New and Upcoming Restaurants for River North Condo Owners to Try If you own a River North Chicago condo, you know that the neighborhood’s culinary scene is one of the best in the city. Within walking distance from a River North condo are some of Chicago’s most famous restaurants like the Chicago location of the international chain Fogo de Chao, award-winning chef Rick Bayless’s newest Mexican joint XOCO, and the home of Graham Elliot’s groundbreaking experimental cuisine.
Inside Graham Elliot, a River North Chicago culinary hotspot.
According to the Chicago Tribune, “The Near North Chicago neighborhood has 25,000 new residents occupying 10,000 new housing units built since 2000. Along with them have come offices, hotels, eateries, clubs, art galleries and shops. The central location makes whatever isn’t there an easy walk or cab ride away.” This, of course, explains why so many new restaurants, and home owners, are settling in the exciting area.
This spring, River North greeted three new additions to the already-varied eating scene:
Sable Kitchen & Grill: Opening on 505 N. State Street on Wednesday, March 24, is the new restaurant of chef Heather Terhune, formerly of the Atwood Cafe in the Loop. Sable Kitchen & Grill is dubbed a “gastro-lounge,” and the space will offer an atmosphere that is a stylish combination of 1940s old Hollywood glamor and intrigue and Midwestern hospitality.
The menu will feature dishes designed to match perfectly with the beer, wine and spirits offered at the bar. You’ll find filling meals like “corned beef Reuben strudel, sweet creamed-corn crème brulée, and bison short-rib sliders with a root-beer glaze.” And why will the cocktails be such a focus of the cuisine? Because they are created by master mixologist Mike Ryan, who also created the drinks for now-famous Wicker Park bar, The Violet Hour. 30 cocktails designed by Ryan will have a Prohibition-era theme.
Gilt Bar: Late February welcomed new River North eatery Gilt Bar, and now in March, it has come into full swing. Despite the expensive-sounding name, it is actually a moderately-priced gastropub– the kind that has become so popular in the River North area. You’ll find Gilt Bar right near the Merchandise Mart — perfectly accessible by public transit for non-River North dwellers, too.
Inside Gilt Bar, a new addition to the River North Chicago culinary scene.
You can order comforting food and drinks in a space that is simultaneously modern and rustic. You’ll find comfort food like beef pot roast, or more cocktail-hour friendly grub like the menu’s entire “on toast” section. Munch toast topped with a range of delicacies from daring bone marrow to more traditional balsamic-roasted garlic. Or taste chef Brandon Sodikoff’s recommendation– the fries. According to Chicago Magazine, “His fries set the philosophy for his River North restaurant, which he describes as ’simple American food at popular prices.’”
Double A: If you want to visit this chic lounge, on Kinzie Street like Gilt Bar, you might want to make reservations. This nightlife spot that opened early this year only seats 65, so if you show up after 10pm, you’ll need to have your name on a list.
If you do get in — maybe after dinner at their upstairs partner Mercadito, a River North favorite for tacos and tequila — you’ll find bartenders not stuck behind the bar but mingling with clientele and mixing drinks at patrons’ tables. Loud music, leather booths and an intimate feel round out a fun night for young folk at Double A.
Additionally, two upscale steakhouses will join the ranks of restaurants in Chicago’s favorite food genre. For the meat-and-potatoes people of the Midwest, a perfectly cooked steak is almost heaven. We’ll see if these newcomers will live up to their hype in the coming months.
Chicago Cut Steakhouse: According to Chicagobusiness.com, two local culinarians familiar with the Chicago steakhouse scene will open a new restaurant this summer. River North condo owners will be able to have a steak dinner at the start-up, now being called Chicago Cut Steakhouse. The new contender for best steak in the city “will be in the base of the new office tower at 300 N. LaSalle St. It will feature a patio overlooking the Chicago River and dry-aged steaks butchered on site.”
Mastro’s: The second new River North steakhouse is an expansion of the famous chain, Mastro’s. Where you used to find the Blue Water Grill on Dearborn, you’ll now find a two-level, 20,000-square-foot space with seating for close to 400 that will continue the glitzy, West Coast feel of Mastro’s. Featuring a menu of prime steaks and seafood accompanied by live music and dancing, Mastro’s will be a great place for a swanky date or for business entertaining.
For River North Chicago condo owners and all Chicago diners alike, these additions to the River North scene are exciting entertainment prospects for the spring and summer.
Tags: chicago culinary scene, chicago cut steakhouse, chicago gastropubs, chicago restaurants, chicago steakhouses, double a, gilt bar, mastro's, new chicago restaurants, river north chicago condos, sable bar and grill
