The Place To Be Just Got More Delicious - Iconic Francesca Restaurant Flourishes at Newest Gold Coast Location August 18, 2010

The Place To Be Just Got More Delicious
Iconic Francesca Restaurant Flourishes at Newest Gold Coast Location

When Chef Scott Harris opened the doors to Mia Francesca on North Clark Street in 1992, the people of Chicago fell in love. They fell in love with his rustic, Italian cooking. They fell in love with the staffs' impeccable and welcoming service. They fell in love with the unique, informal ambiance that triggered a trend in the city's restaurant scene. Eighteen years, a lot of homemade pasta and now 20 locations later, Chicago is still in love with the Francesca brand but recently it was Chef Harris' turn to fall in love.

"When Scott came and saw this building he fell in love with it," said David Sherman, Senior Vice President of IRMCO Properties & Management Corp. "He told us he wanted his next Francesca spot to be in our building because he loved the 1920s feel of it and the overall charm."

The building Harris was referring to was the Seneca Hotel & Suites. Located just a block east of Michigan Avenue, the historic building is a boutique hotel featuring luxuriously quaint rooms perfect for a relaxing escape, located in the center of all the Chicago action. Sherman recalls Harris came back without his broker and explained how perfect the Seneca setting would be for his then yet-to-be-opened 20th Francesca location.

Fast-forward to February, 2010 and Harris got his wish. Francesca's on Chestnut opened in that idyllic location in the Seneca Hotel to a jam-packed house and an ecstatic Gold Coast neighborhood. Less than six months later, it's still hard to get a table and the place that seats 150 people is packed every single night. "They treat you like royalty in that place," says Sherman. "Fernando is the manager and he knows everyone who walks through those doors and if he doesn't, you still get a hug or a handshake."

It's this eponymous Francesca attitude that has made its most recent opening a glowing success. “We opened our first location on Clark Street in Lakeview over 15 years ago, and it’s very fitting that our 20th location should be in the Gold Coast," declares Francesca’s Restaurants owner Scott Harris.

The newest member of the family features an intimate trattoria setting with an antique Brunswick bar and a 40-person private dining room, complete with a private fireplace. Chef Armando Suarez leads the kitchen, providing Francesca’s classic fare of zesty, earthy cuisine of Rome and the surrounding areas of Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio. Right now, dinner is the hottest ticket in town, but Sherman says they are working on building an individualized powerhouse lunch menu, expanding to offer room service to Seneca guests and a catering service for groups and meetings. The Seneca has already seen a growth in traffic and guest bookings since the February opening.

"It's so fun to walk into a place and feel like a movie star. Thing is, they make everyone feel like that and I'm thrilled we can be associated with their family of restaurants,” explained Sherman.

Official Website: http://www.miafrancesca.com/restaurants/chestnut/