New look, menu unveiled by 312 Chicago

Dean Zanella, executive chef of 312 Chicago, returns with a new menu and look for the restaurant on Wednesday. (Photo: 312 Chicago)


312 Chicago (136 N. LaSalle St., 312-696-2420), which closed for a week for a complete overhaul, reopens Wednesday. The changes are part of a major renovation of Hotel Allegro, and includes a new menu from Executive Chef Dean Zanella.

Highlights of the new contemporary Italian menu include grilled boar sausage with dandelion, white bean and radish salad as a starter, as well as a lobster panini and a grilled filet of beef on Sicilian potato cake, with gorgonzola and barolo wine sauce.

Bob Puccini Design is behind 312 Chicago's new look, which includes a wine wall that becomes a focal point of the space, while the upstairs library has been transformed into a private wine-tasting room cleverly encased in wine displays. The newly refreshed bar is updated with charcoal-granite countertops, a black back bar with alabaster inlays and a focus on displaying wine through a new cruvinet system.