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Two of Chicago's Most Venerable Japanese Restaurants Unite for Omakase in Old Town
Two of Chicago's Most Venerable Japanese Restaurants Unite for Omakase in Old Town

Eater

timea day ago

  • Entertainment
  • Eater

Two of Chicago's Most Venerable Japanese Restaurants Unite for Omakase in Old Town

is the James Beard Award-winning regional editor for Eater's Midwest region, and in charge of coverage in Chicago, Detroit, and the Twin Cities. He's a native Chicagoan and has been with Eater since 2014. Adam Sindler and Mari Katsumura represent royalty when it comes to the rich history of Japanese restaurants in Chicago. In 1967, Sindler's family founded Kamehachi, the city's first sushi bar, before planting its flag in Old Town along Wells Street. Katsumura's parents started the pioneering Yoshi's Cafe in Lakeview with Yoshi Katsumura combining French and Japanese cuisine into something special. The restaurant was a fixture along Halsted for 39 years. 'He claimed he invented wasabi-mashed potatoes in the '90s,' Mari Katsumura says of her late father with a laugh. 'I love spreading that rumor and perpetuating that story.' Sindler has brought on Katsumura as chef to open a new restaurant along Wells Street inside the same space that housed his family's restaurant. SHŌ is scheduled to open on Tuesday, August 12, at 1533 N. Wells Street, giving the two a canvas to show Chicago their brand of omakase. Katsumura, now rejuvenated after her work at Michelin-starred Yugen in West Loop, will offer a six- to eight-course omakase for about $145. There will also be supplements. SHŌ will offer the menu both at a 12-seat sushi counter and the restaurant's four tops. The meal won't be 100 percent sushi, which is often a misnomer. When it comes to Japanese cuisine, Sindler and Katsumura admit that Chicago often lags behind the coasts. Katsumura feels it's harder to compete in the Midwest as the region is limited when it comes to fresh seafood. That's something that 2024 James Beard Award-winning chef Hajime Sato of Sozai in suburban Detroit faced before he closed his restaurant earlier this year. SHŌ/Mistey Nguyen SHŌ/Mistey Nguyen SHŌ/Mistey Nguyen There's also a glut of omakase restaurants opening or that have recently debuted. Katsumura points out that most of them — if any — don't have Japanese chefs or owners. She feels that '39 years of eating Japanese food' — mostly cooked by her parents — gives her a unique perspective on the cuisine, which is why courses like a reimagined chawanmushi with truffled dashi custard and cauliflower foam, accompanied by Osetera royale caviar, and shaved summer truffle will shine. Hand rolls are also making their way through Chicago. SHŌ will riff on those with a build-your-own course that emulates caviar service with numerous add-ons available. Still, the two are careful as they don't want to gatekeep culture. Sindler points out that he is both Italian and Japanese. He also mentions Sushi by Scratch's Phillip Frankland Lee, saying the chef — who isn't Japanese — presents the culture and cuisine as he sees it. At SHŌ, Sindler says while respecting tradition is important, adhering to authenticity — however that's defined — is not. 'We are inherently Japanese in terms of how we grew up,' Sindler says. 'The food is personal in that regard.' Sindler designed the space and added several nods to music. Joining them is GM Preston Smith, currently the sommelier and assistant general manager at Beity in Fulton Market. SHŌ/Mistey Nguyen SHŌ/Anthony Tahlier Entering the restaurant business wasn't a given for Sindler, who washed dishes at Kamehachi as a teen before going off to explore art and music. The latter is shown in how SHŌ approaches its food. It's not so much a progressive menu, but a mixtape. This is a collaboration between two like-minded Japanese Americans who grew up in Chicago. Although their families are from parts of Japan, the common ground was so strong that Katsumura, an award-winning pastry chef, even welcomed Sindler's input on the dessert course. Sindler ended up working at the Alinea Group's Roister before returning to the family business during COVID. Kamehachi has had numerous locations in Chicago, including one at the corner of Wells and Schiller (most recently a Broken English Taco Pub). They vacated that address in 2011 and moved to where SHŌ will debut. The new restaurant's name is a shortened version of the Japanese word 'keisho,' which translates to inheritance. The traditional lore attached to the name involves a family passing a katana down through generations. Sindler says it symbolized the torch being passed: 'It's three letters,' he says. 'I think it's powerful.' SHŌ, 1533 N. Wells Street, opening on Tuesday, August 12, reservations available via OpenTable Eater Chicago All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

