Conscious Choice: Pane Caldo is Cozy Indulgence

September 2003 | Conscious Dining

Pane Caldo is Cozy Indulgence

by JoAnn Milivojevic

Their produce is all organic, ditto the chicken and beef. The fish is flown in fresh; they use such exotic and wild herbs as lamb’s quarters and mugwort, the vegetarian options are formidable and there are nearly 1,400 bottles of fine wine to choose from. Have you died and gone to restaurant heaven? No, you’re at Pane Caldo, a fabulous little restaurant on Chicago’s famed Magnificent Mile.

Pane Caldo means warm bread, an apt title for this cozy, intimate restaurant. If you didn’t know it was there, you might easily pass right by it. Don’t!

The Environment

This elegant gem comfortably seats just 55 in padded chairs and booths. Muted amber tones swirl along the walls and the high ceiling is a saturated dark blue. Spotlights beam gentle pools of light onto your table where fresh flowers accent the linen-clad formal setting. Joan Miro lithographs hang on the walls and traditional jazz softly wafts through the room. For those who like to gaze out at the street, there’s a table perched in the bay window, and outdoor seating on warm days. The small smoking section is in the back of the restaurant, which is quite separate from the main dining room (thank you very much).

You can easily people-watch indoors too because Pane Caldo attracts its share of celebrities. I spotted the Smashing Pumpkin’s Billy Corgan while lunching there. Apparently Tom Selleck, Gywneth Paltro, and the boys of Aerosmith favor the place as well. But forget about the celebs — the reason to check out Pane Caldo is the food.

The Menu

Fresh rolls and breadsticks arrive immediately after you’ve placed your order. The diminutive sizes are perfect for sampling several, and you’ll want to. Choices include wild mushroom, olive, potato-rosemary, and tomato. All made fresh daily — as are all the dishes.

The chefs play with a variety of exotic herbs and seasonings. When the restaurant opened 12 years ago, they had the herbs custom grown by local farmers, according to manager Irene Kijak. Today, however, there are many more farmers raising a myriad of exotics and hence more choices with which to experiment.

The menu capitalizes on the freshest available seasonal ingredients and changes daily. Kijak describes the cuisine as Northern Italian with French influences, "Italians use more pure flavors," explains Kijak, "while the French create with a fusion of flavors."

The result is such interesting combinations as sautéed pike filet ($19) with asparagus geranium — saffron sauce a melt-in-your-mouth delicate pleasure. I also tried the equally excellent ragout of wild mushrooms and wild herbs risotto ($14) — perfectly creamy. Pasta choices include tortellini stuffed with celery root and ricotta (small $12, regular $16), and fettuccini pasta with organic chicken and mushroom sassafras sauce ($12/$16).

For dinner, Pane Caldo has a tastings menu (four-six courses, $67-$95) along with their standard offerings. Their Vegetarian Sequence Menu is a four-course meal for $65. The antipasti assortments include: grilled vegetables with carrot-cumin and tomato sorbets with extra virgin olive oil; and napoleon of artichoke, opal cress greens, and fresh mozzarella.

For dessert, chocolate is king here — the pasty chef has created a choco-misu ($12), which uses a chocolate brownie as its base (instead of lady fingers) and tops it with a raspberry sorbet. There’s a selection of homemade ice creams and sorbets as well as seasonal fruit-based tarts. Or if you prefer, top off your meal with cheese. Choose from soft, hard, and extreme cheeses such as a vintage Irish cheddar and Montsegur.

Clean Food Factor

As you might expect, the oil of choice is imported extra virgin olive oil. Pane Caldo goes to great lengths to buy the freshest available ingredients. Sure, it’s a nod to sustainability, but in the fine restaurant biz, it’s the taste that counts. "We go to great lengths to find the smaller organic growers," says Kijak, "because the flavors come through more fully."

Final Word

Pane Caldo is as ideal for a romantic meal as it is for a business lunch or a gathering with girlfriends. It’s especially well suited for celebration — the wine list alone is enough to make you titter with excitement. Drop by anytime for a leisurely lunch or take a break from all that great Mag Mile shopping and treat yourself to an extravagant dessert and cappuccino. For dinner, however, avoid disappointment and make reservations.

Pane Caldo, 72 E.Walton Street, Chicago; 312-649-0055; Open daily 11:30 am to 2:30 pm; dinner Sunday through Thursday 5:00 pm to 10:30 pm; Friday and Saturday until 11:00 pm.

JoAnn Milivojevic is a freelance writer whose articles appear in magazines nationwide.

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