Feb. 08--Jason Vincent is coming back with a new restaurant, Giant, slated to open in Logan Square this spring. He's also says he's coming back with a new perspective.
Vincent was the chef for years at Nightwood, a beloved Pilsen restaurant that closed in July 2015.
The name Giant at first seems tongue-in-cheek: "It's a really small space, honestly, teeny-tiny," he says of the 1,400-squre-foot restaurant at 3209 W. Armitage Ave., which will hold 40 seats. But "Giant" also references a poem Vincent has been reading to his daughter, now five, since she was about 2. That poem? "Me and my Giant" by the late Shel Silverstein who, as Vincent noted, grew up in Logan Square.
What about the food?
"It's going to be seasonal and delicious," Vincent says. "We will let the best ingredients speak to us. ... We're going to do a pretty in-depth pasta program, all homemade pastas like at Nightwood.""
That the restaurant is scheduled to open in the spring -- right as spring produce comes in -- means a lot to Vincent, who recalls the opening night of Nightwood was marked by the arrival of the first asparagus of the season.
"It's kind of perfect timing,'' he says.
But Vincent, who left Nightwood a year before it closed, is approaching Giant with a different perspective.
Vincent said Monday that it took a few month after leaving Nightwood for him to "feel like a real person and not care about restaurants, to be honest." After being so focused on food he realized there was "a whole lot more out there than a restaurant," such as family and friends.
Giant will embody that philosophy by being a place for friends, family and neighbors to gather for a good, unpretentious meal.
That's not to say he won't be dedicated: "I'm not saying I'm taking this lightly," he said. "This is my career, what I have to do very, very, very well."
Ben Lustbader is joining Vincent as chef-partner. His credits include: Citronelle, Lula Caf鬠Nightwood, and Publican Quality Meats. Josh Perlman, currently of Avec, will oversee the beverage program. Dinner will be offered Tuesday through Saturday.
The restaurant's Web site shows a print, apparently vintage, of a forest scene, and a link to subscribe to a mailing list to get more details as they come out.
wdaley@tribpub.com
Twitter @billdaley