D.C.'s Activist Hub Busboys and Poets, 20 Years In
D.C.'s Activist Hub Busboys and Poets, 20 Years In

Eater

time2 days ago

  • Business
  • Eater

D.C.'s Activist Hub Busboys and Poets, 20 Years In

is a James Beard Award-winning food and travel journalist, cookbook author, and Senior Editor at Eater. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, Saveur, and others. In 2013, when I was 21 years old, I traveled with my Model African Union team from the University of Houston to Howard University in Washington, D.C. Trayvon Martin's murder the year before had a sweeping impact on me and my classmates — all of us ignited with a charge to have an expert-level understanding of our Black history, and the tools to make the world a better place once we graduated. We discussed these issues with our professor at Busboys and Poets, known as the intellectual hub of D.C.'s Black, immigrant, and progressive community. At the time, this was the spot to be in D.C., according to my professor, and to the coolest and most elite of the progressive 'Chocolate City.' Being in that space made us feel like we were Texas's coolest college students. The walls of vivid, colorful artwork enchanted us. Bookshelves filled with works from Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, and Zora Neale Hurston grounded us. And the conversations we had over shrimp and chicken chorizo pasta (to this day, still my favorite thing on their menu) nourished us as we became more and more inspired about the lives that potentially lay ahead of us. Iraqi American immigrant Andy Shallal opened Busboys and Poets in 2005. Since then, the restaurant-bookstore-community space has led with progressive ideals first, and has been patronized by politicians, musicians, and college students; it's hosted the likes of Angela Davis, Harry Belafonte, Alice Walker, and Howard Zinn. But Busboys' tenure thus far hasn't gone without challenges: As a business centered around Black culture and activist ideals owned by a non-Black man, it's been the center of contention and has endured internal and external changes. But the mission and values of Busboys remain ever present, and thus far, its reputation within a conscientious group of diners continues. I recently spoke to Shallal about opening the business amid the United States invasion of Iraq, operating a space anchored by Black history as an Iraqi American, and the importance of combining food and activism in the restaurant space. The restaurant, internet cafe, and bar section of Busboys and Poets in 2005. Susan Biddle/The Washington Post via Getty Images The Busboys dining room today. Busboys and Poets Eater: Why open a restaurant that's also a bookstore and a place for community engagement? Andy Shallal: I always imagined a place like this, and I wanted to create a place that I didn't find elsewhere in the Washington Metropolitan Area. Restaurants in particular and gathering places like this are perfect for the type of conversations that we need as a society to bring people together. People ask us this a lot, so I wrote about my experience of being in the country in my memoir, A Seat at the Table: The Making of Busboys and Poets. It talks about my upbringing in this country, the way that I was exposed to politics, to race, to different parts of the restaurant business, and the decision to bring all of those elements into one place. This is clearly a space rooted in African American ideals, activism, and intellectualism. Was there any particular part of your upbringing or childhood that made you particularly invested in the Black American experience? It was more about how race plays out in every part of life in this country, and I experienced that because of the way I looked: different. I wasn't white; I was mistaken for Black many times in many spaces. I started to understand — I was almost like a fly on the wall, hearing what the other side says about the other side — and started to understand this race issue. We sometimes say it's just a social construct, but it has huge ramifications on someone's upbringing, and where they live, who they date, whether or not they get in trouble with the police, how much income they make, their health. Everything is really focused around this social construct that we call 'race.' I was trying to understand it. How is it possible that something so constructed has so much impact on one's life and outcomes? It's always been at the forefront of my social and political interactions because of my experiences coming to this country as a child and experiencing race firsthand: Being called the n-word when I didn't know what that meant; being called terms attributed to light-skinned Black people, when I didn't know what that meant; being, for a time, uncomfortable to associate with any particular group at the cafeteria, because I didn't fit in with anyone. It was difficult, managing and navigating the racial undertones of this country, and I wanted to create a place for people to come into and be able to interact with one another without feeling uncomfortable. Can you tell me about the earliest days of Busboys and Poets? What was going on in D.C.? It was shortly after 9/11. Being an Arab and a Muslim, I felt very much like an outsider, and I really wanted to find my tribe. So I started thinking of creating a place that is welcoming to people who, historically, have been unwelcome in these types of places. And I started searching for a space in D.C. I wanted it to be in an iconic location: The U Street Corridor, at one point called Black Broadway, was ideal. I found the place and decided to just go from there. I tried to create a place that would become a hub for activists, for people who believe a better world is possible, for people