June 30--Tony Mantuano, cover boy?
Believe it. The Spiaggia chef/partner and the restaurant's wine director Rachael Lowe are featured on the cover of Wine Enthusiast's August issue, which, not coincidentally, is dedicated to the magazine's annual "100 Best Wine Restaurants in America."
Spiaggia made the list, no surprise, one of only four Chicago restaurants to do so. The others are Balena, Blackbird and Sepia.
It's a nice honor for Spiaggia, Mantuano and Lowe, and the timing couldn't be better, as Mantuano will debut the newly remodeled Cafe Spiaggia, with a new wine program by Lowe, on July 16.
"We're calling the cover 'Beauty and the Beast,'" joked Mantuano. "There are some really funny shots that aren't included, so we hope to be able to use them some day.
"We have a long culture of great wine professionals (at Spiaggia), beginning with the late, great Henry Bishop," Mantuano said. "It's great to see Rachael get this recognition."
To view the complete list, click here.
Phil Vettel is a Tribune critic.
