Chef Roland Liccioni of Old Town Brasserie
With truffles and flourishes, yet, simultaneously, menu basics as down to earth as he is, innovative chef Roland Liccioni of the new rave Old Town Brasserie has Chicago foodies in a daze. Blissful, released from the prices charged by Liccioni's former creative home, Le Francais, they nevertheless know that this brasserie is a bit pricier than most—and they're willing to pay. Liccioni's talent is such that the new restaurant is packed every night.
CMEplanner: Are you pleased at the reviews?
Liccioni: Definitely. We—Bob Djahanguiri
and I—work very well together, he at the front of the house
and I in the kitchen. But we knew from the day we opened we had
a hit.
CMEplanner: What is your aim as far as menus go?
Liccioni: I call
it good French cooking, very complex sauces, like a good sauce
au poivre, with such Vietnamese touches as lemongrass. I like to
do something simple, like salade Lyonnaise, or escargots touched
with rouquefort and tomato confit, but I also like to do more complicated
dishes—duck consomme brimming with tiny ravioli filled with
truffles, or an artichoke terrine with hearts of palm over ravigot
sauce.
CMEplanner: Do you have a favorite dessert?
Liccioni: I think
my favorite is a souffle—we do a hazelnut souffle people
like a lot.
CMEplanner: Are you from France?
Liccioni: I
was born in Saigon, one of nine sisters and six brothers. My family
moved when I was two to Biarritz. My father, a Corsican, was an
accountant.
CMEplanner: Did you always want to become a chef?
Liccioni: I think
I wanted to become a soccer pro, but I detoured for three years
to attend the Ecole Hoteliere de Biarritz cooking school and after
I graduated with first prize (for a souffle) I didn't want to do
anything else. I went from Biarritz to work at Bofinger in Paris
and on from there. I wanted to learn the most I could; I didn't
rush. I learned the basics. You don't leave after six months, having
learned the secret. Because there is no secret; it's a question
of working, learning.
Old Town Brasserie
1209 North Wells Street
Chicago, IL 60610
(312)943-3000
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