The smell of fresh pesto wafts from the kitchen as Emile Chalouhi and Camillo Villa huddle over the stainless steel kitchen island, weighing ingredients on a small scale and exchanging banter in Italian. It is early afternoon at The Polenta Bar in the West Loop. White chairs and tables sit empty as the restaurant undergoes renovations to make the environment “more Milanese,” according to Chalouhi, the owner and Milan native.

The Polenta Bar, 1002 W. Lake St., opened in March and serves high-quality polenta in the manner that Americans commonly enjoy their food: á la fast-casual. Polenta, ground corn cooked with boiling water and oil or butter, comes from Northern Italy’s Lombardia region, where it is a staple dish served with meat, vegetables and sauce.