chef du jour- Spring 2000

Chef Michael Altenberg Campagnola 815 Chicago Avenue Evanston, Illinois 60202 847-475-6100 By Nancy Ross Ryan

Chef Michael Altenberg could make a lot more money -- if he didn't spend it on food. The chef-partner in this four-year-old Evanston, Illinois restaurant, is fanatic about both the quality and the source of his ingredients. He is dedicated to local growers of organic produce in season, local producers of artisinal foods, and what can't be obtained locally comes from purveyors who ship him free-range poultry, veal, lamb and all-natural beef. And the fish! The somewhat sedate Altenberg becomes buoyant describing his seafood sources. "They overnight ship 'day boat' fish -- that's line or diver caught rather than net caught. Our fish is so fresh it has no 'fishy' smell or taste, so we can just highlight the natural ingredient. It's great fish, and we don't muddle it with a thousand spices." Day-boat fish, organic produce, free-range poultry -- all this costs a pretty penny. Do customers really know the difference, we asked. "We have a certain percentage of customers who know and are here because of our focus on clean food," he says, "but many just come for the food itself. We cook with an Italian sensibility, which is to take the great natural ingredient and showcase it." Campagnola is an Italian word that, loosely translated, means a country person, someone who lives a simple, direct, honest life with integrity. For Altenberg it's a badge of honor that he strives to live up to every day. The restaurant's Italian name and style of cooking has roots in Altenberg's experience in Italy. After graduating from the Culinary School at Kendall College in Evanston, Altenberg apprenticed at Le Français in Wheeling, Illinois (under the famous French chef Jean Banchet), then went to Italy where he learned to cook in some fairly famous restaurant kitchens: Antica Osteria del Ponte, south of Milan, and San Domenico Imola in Bologna. In Italy, the seed was planted -- great natural ingredients and cooking with the seasons -- that grew into his own restaurant, Campagola. "I worked for so many years for other people and cooked according to their ideas, that I finally took a leap of faith. We opened this place on a shoestring, did all the remodeling work ourselves -- including making the tables by hand." Today, a single rose in a tiny vase sits on each of those handmade tables. And in September of this year, Altenberg and partner will take a second leap of faith. They will be joined in the business by Pastry Chef Michelle Gayer-Nicholson and the trio will open a bakery and 150-seat trattoria in a north side Chicago neighborhood. Gayer-Nicholson is baking now -- and will continue to bake -- at Campagnola, which explains why the breads and desserts have become just that much more seductive. Meeting at Campagola Since opening in 1966, Chef Altenberg and partner Steve Schwartz have remodeled the upstairs level of the restaurant which now accommodates 60 additional seats, served by a full bar and its own open kitchen. A marble fireplace adds warmth and charm. In cold-weather months the restaurant, upstairs and down, can serve 120 diners. In summer, when the 30-seat patio is open for dining, more guests can enjoy Campagnola's cuisine. To make arrangements for a special event, call Wayne Miller, Campagnola's party planner. Campagnola is open for dinner six days a week, closed on Mondays. But for special occasions the restaurant will open on Monday and, depending on the event, for brunch or lunch.

	SAMPLE DINNER MENU Starters Pasta e fagioli Grilled calamari, basil, lemon, capers and black olive Steamed Maine blue rope mussels with saffron and anise acqua pazza Tuna tartar with lime pickle, basil, capsicum oil and parsnip chips Peeky toe crab cake with saffron aioli and micro beet greens Salads Chicory alla noci Campagnola Caesar Shaved fennel, Ligurian olives, oregano and cask-aged red wine vinegar Pizzas Funghi -- taleggio and woodland mushrooms Melanzana -- grilled eggplant, confit tomatoes, 2-year aged provolone, chili oil Pastas Tortelli of roasted blue Hubbard squash and brown sage butter Spaghetti aglio e olio con pepperoncini Garganelli with Gorgonzola dolce, Rasmussen's organic cream and chives Entrees Wood-fired Scottish salmon, sauteed escarole, pancetta and chive coulis Brick-roasted organic chicken with gremolata-whipped potatoes, broccoli rabe Grilled organic Niman Ranch NYC strip Umbrian style with portobello and bay-roasted potatoes