Chef/Partner Tony Mantuano and Cubs Manager Joe Maddon have revealed that “Maddon’s Post” will serve as the official name of their forthcoming two-story 7,400 square foot restaurant, opening this May. Located at 1119 Waveland Avenue, Maddon’s Post will be steps from Wrigley Field and part of Gallagher Way, the entertainment district located in the Wrigleyville neighborhood.
THE TEAM:
Chef/Partner Tony Mantuano: was awarded Best Chef: Great Lakes by the James Beard Foundation, Mantuano was also recognized as a Food & Wine Best New Chef and a champion on Season 2 of Top Chef Masters. His Italian restaurant Spiaggia was nominated for Outstanding Restaurant in America in 2006, 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2014 by the James Beard Foundation.
Partner Joe Maddon: Joe Maddon brings his own cred to the table as a successful restaurateur who left his mark on the Tampa Bay dining scene by opening the rustic-Italian Ava in 2014.
Executive Chef Aaron Thebault: A life-long Cubs fan who has worked in several of Chicago’s kitchens including BOKA and MK, Thebault makes his debut as an executive chef at Maddon’s Post after spending the last eight years working alongside Stephanie Izard at Girl & The Goat. Most recently he served as chef de cuisine.
Wine Director/Sommelier Rachael Lowe: Bringing affordable wines to the Wrigleyville experience, Lowe holds an advanced Sommelier degree from the Court of Master Sommeliers and was awarded the 2010 Jean Banchet award for Top Sommelier in Chicago. Lowe was also recognized as a Food and Wine Sommelier of the Year in 2016.
Beverage Director Ken Pritz: Prtiz will lead the cocktail program onsite at Maddon’s Post. The cocktail program is inspired by the classics emphasizing on seasonal ingredients and local spirits. Pritz’s experience includes serving on the opening beverage team for Chicago Athletic Association Hotel, The Winchester and recently led the beverage program at River Roast.
"When we started talking about a menu, Tony and I both kept coming back to these home-grown first generation dishes that we grew up with. We wanted to take these simple recipes that brought everyone together around the dinner table and put our twist on our childhood favorites,” says Maddon.
“We’re combining the idea of Polish and Italian food as a tribute to our respective roots. This is the kind of cuisine that wasn’t so much restaurant-driven, but passed down through several generations of family cooking in home kitchens—not to mention it further lends to the rich Polish and Italian neighborhoods found throughout Chicago,” says Mantuano.
THE MENU, A SNEAK PEEK: Reflecting on that sentiment, guests will find dishes similar to the ones that Maddon remembers from his childhood, such as noodles with cabbage and bacon, but re-interpreted for the modern palate as housemade pappardelle with pancetta, cabbage and fontina. There will also be a Polish & Italian charcuterie plate that features Polish-influenced selections such as smoked kielbasa, cured sausages and hams, and a rotating array of Italian charcuterie such as Finocchiona, hot sausage sticks and salame nostrano—all accompanied by market pickled veggies, chow chow, seasonal jams, mustard and grilled bread.
Making use of dual wood-burning ovens and a custom hearth, the kitchen will deliver freshly baked pizzas. Diners will feel the influence of Mantuano’s pedigree in pasta making, not only through various pasta-focused selections, but also as he directs that same chef-driven attention towards the pierogi. To finish, the restaurant will present a signature dessert by way of an entire section devoted the paczki. Never offering less than three options, the flavors of chocolate paczki filled with strawberry cream and peanut butter & banana, sugar-dusted doughnuts will rotate regularly.
“The menu Joe and I worked on really embodies both of our family memories in the kitchen,” says Mantuano. “Our dishes have the same soul and simplicity of the recipes, without overcomplicating them – we really let them speak for themselves.”