who feel that being marginalized and being a country that's always going to war is not necessarily the way to go. I wanted to bring in the dreamers, the people who believe in a better world. I created it with a bookstore at the front; a lounge for people to interact and hang with people, a space in the back for poetry, author talks, and panel discussions; murals and artwork that represent the various types of people that make up our country, and the values we hold. At that time, the Iraq War was in full force. When we were opening, it just happened that one of the largest anti-war marches was taking place here in D.C. I've been an activist most of my life, and so I was fairly known in the peace movement in this arena. We had the peace and justice movement basically hanging out here days before and after the march. And people responded positively. The Busboys and Poets menu circa 2011. The favorite shrimp and chicken chorizo pasta was $16 then — it's still on the menu at $25 now. Pizza is no longer available, replaced with a section on the current menu of vegan bowls. Busboys and Poets isn't a traditional restaurant. What makes this space so distinct? There's no minimum expense to be here; you don't have to spend any money. You can hang out, drink water and enjoy some of the programming we have; 90 percent of it is free of charge. People come in and listen to amazing authors and talks just by showing up. I wanted to make sure the food was really good, because if you don't have really good food, people are going to eat before they get here. It's open to the public, and it's open all the time. From the beginning, I wanted to make sure that the food was accessible to as many people as possible. We have a handful of meat options, but a lot of our food is vegetarian, vegan, and plant-based. We opened in 2005 with vegan options; we were one of the first places that offered vegan and vegetarian food options in the city. There's a full range, not only of choices of food, but choices of prices. What was getting investment like to open the space? When I first was getting ready to open this place, I went to different banks looking for a loan, and many turned me down: Bookstores didn't make money. Coffee shops didn't really make that much money. Panel discussions of anti-war activism weren't going to make money. None of these things, in their mind, seem to make money. But bring them all together, and the synergy that creates is what I was looking for. Intuitively, I knew that would work. Finally, Industrial Bank agreed and went ahead and gave me the loan that I needed to get started. So, you opened the flagship location on 14th and V Streets, NW, which also happens to be the first location I visited when I was a college student. What does Busboys look like now? Once I got started and people saw how the business was, those banks that turned me down before were knocking on my door, telling me that they wanted to lend me money. So it's funny how that works. I was approached by developers and other people who said, 'Oh, you should open a place in my neighborhood. You should open the place here.' Slowly but surely, we started opening several places – we're up to eight so far. We have eight locations now in the D.C. area — two in Maryland and one in Virginia. But I didn't start with the intention of opening more places. Around 2008, the Washington City Paper used to do a Reader's Choice [award], and they asked the readers what would be their favorite place to take an out-of-towner. They ranked Busboys and Poets over the National Mall, which I thought was fascinating. That was a really big moment, where people really did see us as a place that represented D.C. The Busboys datebook from the week of September 4, 2006, when the restaurant celebrated its first anniversary. Busboys and Poets You're running a restaurant vocally rooted in activism during this current administration, just blocks away from the White House. How have you and your team grappled with the current and previous challenges at the restaurant? We've gone through many different iterations and issues that we've had to face, not the least of which was, of course, COVID. With the first Trump administration and the changes in the energy of the city, this was also very challenging. It's the people's business. It's a service. During the second Trump administration, we have become that much more important for people. The fact that there is a space that is safe, that people come to and retreat from the insanity that's around us, I think, is really one of our strengths. Dealing with issues of Palestine, dealing with issues of what's happening with this administration, and the DEI debacle that's taking place, dealing with all of the anti-immigration sentiment, eliminating taxes on tipped wages, and so on: policy and other issues not only happening here locally, but also nationally. So I am aware that you know, as you grow bigger, your responsibilities get more serious, and we are getting bigger. What do you see for the future of Busboys and Poets? I really want to be at the forefront of progressive ideas and progressive policies. So, whether it's making sure that immigrants are safe, making sure we source our food well, use green energy, and so on. I want us to be able to continue to do the work that we do. I think all of these things are important. Speaking up on international issues is important. We have a voice, we have a platform, and I want to make sure that it's used judiciously in a way that's going to really make the world a better place. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Sign up for Eater's newsletter The freshest news from the food world every day Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

