Marchesa, 535 N. Wells St., opens March 1, 2018, offering dinner and and lunch service in distinct dining and drinking environments on three levels, spanning 6,500 sq. ft. The basement is a limestone-lined wine cave; the street-level space includes the main kitchen and dining room, chef's table and a chinoiserie-inspired main bar, including a fireplace seating area. Upstairs, a private-dining room is designed to resemble an ornate Paris apartment. Mark Sabbe, formerly of Mercat a la Planxa, created a menu that seesaws between rusticity and refinement. Options include ratatouille, paella Valencia and braised goat, charcuterie, steak-frites, but also truffles, Petrossian caviar and jamon Iberico.
