Michael Muser to Move on to Grace!

Peninsula Chicago wine director Michael Muser made an announcement on his Facebook page Monday that a lot of folks had been waiting for:

"(I'm) very excited to FINALLY announce my commitment as General Manager and Partner of Grace!"

This is certainly exciting news as that partnership reunites him with talented chef Curtis Duffy, who worked with Muser when he acted as chef de cuisine of Peninsula's now-shuttered Avenues. He'll join the Grace team on May 31.

In January, Muser was named Best Sommelier during the annual Banchet Awards, so expect an exceptional wine program when Grace opens this fall.

"I get to develop a program that literally focuses around Curtis' dedication to fresh ingredients and the purveyors he uses to source his herbs and products," Muser told 312DD. "I get to echo that by sourcing for wines that cater to his style. Beautiful, handcrafted, hand-sourced wines. The wine that we will buy will be really small batched, but really beautiful and handcrafted.

"And from a service standpoint, it's not often in your career that you get to design a room around the service pattern. ... This is the first time I get to design a dining room that works best for service."

It's nice to know the guy has a fun side too.

Here's an interview he did in 2011 with Chicago Food Snob:

20 Questions with Wine Director Mike Muser.