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Busy Restaurateur
Back at Home Base
September 13, 2007
By JENNIFER OLVERA Contributor
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Gabriel Viti still remembers how in sixth grade, he conducted
demonstration for his class in how to make pasta. Clearly,
food has long been of great interest to this Highwood native,
who now lives nearby in Highland Park. Viti went on to study
at the Culinary Institute of America, and in 1991 was ranked
one of Food & Wine's best new chefs.
Food is still preemient
in Viti's life. He's running three restaurants -- his namesake
Italian place, the French-Cuban-inflected Miramar Bistro and
nearby, Gabe's Backstage Lounge -- all in Highwood.
When he
opened Miramar three years ago, Viti left the kitchen at Gabriel's
to get the spot up and running. Now, he's officially back at
his flagship spot, overseeing a new menu and ready with a whole
lot of interesting stories to tell. Food is big, but it's hardly
everything in his busy life.
Getting a workout
Among his personal high points is the fact
that he completed an Iron Man in Brazil in May, is training
for the Chicago triathlon with his 16-year-old son, will run
in the Chicago Marathon in October and will begin training
in October to eventually climb Mt. Everest.
"Oh, and my youngest son just got certified to scuba
dive, so we just did that in the Caymans," he said.
In his free time -- and it's hard to believe he has any
-- Viti also runs Gabriel's Wine Cellars, a business that
creates cellars in homes start to finish, including racking,
temperature control and stocking bottles.
Meanwhile, back in the kitchen at Gabriel's, Viti's focus
not surprisingly is on fresh, seasonal ingredients.
"We've enjoyed a longtime regular clientele who relied
on certain dishes," Viti said. "But we've decided
it's really time for a change. We tweaked the menu and added
in dishes we're really excited about."
Among his favorites are zucchini blossoms stuffed with scallop
mousse and lobster and a simple, pristine heirloom tomato
salad with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and 25-year
aged balsamic vinaigrette.
"We've also added bouillabaisse with lobster, langoustine,
clams, mussels and sea bass to the menu, which is something
I've always wanted to do," he said.
Pasta favorites
Pastas are made in-house, though Chef Viti
has acquired a few assitants since sixth grade, so carefully
crafted dishes like lobster and mushroom tortelloni with
lobster-basil sauce, tortelloni filled with spinach and ricotta
with prosciutto and gnocchi with fresh spinach and a blanket
of creamy tomato vodka sauce are menu standouts.
Daily specials, where fresh decidedly rules, might include
chilled honeydew soup with chive cream and blueberries and
sauteed soft shell crab with smoked tomato vinaigrette and
rainbow trout caviar.
"You might think that with the way people are watching
their carb and fat intake they'd shy away from certain dishes," Viti
said. "But no. They come to Gabriel's ready to feast."
And adding something more to his overbooked schedule, Viti
recently launched brunch at Miramar on Sundays as a replacement
to its weekend dance parties. The buffet spread, which costs
$19.95, includes everything from brioche French toast to
smoked salmon with capers, eggs, tomatoes, onions, and crème
fraiche and a changing selection of dishes like chicken Parmesan
and tilapia Vesuvio.
GABRIEL'S
10 Green Bay Road, Highwood. (847) 433-0031. 5-10:30
p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays.
MIRAMAR BISTRO
301 Waukegan Ave., Highwood. (847) 433-1078.
11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 11:30 a.m.- midnight,
Fridays-Saturdays. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays.
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