Jenner Tomaska has had a busy year, launching the Alston this past spring while still overseeing the kitchen at Michelin-starred Esmé. But he isn’t slowing down: On Thursday, November 20, Tomaska and his partner and Esmé owner Katrina Bravo opened Petite Edith, a French bistro with Midwestern sensibilities. Located at 868 N. Wells Street, the 80-seat restaurant melds classic French technique with local ingredients, seasonal produce, and a casual, approachable style.
“I love French food — I love the history of cuisine itself,” Tomaska says. “I think that’s why I’ve always latched on to it throughout my career. France’s ingredients are very relatable to here in the Midwest.”
After nearly a decade with the Alinea Group — including a stint as executive chef at Next Restaurant under Grant Achatz — Tomaska has built a reputation for refined, tasting menus, further solidified through his work at Esmé. With Petite Edith, he is embracing relaxed, neighborhood dining. “A bistro is a place that you feel like you can go back to a couple times a month because of the price point, because of the comforting nature of the food itself,” Tomaska says.
The menu features fresh breads, including fougasse — a flatbread most common in Provence — with olives, rosemary, lavender, and white anchovy, and a cheese-stuffed baguette finished with sumac and pomegranate molasses. Vegetable, seafood, and meat brochettes are another house specialty. Larger plates include a Midwestern trout, sourced from Indiana, served with sunchoke and anchovy sauce, and razor clams prepared casino-style with Champagne butter, pork sausage, and breadcrumbs. There’s also a 45-day dry-aged rib-eye from retired dairy cows in Illinois, a cut Tomaska describes as having “a bit more of a backyard, ‘we’re-out-grilling’ type of feel.”
Find more adventurous dishes among the daily specials, like pig’s trotters stuffed with sweetbreads. An off-menu smash burger will be available exclusively at the bar in limited quantities. “If we run out, we’ll take your name down. The next time you’re in, we’ll make sure we don’t run out for you,” Tomaska says.
The bar itself, which seats 25 and sits beneath a chandelier-like art piece suspended from the high ceiling, anchors the room, complemented by artwork from Meghan Borah and a floral mural. “It’s going to be very darkly lit and intimate, but it’s still going to feel lofty and fun and buzzing,” Tomaska says.
An art installation hangs above the wraparound bar. Petite Edith
Beverage director Stevan Miller has assembled a wine list that emphasizes coastal French producers. The cocktail menu includes subtle nods to Chicago history, such as the Lagrange, named for architect Lucien Lagrange and made with whiskey, apple brandy, Bonal bitters, and maple syrup. Diners can also order a tableside Champagne cocktail or nonalcoholic drinks like the Cherry Chile Jam, an Esmé favorite featuring Michigan cherries and guajillo chiles.
Tomaska says that Petite Edith occupies an area between River North and Old Town where he’s long dreamed of opening a restaurant. He and Bravo previously worked together at MK, Michael Kornick’s fine dining spot that closed in 2017, just a few blocks away, making the new space feel serendipitous.
The restaurant is housed in a newly constructed building, with garage doors at the front and back that will open up when it’s warm out, connecting the interior to the street. Eventually, they plan to add a patio.
Tomaska notes he’s in a good place now and doesn’t have any other projects on the horizon for the time being. He credits his team for making it possible to manage three restaurants simultaneously. “I don’t want 50 restaurants, but I do have a core group of people that have supported me that I feel like I owe them the opportunity to [grow],” Tomaska says.
Petite Edith will initially serve dinner five nights a week, with plans to expand to brunch and seven-day service in the future.
Petite Edith is located at 868 N. Wells Street. Open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.