When Firefly closed along Halsted Street in the heart of Boystown and the "For rent" sign was posted, Franco Gianni and partner Gary Zickel jumped at the prime location.
They wanted to open a new restaurantone they hoped would offer the classy, high-dollar taste and feel of a downtown restaurant, but with a neighborhood approach.
They delivered. It's called Wood, 3335 N. Halsted St., open daily until 11 p.m., where small-plate delicacies mesh with sweet cocktails and an array of beers that are none-too-common in the neighborhood.
"The reason we opened in this neighborhood is, because we live in this neighborhood. We have dined at just about every restaurant in this neighborhood, and we just felt we were lacking more of a quality [dining] experience as opposed to your local bar and grill," said Gianni, 47, a Chicago native who is Wood's general manager. He also owns Tank Sushi in Lincoln Square and has worked in the restaurant industry for about 20 years.
Zickel, 47, is a part-owner of Wood, along with Dean Hervochon and Theodora Koutsougeras. Hervochon is openly gay, too, while Koutsougeras also owns the Melrose Restaurant, 3233 N. Broadway. Zickel, who also sells real estate, opened multiple small-chain restaurants in his native Michigan.
"There are some great restaurants in this area, but we offer something different," Gianni said.
"We want to be able to walk to dinnernot have to go to West Loop or Logan Squarefor this type of dining experience," Zickel added. "We are a neighborhood restaurant, but want to cater to the whole city and visitors from out of state, too."
Wood opened Pride weekend in June and quickly became a hit, especially with the 30-and-over crowd. Wood has seemingly turned into a special date night for those in their 20s, Gianni said.
That, perhaps, is price-driven. Dinner for two, with small plates and two cocktails each, will cost about $30-40.
"We are a neighborhood restaurant, and we want the neighborhood to appreciate and embrace this place, to want to come here weekly," Gianni said. "We want to be Lakeview's answer to Randolph Street or the West Loop or the Southport corridor."
Both Gianni and Zickel said the gay community is very important to the restaurant's survival, and they have seen flocks of LGBT customers since late Juneand plenty of straight couples, too.
"I don't think it matters [to gay customers] that this is a gay-owned business. It really doesn't matter who owns the restaurant as long as you're giving them the quality that they want and expect. Being a gay-owned is a bonus," Gianni said.
Wood, named for its wood-burning ovens, has a wood décor throughout, along with a touch of bronze and mirrored walls behind the bar. Even the lengthy bar top is made of wood.
Wood is a lounge-like dining experiencewith indoor seating for 32, another 25 at the bar and, weather permitting, 35 outside.
Wood has 27 full-time employees, anchored around chef Ashlee Aubin, who created Wood after stops at Alinea and Zealous, among other restaurants.
"The chef came from a five-star restaurant, so he's able to offer five-star quality food at more of a mid-range price-point," Gianni said. "Our chef is a big part of the restaurant, obviously. We give him free reign to create a menu that represents him."
Wood features a large percent of locally grown ingredients, mostly from Midwest farmers, with many seasonal items. "What's available at the market is what goes on our menu."
Some of the most popular small-plate offerings, as of late September, were heirloom tomatoes, crispy pork croquette, roasted pork belly and a house-made tagliatelle.
"This neighborhood is very health-conscious, but this neighborhood is eating products that one wouldn't consider to be all that healthy, such as, pork belly or foie gras. The customers are really embracing the quality of the food," Gianni said. "That's why, ultimately, I'd like to be a Michelin-rated restaurant; that's our goal."
The three styles of flatbreads ($12 each) have been among the top sellers, including the summer vegetables version.
"We're finding that people are making a meal out of the flatbreads because it's a nice portion," Zickel said.
Wood, when Savor visited, offered only three large plates: shortribs ($24), roasted half chicken ($22) and lobster ($29).
Soft-shell crab and squash blossoms were on the menu when Wood opened, but not anymore. Each ran its course on the seasonal slate.
The only dish adapted, per customer feedback, was the large-plate fish. Instead, Wood offers a tasty poached lobster.
For the late-night munchies, look to the Backwoods, offering double-fried Belgian frites with multiple dipping sauces sold from a window along the side of the building.
"In Chicago, we don't have a Belgian frite business, whereas they have them in New York and Los Angeles. We wanted to offer that, so bargoers can get something in their belly after leaving the bars," Gianni said. "The Backwoods is quickly becoming what we thought it would be, though it took a little while to get off the ground."
Zickel said there are no plans to expand the Backwoods menu, although it might stay open a bit later.
The full-service bar offers Miller Lite; however, that beer, though popular elsewhere along Halsted, is rarely ordered at Wood. Instead, Wood customers have jumped at the craft beers and small-batch liquors. Many locally made liquors are offered, too.
The summer cocktail menu was changed in October.
Wood also is changing internally, as acoustic panels have been added to the ceiling to help eliminate some of the noise. The change should reduce the noise level by about 35 percent, Zickel said.