The Stampede of Steakhouses Continues in West Loop
The Stampede of Steakhouses Continues in West Loop

Eater

time2 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • Eater

The Stampede of Steakhouses Continues in West Loop

is the James Beard Award-winning regional editor for Eater's Midwest region, and in charge of coverage in Chicago, Detroit, and the Twin Cities. He's a native Chicagoan and has been with Eater since 2014. Steak is just so hot right now, whether it's in a fast-casual bowl, inside a vending machine, or in the traditional sense at a formal restaurant. Trino is the latest addition to this avalanche of beef and will open Wednesday, August 6, along Randolph Street in the West Loop. Reservations are live. Chef Stephen Sandoval has been prepping for the steakhouse's debut via a series of pop-ups at Soho House Chicago. This will be Sandoval's third project in Chicago. He launched Diego in 2023 in West Town, a tiny bar serving tacos, cured seafood, and more. Sandoval remains optimistic that Entre Sueños, his ode to Baja Med cuisine, will open later this year in West Town. The delayed project remains one of Chicago's most anticipated openings of 2025. At Trino, expect live-fire cooking with Spanish and Latin influences. Unique sauces — like huitlacoche bordelaise — will play significant roles, and there will be creative seafood and pasta dishes. Sandoval will deliver fun twists on familiar steakhouse standards. Caviar, for example, will be paired with chicharrón. Sandoval cited Argentinian pyromanic chef Francis Mallmann as an influence. Sandoval is partnering with friend Oscar Sotelo. The pair met while working at Leña Brava, the West Loop Mexican restaurant, formerly run by Rick Bayless. Together, they formed Cinco Sueños, which will operate the Trino and a speakeasy-style bar on the lower level called Laberinto. The two projects replace Komo, a sushi restaurant owned by Nils Westlind. Westlind's upper-level lounge, ESCO, will remain. A rep says that 'together, the three concepts will form a cohesive, multi-level hospitality destination under one roof.' Leaning into the speakeasy vibe, a rep didn't share much about Laberinto. The interiors of Trino and its sibling bar will be designed in collaboration with Aida Napoles of AGN Design. Chicago chefs have worked hard to show America that the city's restaurant scene is about more than meat and potatoes, often a stereotype offered by myopic coastal elites offended by Midwestern charm. But steakhouses are also a safe bet to bring in revenue. As America deals with volatility — whether it's increased wages or labor challenges furthered by changes to immigration policy — diners will see fewer risks. Although the steakhouse formula is as tried and true as it gets, any genre can be livened up. Customers will soon see if Trino is up for the challenge. Trino, 738 W. Randolph Street, planned for a Wednesday, August 6 opening; reservations available via Resy. Eater Chicago All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Lab-grown salmon set to hit the menu at hot Seattle oyster bar
Lab-grown salmon set to hit the menu at hot Seattle oyster bar