Maddon’s Post will offer a wine list curated by Lowe, which will focus on approachably-priced and special occasion bottles for both casual wine drinkers and veteran wine lovers. On the cocktail front, Prtiz has created a “Toast to Hazelton” (a Miller High Life Pony paired with Crown Royal Canadian whisky) along with a bonded Brandy Old Fashioned subtly pay tribute to both Maddon and Mantuano’s hometown roots. Private label beverages and niche spirits like Żubrówka, a Polish bison-grass vodka, will also be available to sip.
THE FLAMINGO ROOM Located on the second floor of the restaurant behind a hidden door, The Flamingo Room is a private bar and event space, which is a subtle nod to the local supper club Maddon’s father would take him to in his hometown of Hazleton, Pennsylvania as a child. Seating up to 12, The Flamingo Room will also feature several art selections, handpicked by Maddon.
Maddon’s Post will be a family-friendly restaurant that will open for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.
Chef/Partner Tony Mantuano and Cubs Manager Joe Maddon have revealed that “Maddon’s Post” will serve as the official name of their forthcoming two-story 7,400 square foot restaurant, opening this May. Located at 1119 Waveland Avenue, Maddon’s Post will be steps from Wrigley Field and part of Gallagher Way, the entertainment district located in the Wrigleyville neighborhood.
THE TEAM:
"When we started talking about a menu, Tony and I both kept coming back to these home-grown first generation dishes that we grew up with. We wanted to take these simple recipes that brought everyone together around the dinner table and put our twist on our childhood favorites,” says Maddon.
“We’re combining the idea of Polish and Italian food as a tribute to our respective roots. This is the kind of cuisine that wasn’t so much restaurant-driven, but passed down through several generations of family cooking in home kitchens—not to mention it further lends to the rich Polish and Italian neighborhoods found throughout Chicago,” says Mantuano.
THE MENU, A SNEAK PEEK:
Reflecting on that sentiment, guests will find dishes similar to the ones that Maddon remembers from his childhood, such as noodles with cabbage and bacon, but re-interpreted for the modern palate as housemade pappardelle with pancetta, cabbage and fontina. There will also be a Polish & Italian charcuterie plate that features Polish-influenced selections such as smoked kielbasa, cured sausages and hams, and a rotating array of Italian charcuterie such as Finocchiona, hot sausage sticks and salame nostrano—all accompanied by market pickled veggies, chow chow, seasonal jams, mustard and grilled bread.
Making use of dual wood-burning ovens and a custom hearth, the kitchen will deliver freshly baked pizzas. Diners will feel the influence of Mantuano’s pedigree in pasta making, not only through various pasta-focused selections, but also as he directs that same chef-driven attention towards the pierogi. To finish, the restaurant will present a signature dessert by way of an entire section devoted the paczki. Never offering less than three options, the flavors of chocolate paczki filled with strawberry cream and peanut butter & banana, sugar-dusted doughnuts will rotate regularly.
“The menu Joe and I worked on really embodies both of our family memories in the kitchen,” says Mantuano. “Our dishes have the same soul and simplicity of the recipes, without overcomplicating them – we really let them speak for themselves.”
Maddon’s Post will offer a wine list curated by Lowe, which will focus on approachably-priced and special occasion bottles for both casual wine drinkers and veteran wine lovers. On the cocktail front, Prtiz has created a “Toast to Hazelton” (a Miller High Life Pony paired with Crown Royal Canadian whisky) along with a bonded Brandy Old Fashioned subtly pay tribute to both Maddon and Mantuano’s hometown roots. Private label beverages and niche spirits like Żubrówka, a Polish bison-grass vodka, will also be available to sip.
THE FLAMINGO ROOM
Located on the second floor of the restaurant behind a hidden door, The Flamingo Room is a private bar and event space, which is a subtle nod to the local supper club Maddon’s father would take him to in his hometown of Hazleton, Pennsylvania as a child. Seating up to 12, The Flamingo Room will also feature several art selections, handpicked by Maddon.
Maddon’s Post will be a family-friendly restaurant that will open for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.
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