Fresh off Top Chef Masters, Chef Tony Mantuana recently flew to New York with his team to prepare a meal featuring his masterful seasonal Italian regional cuisine in honor of Spiaggia’s 26th Anniversary. He was joined by Executive Chef Sarah Grueneberg, General Manager Jason Goldsmith and Sous Chefs Chris Marchino. Sommelier Steven Alexander was visiting producers in Italy (including Le Macchiole and Hofstätter) but was present only in the form of the memorable wines he had selected to pair with this extraordinary meal.
Spiaggia, Chicago’s only four star Italian restaurant, opened on Friday April 13th 1984 to much fanfare (in spite of the fact that Chef Manuana he was told that he was never going to make it without meatballs on the menu). Today, it has not only survived but thrived and has been named a “favorite” for both the James Beard Foundation and President Obama. When asked about serving the President and First Lady, Chef Mantuano shared that President Obama (a long-time guest who celebrated his presidential election victory at Spiaggia in 2008) favors the wood grilled scallops that had ironically been taken off the menu in 2008 but were promptly reinstated following a presidential request.
I was enjoying a delicious plate of pasta with sea dates, the most exotic of shellfish, when the inspiration for Spiaggia came to me. My Italian friend Vando D’Angiolo was treating me to a spectacular lunch at Bistrot Ristorante, located right on the sparkling Mediterranean beach in Forti dei Marmi. I was there to buy granite and marble from Vando for a one-million-square-foot mixed-use building I was planning to build on the famed corner of Oak Street and Michigan Avenue in Chicago. As lunch progressed, I fantasized about having a jewel box of an Italian restaurant as the centerpiece of this fabulous new building. The restaurant space would overlook Chicago’s Oak Street Beach on the shores of Lake Michigan at the northernmost point of the Magnificent Mile….As I began construction at the One Magnificent Mile address in 1980, I started my search for a truly great chef who could share my vision and be the creative genius to bring it to life… I decided to give Tony’s food a try and invited him to cook for my wife, Carol, and some of our friends at a dinner party in our home. On that memorable night, I remember the late Gene Siskel giving the meal “two thumbs up,” along with my brother Mark and many of our other good friends. We all knew instantly that I had found the maestro who would orchestrate the vision that was to become Spiaggia. The first step was clear to me: I sent Tony and Cathy, now his wife, off to Italy for a year. They were able to immerse themselves in the culture of Italy, working in the very best restaurants throughout the country, and they carried that experience back to Spiaggia. -Larry Levy Founder and chairman of Levy Restaurants, owner of Spiaggia
Today, Chef and Partner Tony Mantuano is celebrated for his luxurious, world-class Italian cuisine showcasing the finest ingredients presented with simple elegance. As a reflection of his continued commitment to expanding the landscape of Italian fine dining, Mantuano devotes enormous energy to seeking out and importing the finest Italian products yet to be introduced stateside.
There is no better Italian restaurant in America than Spiaggia; Tony Mantuano has always been committed to the truest flavors and finest pairings of wine for his extraordinary cuisine.
-John Mariani, food and travel correspondent for Esquire magazine and author of The Dictionary of Italian Food and Drink.
Mantuano continues to redefine the Italian experience while maintaining a devotion to tradition. -Phil Vette, dining critic for Chicago Tribune
Sommelier Steven W. Alexander, who has become a personal friend as well as a respected colleague, sources wines that can best be described as simultaneously remarkable and exceptional. Alexander, who believes firmly that wine should speak of its place and that a well-chosen wine menu will communicate the history of each viticultural region, had handpicked a collection of wines that express the diversity and character of Italian wines today.
From Villa Sparina’s rich toasty Cortese Brut (method Champenoise) that was served at the receptions to Les Crêtes’ alpine, aromatic Petit Arvine to Fontanafredda’s robust and spicy Barolo Chinato (time honored infusion of Barolo with herbs and spices), not only did each wine enhance and balance the dish which it was served, they also manage to reflect both the winemaking traditions and contemporary movements within their respective regions.
This dinner, like the many that we have enjoyed at Spiaggia over the years, captured the passion and energy of Chef Mantuano’s carefully selected team and displayed that unique synergy between inspired cuisine and exquisite wine that defines a great meal.
