GOURMET GUIDE after suburb of Evanston. This restaurant “in the round” is the brainchild of hospitality industry veteran Amy Morton (her late father, Arnie, founded Morton’s The Steakhouse) and James Beard Award-winning chef Debbie Gold – the two are Chicago natives and longstanding friends. Bright and airy, with beautifully dressed tables, a zingy bar and charming terrace, LeTour is further primped with the addition of some beautifully executed Moroccan dishes, including a chicken tagine and lamb couscous, North African influences being some of the “favourite parts” of present-day French culture for both Morton and Gold. And that’s not the end of it. The city’s love affair with France continues at newly opened Obélix (obelixchicago.com), an intimate, MICHAEL MUSER modern French bistro in River North, opened by the Poilevey brothers, whose family also launched the popular Bucktown bistro Le Bouchon. (Their other restaurant, La Sardine, now closed, was a victim of the pandemic.) Wielding the whisk at the new family enterprise is scion and chef Oliver Poilevey, who devotes an entire menu section to duck and foie gras and doesn’t shy away from the laborious preparation of classics – beef Wellington or baked Alaska, say – but seems to revel in it. A good cocktail list too – look out for the beguiling Calvados Negroni and Saffron Sidecar – and a particularly fine wine list, especially strong on “grands vins” of Bordeaux and Burgundy. Wine is the focus, too, at another River North newcomer, LIVA at Chicago Winery (livachicago.com). Liva is the “community inspired” restaurant headed up by chef Andrew Graves, longtime sous-chef at Grant Achatz’s celebrated Alinea. His “Modern- American” menu includes “The Chef’s Whim”, featuring cheese, meat, fruit, and vegetables, no two selections the same, along with bold dishes like smoked pork hoc and umami short rib. The winery is a working one amid the skyscrapers of River North, which sources grapes from premier growers around the country and produces wines on site, a perfectly creditable malbec, pinot noir and riesling among the nine bins currently offered. Chicago Winery also offers tours and winemaking classes. If you think the death of fine dining and tasting menus has been exaggerated, you’d be right. At another River North newcomer, Indienne (indiennechicago.com) – the name refers to a type of textile design – chef Sujan Sarkar, who has worked in prestigious kitchens in India, Dubai, London and New York, is offering what he calls “progressive fine dining”, with two fivecourse tasting menus, one of which is vegetarian, along with à la carte. The restaurant also offers wine pairings and sophisticated tea pairings, a first in the city. And at Ever (ever-restaurant.com) in the West Loop, already the recipient of two Michelin stars, Michael Muser and his coowner and chef, Curtis Duffy, posit arcane ingredients – including guajillo chili, oxalis and tatsoi (a kind of brassica) – and play with flavour, texture and temperature to produce eight- to 10-course tasting menus, as well as highly creative wine-pairings. Ever also offers weekly wine tastings – no prior knowledge necessary. “We believe Chicago long ago earned its place on the global stage as an extraordinary dining destination,” muses Muser on Ever’s website. This is certainly true, but in the competitive world of restaurants you need to test yourself constantly, continually extend the limits. With its latest crop of culinary hotspots, Chicago has yet again proved it can and does. WATERING HOLES KENNEDY ROOFTOP (kennedyrooftop.com) It’s not all about the view, but the panoramic vistas of the Chicago skyline are certainly a big part of the draw at the new bar on the seventh floor of the Hyatt Place hotel, overlooking the Kennedy Expressway in trendy Wicker Park. Already attracting a fun local crowd, cocktails run the gamut, there’s a good selection of local beers and ales – and with salads, burgers, and shareable platters to snack on, no one’s going to come down from the roof hungry. AFTER (after-lounge.com) This dark, dramatic, theatrically lit bar is under the same ownership as Ever (see above) and is located just one door away. In addition to “Classics” and “Inspired” cocktails – check out a Fig Sazerac or Haitian Daiquiri – After also serves some exceptional light bites, including caviar flights, skewers of Wagyu beef as well as less exalted items such as chicken satay and steamed buns. “When guests enter After,” say the owners, “they can finally exhale.” NINE BAR (ninebarchicago.com) Asian cocktails with abstruse ingredients are the shtick at this less than year-old old bar, hidden behind a swing door at the Moon Palace restaurant, in Chinatown. Open from Wednesday to Sunday, a mostly young crowd flood Nine Bar at weekends to enjoy Asian-themed or inspired cocktails – the Mahjong Money, with Mezcal Unión, Suntory Toki whisky, matcha and lemongrass is a bestseller. THE MEADOWLARK (meadowlarkchicago.com) Mahogany panelling, deep leather chesterfields and shelves lined with antique books, pint-sized Meadowlark has a cosy, huggermugger ambience. And with its skillfully made, complex cocktails that currently take their inspiration from the birds of the Midwest, this new Logan Square district bar is definitely something to tweet about. 76 NetJets
CHICAGO HOPE Clockwise from top left: Second Generation’s team is led by chef Ed Kim, right; from the grill at Kindling Downtown Cookout & Cocktails; LIVA at Chicago Winery Facing page: Skyline views at Ever CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: NELSON DOW, CHRIS PETERS, ANTHONY TAHLIER
