The team behind Vai's and Entourage in Naperville bring an inventive restaurant and bar concept with a focus on fresh, from-scratch cuisine.
Patch Staff
|Updated Wed, Apr 24, 2024 at 12:14 pm CT
DOWNERS GROVE, IL — "We want to be appealing to everyone," Anthony Vai told Patch of the Entourage restaurant he and his team are bringing to downtown Downers Grove. "Somewhere you can hang out daily."
The new Entourage location will serve up fresh, from-scratch cuisine and inventive cocktails in the space at 5101 Main St. that formerly housed Capri.
The family-owned Entourage Downers Grove is helmed by the same team behind Vai's Italian Inspired Kitchen and Entourage in Naperville.
"I’ve grown up in it, my dad grew up in it...our chef partner has been doing it since he was a teenager...our other partners have been doing it for a long time and have been owners of businesses in the industry as well," Vai told Patch.
He said Entourage Downers Grove will be modeled after Entourage Naperville, with world cuisine, modern American influences and "mindfully crafted American kitchen and cocktails."
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“We like to have a little bit of a spark, a little bit of a vibrant feeling in our food and in the atmosphere.”
To that end, the menu will feature steaks that are dry-aged in-house and sourced from the Calumet City-based Linz Heritage Angus.
"They raise them, they butcher them, they package them, they ship them, they do everything before it gets to the door of the restaurant," Vai told Patch. He added, "It's a great product that we don’t have to charge steakhouse prices for."
The seafood will have a "Pacific influence," Vai said, with fresh-caught fish brought in daily and cut in-house.
Several raw seafood items will feature on the menu, including an "ahi tuna on crispy rice that is just phenomenal," Vai told Patch.
He said he won't forget the first time he tried it at the Naperville Entourage.
"The moment it happened, I will remember it forever," Vai said. "The moment you have it, you know you’re in a good place."
To accompany the Cuisine at Entourage Downers Grove, diners can choose from cocktails that put "an inventive spin on classics," Vai said.
Entourage's signature old-fashioneds and espresso martinis will be available on draft. Each is batched in-house and then cooled in a system that allows them to be poured at 20 degrees Fahrenheit into a pre-chilled glass.
Vai said the r-shaped tap, which comes up from the center of the bar, inspired the design of the Entourage logo.
"It’s consistent, it’s delicious, it hits the spot, and it’s really fun to see coming out of a draft handle."
Entourage Downers Grove will be situated just off the village's Metra stop, which Vai said will help make it a great spot for people who want to grab dinner after work or visitors who are exploring Downers Grove.
The vibe will be intimate, he said, with seating for 95 guests and some limited al fresco seating when the weather is pleasant.
Inside, the space will be transformed nearly entirely, Vai explained.
"We went down to the studs on the all the perimeter walls," he said, "ripped down 90 percent of interior walls and rebuilt them, moved some walls around."
The decor has been built "specified to order," Vai said. The building's signature windows will have a "custom fabricated banquette that curves all the way around."
To begin, Entourage Downers Grove will serve lunch and dinner. Vai told Patch they also plan to offer brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. Takeout will be available, along with private rentals of a room that seats up to 30 diners.
Vai said Entourage aims to be "appealing to everybody."
“We like to have a little bit of a spark, a little bit of a vibrant feeling in our food and in the atmosphere," Vai told Patch. "It’s a really fun thing that we get to do, to feed people."
Entourage aims to open by mid-Summer. Vai encourages residents to follow Entourage on Facebook to see the space as it transforms.