GRAND REUNION

It’s a bustling Saturday night, with the holidays fast approaching, in downtown Downers Grove. And you’d swear half the town has found their way to Entourage, a sleek American-style bistro from the owners of Vai’s in Naperville. There are so many shiny, happy, hungry people waiting for a table that we’ve formed a snaking conga line that stretches from the hostess table to Entourage’s gorgeously backlit black bar. Based on what I can tell, there are more Old Fashioneds being slung here tonight than at a Wisconsin supper club after a Packers win.

No one seems particularly perturbed about the wait, given that Entourage’s kegged Old Fashioneds could mellow a room of full of brawling Real Housewives. Kudos to the beverage team for marrying two unexpectedly complementary bourbons: a spicy, clove-forward, high-proof Old Forester 100 and a sweeter, vanilla-tinged Further bourbon. When they meet, they dance like Astaire and Rogers.

The Vai family—patriarch Michael Vai and sons Anthony and Nicolas—have been in the restaurant business for three green generations, going all the way back to their grandpa Johnny. In addition to their new spot, the Vai Hospitality Group runs a pair of successful eateries: Vai’s Italian Inspired Kitchen & Bar and the original Entourage location, both in Naperville.

When the Vais opened their new location in Downers Grove with chef/partner Scott Wegener last summer, however, they defied convention and chose not to accept reservations. It wasn’t an arbitrary move, rather an attempt to incentivize sidewalk strollers and locals to pop in for a quick meal whenever the mood struck them.

Here’s the twist: You can call ahead and secure a spot on Entourage’s priority waitlist, which is the dining equivalent of a Disneyworld fast pass. While this won’t guarantee you a seat the moment you walk in the door, it allows you to hopscotch in front of walk-ins.

The strategy seems to be working. Entourage strikes me as a throwback to the classy late-1990s, early-2000s “big tent” dining rooms you don’t see that much anymore. No one’s trying to chase Michelin stars or ape the latest trend. Entourage describes its menu as a collection of “modern American” fare, which focuses on American-as-apple-pie offerings but also leaves room for forays into Asia, Italy and continental Europe. It’s a melting pot: Vietnamese summer rolls, French onion soup and spicy chicken with tortellacci on one table and burgers, fried-cheese curds and filet mignon sliders on another.

Many of our favorite dishes drew inspiration from Asia and the Pacific, especially Wegener’s ahi tuna starters: a half dozen bite-sized treats served dim sum style. Crispy bundles of sushi rice are frosted with mashed avocado and wasabi crema and topped by a scoop of melon-sized scoop of pink ahi tuna. Imagine an avocado toast reformatted to look like a collection of miniature shumai bundles.

If you’re interested in building a meal around its Pacific offerings, Entourage’s miso Chilean seabass platter is a perfect follow up. It arrives torched to a crème-brûlée golden brown, subtly sweet but not as treacly as your typical Teriyaki glaze. Beneath the fish sits a shiitake-truffle mushroom risotto, its earthiness counterbalanced by stalks of charred broccolini. Much like the entire menu, it’s a dish that refuses to stay in any one predetermined lane, preferring to zig-zag between different continents.

“We are not pretentious people,” says Anthony. “We wanted Entourage to be a place where everyone feels like they can hang out. We go to great lengths to make sure no one feels out place or uncomfortable. We want people to come as they are and order what they want, no matter their tastes and budgets.”

As a child, Anthony showed little interest in following in his father and grandfather’s footsteps. “My dad, when he was home, was a very present and loving father,” says Anthony, “But as I kid, he seemed to work 30 hours a day. For holidays and birthdays, we always seemed to celebrate them at whatever restaurant he happened to be working at.”

Then, while in high school, Anthony took a job working at the front desk at Clubhouse in Oak Brook, where his father was a managing partner. “I absolutely fell in love with it,” says Anthony. After attending Florida State, he realized no job could match the same chaotic high he felt trying to please 1,000 rowdy diners on a busy Friday night.

Later, when Anthony when was in his 20s, he approached his father with an idea: What if they joined forced and launched their own hospitality group? His dad’s eyes lit up like a neon sign on the Vegas Strip. Soon many of the people who’d previously worked with Mike reached out to broker a reunion, including Wegener, who’d worked as a chef and partner at Ditka’s Restaurant Group. Wegener missed his old friend and their halcyon days back at The Clubhouse.

Wegener built Entourage’s menu from the appetizer list up. There’s very little empty space on most of his plates. They staged more like what you’d see at a modern meat and three: one generously sized protein boarded by starches, veggies and often multiple sauces.

Over the years, Wegener developed a friendship with Fred Linz, who runs the family-owned Meats by Linz steak company. When you order a Linz steak, there’s no mystery as to where the beef was bred, butchered or packaged. The Linz family cuts out the middlemen and sells directly to Wegener and other chefs. That translates to savings for the Vai family, which is passed on to diners in terms of lower prices.

Some of Vai’s steak offerings are dry aged, others are wet aged, but they’re all dressed simply with salt and pepper. Wegener fires them in an infrared oven at and serves them simply with some caramelized and spectacular potato pavé.

For a classic steakhouse combo, order Entourage’s lump crab cake, made with big chunks of crab and just enough stuffing to stucco the seafood together. Follow it with a dry-aged Delmonico and close out your meal with a caramel-smothered slice of banana cream pie.

And if you happen to be a heat-seeker, here’s a secret tip. Ask for some of Johnny Vai’s secret hot pepper mix. Growing up, the Vie family always kept a little of grandpa’s “hot sauce” on the table: a tri of jalapeno, Fresno and habanero peppers sauteed with garlic, balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Anthony claims it’s his family’s go-to condiment, which is why it’s used as a centerpiece for their hot pepper chicken wings.

“It’s absolutely wild to look back and reflect on all this,” says Anthony. “Sometimes, I can’t believe what we’ve been able to build. We are living our dream. But we have other ideas. Who knows what might come next?”

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Cocktails

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Entourage is located at 5101 Main St. in Downers Grove, 630.521.5212, entouragerestaurant.com/downers-grove.