Toronto Sun

time5 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • Toronto Sun

Lab-grown salmon set to hit the menu at hot Seattle oyster bar

Published Jul 19, 2025 • 3 minute read Raw salmon fillets are pictured in this stock photo. Photo by stock photo / Getty Images Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Seattle restaurant The Walrus and the Carpenter is known for its fresh oysters that showcase the terroir — or more accurately, merroir — of the waters in which they were raised. But starting in August, the restaurant will be serving fish that doesn't have a merroir at all because it's been grown from cells in a lab. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The Walrus and the Carpenter will be the third restaurant in the world to serve startup Wildtype's lab-grown salmon. Renee Erickson, the James Beard Award-winning chef behind the restaurant, first came across lab-raised fish a few years ago. Her first reaction, which she shared at Bloomberg Green Seattle this week: 'Most people's perception of it is weird, and it is weird.' Wildtype takes cells from Pacific salmon that are then grown in tanks that look akin to those used to brew beer. The company adds a mix of nutrients similar to what wild fish eat. The cells are harvested and then mixed with other ingredients to make filets that look just like salmon. The company received US Food and Drug Administration clearance in June, making it the first lab-raised seafood to be deemed safe for public consumption. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The cultivated salmon is designed to be served raw, cured or smoked. Two places are already serving it. Kann, which specializes in Haitian food in Portland, Oregon, plates it with grilled watermelon and pickled strawberries. Meanwhile, OTOKO in Austin serves it as part of a Japanese omakase. Erickson is currently planning to serve the fish in a leche de tigre, a marinade used in South American ceviche. Farm-raised salmon is a multi-billion-dollar business, but it takes a heavy toll on the environment. Salmon are fed fish meal, which leads to overfishing of smaller species. Fish can also escape farms, spreading diseases to wild populations. Wild salmon, meanwhile, are under threat from issues including unsustainable catches and rising ocean and river temperatures. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Lab-raised fish sidestep these issues, though cultivating cells is an energy-intensive process. Some research into other types of cultivated meat has found emissions could be higher than farm-raised counterparts, though it remains a burgeoning area of research. Wildtype's fish has a lower carbon impact than farm-raised and wild-caught fish, according to an analysis the company shared with Bloomberg Green, though co-founders Arye Elfenbein and Justin Kolbeck stressed it's a best guess based on limited scale and the company would revisit the analysis as it grows. Lab-grown meat has faced opposition. Seven states have banned the sale of it and a dozen more are considering bans, according to an analysis compiled by BloombergNEF. That includes a ban in Texas, where OTOKO is based, that goes into effect in September. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The company will pull its fish from the menu to comply, though 'we did not intend this to be a limited-time offer,' said Kolbeck, who is also chief executive officer. Wildtype currently has the capacity to supply 50 restaurants 'if we're super efficient,' and will soon announce two more venues adding its salmon to the menu in San Francisco and Washington, DC. The fish also remains expensive. Erickson said Wildtype's salmon currently runs about $190 per pound. That makes it anywhere from four to six times more expensive than sushi-grade salmon. Other lab-grown meats have failed to take off. Good Meat and Upside Foods have received FDA approval for their chicken, but aren't permanently on the menu anywhere. Erickson said she hopes that lab-grown fish can become more widespread. 'If you get a sushi bowl or poke bowl, most people don't know or care where that fish comes from at all, and you probably don't want to know,' she said. 'Replacing some of that with something not causing damage like I've seen here in the Northwest — that would be amazing.' Read More MMA Toronto & GTA Toronto Raptors Tennis Letters

Explore This New Bucktown Tasting Menu Restaurant With a Secret Bar
Explore This New Bucktown Tasting Menu Restaurant With a Secret Bar

