receive a card for a complimentary lunch or dinner on their next visit.
Andrew Davis