Cactus Bar & Grill stood in the South Loop financial district for more than three decades before the pandemic forced the neighborhood institution to close in 2020. Now, a veteran Chicago chef hopes to tempt visitors with comforting piles of delicate orecchiette and plump raviolo stuffed with pecorino and guanciale.

Cristian Mendoza and Petros Papatheofanis, the former owners of the Press Room wine bar in West Loop, have unveiled Terra e Mare, a new modern Italian restaurant with chef and partner Noah Zamler, who also oversees Irene’s Finer Diner in North Center. His team at 404 S. Wells Street highlights his family’s pasta-making legacy as well as seasonal midwestern produce and proteins.