Eater

time5 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • Eater

Explore This New Bucktown Tasting Menu Restaurant With a Secret Bar

is the James Beard Award-winning regional editor for Eater's Midwest region, and in charge of coverage in Chicago, Detroit, and the Twin Cities. He's a native Chicagoan and has been with Eater since 2014. Class Act, a new tasting menu restaurant in Bucktown, attempts to remove many obstacles that prevent diners from enjoying fine dining by presenting meals in a friendly, residential-like atmosphere around a 16-seat communal table, hoping diners will mingle with other parties. There's a bar component to the space, called Nightcap, a tiny speakeasy-style spot that's open to the general public without requiring reservations. Folks can enter through a side alley. Restaurant guests will eventually be whisked to the space at the end of their meals. This is the welcome room that greets guests. Chef Nicolai Mlodinow 'Bouquet' is make with zucchini flower, parmesan mousse, flowers, and honey. Chef Nicolai Mlodinow hatched his dream in college, cooking in dorms, and brought his apartment pop-up to Chicago. The restaurant's kitchen, with its marble counter facing the entrance, looks like an apartment kitchen from afar, albeit armed with sufficient gadgetry that Mlodinow hopes will allow Class Act to compete with Chicago's top-tier restaurants, mentioning restaurants like Alinea, Oriole, and Smyth. He describes the approach as modernist cuisine that taps into international influences. Mlodinow, an avid basketball player who grew up in California, is confident and wears sneakers showing off who his favorite player was growing up — a certain LA Laker who sported 'a Mamba mentality.' Mlodinow shares a story about wearing ankle weights while cooking to develop endurance strength, comparing himself to Rock Lee, a manga character from the Naruto series. The chef hopes this attitude carries through a 13-course meal over three hours that touches upon nostalgia. The opening menu is called 'Growing Up.' The communal dining seats 16. The kitchen is meant to look residential. 'The sense of connection and belonging is everything to me,' Mlodinow says. 'Bringing people together to break bread... One of the courses, they literally tear bread together. That is why I cook.' A tartlet with butter-poached shrimp and flavored with Cajun seasoning and garam masala is emblematic of what Mlodinow wants to achieve, he says. It reminds him of a blackened salmon dish his father cooked for him growing up: 'When I look at it, when I taste it, I get all those flavors,' he says. He's quick to say he isn't swapping in fancy ingredients to tried-and-true dishes just for the sake of it. For example, the thought of recklessly substituting uncured brisket in a specific dish instead of pastrami revolts him. 'Blackened Seafood' and 'Scrimps.' 'Ice Cream Truck' is made with saffron olive oil ice cream and crystalized chocolate. There's a Nordic bent in Class Act's menu, but Mlodinow calls it subtle — the use of flowers, for example. Flowers are something the chef gravitates toward: 'They're very intentional, it's not just with how pretty it is,' Mlodinow says. 'These things actually have flavor.' Guests will enter and convene in a welcome room where they can enjoy a drink and decide on a beverage pairing; perhaps some peer pressure or old-fashioned conversation can help customers decide between nonalcoholic, standard, reserve, or cocktails. Dinner costs $230 per person, which ranks as one of the pricier tasting menus in town. The top tier includes Oriole ($325), Smyth ($420), and Alinea ($325 to $395) for standard reservations. In comparison, Feld, which opened in 2024, debuted at $195. The back bar, called Nightcap, is open to the general public. The cocktails aren't mundane. The chef's business partner, Shreena Amin, met Mlodinow while she was a guest at one of his dinners. She lives in Schaumburg and grew up traveling the world and eating at fine dining restaurants. The two took a research and development trip to Copenhagen, where they visited Michelin-starred institutions like Noma, the Alchemist, Jordnær, and Geranium in one week. For Amin, opening Class Act can give Chicagoans a taste of other cultures without a passport. 'We want to be carving out our own space that is about connection and fun and whimsy and joy and the food always has to be incredible — it takes you somewhere and tells a story,' she says. 'But what you're going to take away and remember is who you sat next to, how you laugh together, that's what makes you want to come back.' Class Act and Nightcap, 1737 N. Damen Avenue, reservations via OpenTable.

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