Menu
San Martino–Style Aleppo Pepper–Braised Pork Belly
Reggio Emilia Parmigiano-Reggiano with Acetaia San Giacomo Gold Balsamic
Pantellerese Caper–Cured Wild Salmon with Squid Ink Breadsticks
Wisconsin Lamb Tartare with Black Truffles and Crispy Sheep’s-Milk Cheese
Villa Sparina Brut
Carpaccio di Aragosta agli Agrumi
Lobster Carpaccio with Citrus, Arugula, and Italian Osetra Caviar
Les Crêtes Petit Arvine Vigne Champorette
Risotto al Riccio di Mare
Acquellero Risotto with Sea Urchin and Mascarpone
COS Ramí
Cervo in Sua Salsiccia con Canerdli
Venison Sausage–Wrapped Broken Arrow Ranch Venison Loin with Montasio Canerdli, Trentino-Style Fennel Kraut, and Alto Adige Speck
Fontanafredda Serralunga d’Alba Barolo
Selezione di Formaggi di Marcelli di Abruzzo
Selected Nuzio Marcelli’s Abruzzese Sheep’s-Milk Cheeses
Almond ‘22 Torbata Beer
Cannelloni dei Frutti Secchi e Noci con Cioccolato
Brik Pastry with Figs, Golden Raisins, Almonds, Pine Nuts, and Chocolate Crémeux
Fontanafredda Barolo Chinato
Our recent trip in France took us to Savennieres for a visit with Nicolas Joly on the day following the summer solstice- a very important day of the year for this celebrated guru of biodynamy.
La Croisette is a new venture from the intrepid Isabelle and J-Paul Feuvray whose vast culinary passions lead to a diverse array of experiences that include a stint in Texas. They opened their first Tex Mex restaurants in the 1980s followed by a steakhouse in the 1990s. Returning to their roots, they created this open air barbecue on the tiny island of Behuard in 2004. While there, we enjoyed river fish and some of the most delicious barbecued ribs that we have ever tasted! 
Joined by Nicolas Joly, another passionate explorer who ultimate decided to return to his roots (in his case literally), and his remarkable 1989 and 2004 vintages of La Coulée de Serrant the pairing was complete. As our meal ended and the sun finally made its descent, La Croisette proved the perfect venue in which to savor a magical evening in an enchanted region over a cuban cigar and great conversation.
Soldera ferments his wines in open-topped, 150-hectoliter wood vats, using indigenous yeasts and no temperature control. The natural fermentation lasts more than 30 days, and pump-overs are done manually. The wines are aged in large barrels significantly longer the required two years- in his words “whatever the wine needs.” Since its inception, Case Basse di Gianfranco Soldera has proudly worked with leading research institutions and allowed them access to their natural laboratory of vines, cellar, and ecosystem, underscoring Soldera’s commitment to elevating the territory of Montalcino and the craft of winemaking. 
Having been described a possessing paternal instinct regarding his wine, Gianfranco Soldera opts some years against bottling all of his wines as Brunello. This is what happened when he made the celebrated 1979 Rosso- one of the most revered and coveted Italian wines. Similarly in 2005, Soldera made Pegasos when the wine from one of his barrels showed an early readiness for bottling, following natural fermentation via native yeasts and 32 months maturation in large oak barrels. The label, designed by Piero Leddi, depicts the mythical winged horse of the same name. Many have compared the Pegasos 2005 to the 1979 Rosso including the Soldera family: they believe that Pegasos, which benefits from 33 years older and lower yield vines as well as nine added months in the barrel is the superior of the two. 
In February, we headed out to Aspen with our good friend Sergio Esposito, owner of 
Chef Andreas makes a number of classic Alpine dishes, like Raclette, a semi-firm cow’s milk cheese, served over boiled potatoes (with their skins on), topped with freshly cracked black pepper and accompanied by cornichons. 
“If my cooking would have been music, I would have composed it harmonious and light. And I would have played it passionately.” Winner of three Michelin stars, Chef Alain Passard takes a musical approach to his cuisine. There’s no wonder he decided to call his celebrated Parisian restaurant, Arpège, or arpgeggio, meaning a “chord, played on multiple strings” (from arpa, Italian for harp). We were in Paris last month and following a marathon visit to the 
