2021-12-11 05:30:17
Get the scoop on the latest hotel, dining, brewery, and venue openings in the city. HOTELS Pendry Chicago, located in the stunning art deco-style Carbide & Carbon Building, features 364 redesigned guest rooms and suites. Its Venteux Brasserie, Cafe & Oyster Bar offers elevated French fare by Michelin-starred chef Donald Young. The 24th-floor Château Carbide is a seasonal, garden-like rooftop bar inspired by the Côte d’Azur. The hotel offers 13,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including two ballrooms and a terrace with Michigan Avenue views. The Chicago Hotel Collection, known for boutique hotels that reflect the unique style of their surrounding neighborhoods, has opened a new location in the Loop, near Millennium Park. The Millennium Park hotel offers studio, one, two, and three bedroom suites. Another location in the hip Wicker Park neighborhood is planned to open soon. Scheduled to open in February 2022, The LaSalle Chicago, Autograph Collection is a luxurious, 234-room hotel located on LaSalle Street in the heart of the city’s Financial District. Perched 21 stories above street level in the landmark Continental building, The LaSalle Chicago’s meeting space includes a lavish ballroom, private dining room, and an executive boardroom. SpringHill Suites by Marriott Chicago Chinatown is located in one of the city’s most vibrant neighborhoods, not far from McCormick Place. The 148-room, all-suites hotel is just steps from Chinatown’s colorful shops and restaurants. An intimate, 343-square-foot meeting room can accommodate 12 people. The 215-room Canopy by Hilton Chicago Central Loop is located directly across from the Willis Tower, home of The Ledge, a thrilling attraction at the Skydeck Chicago observatory. The boutique hotel offers the all-day Depot 226 bistro and a 675-square-foot meeting room. DINING Former Next chef Jenner Tomaska opened the hotly anticipated Esmé, a fine dining restaurant in Lincoln Park. The 16-course tasting menu is inspired by local artists, whose works are displayed throughout the restaurant. The dining room, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Lincoln Park, seats 40. Make your meal count — a portion of Esmé’s proceeds go to designated charities. Spiaggia alum and Top Chef winner Joe Flamm debuted Rose Mary in the West Loop’s hot Fulton Market. Named for Flamm’s two grandmothers, Rose Mary blends rustic Italian cuisine with bold Croatian flavors (think handmade pasta and fresh-caught seafood). Time Out ranked Rose Mary second on its 2021 list of the 21 Best New Restaurants in the World. Rose Mary can accommodate 44 seated guests in its private dining room. The newest outpost of Jaleo, owned by renowned Spanish chef and global activist José Andrés, opened in River North. The sprawling, 10,000-square-foot restaurant serves traditional tapas, tableside paella, Spanish wines, and sangria. The 240-seat eatery also features Pigtail, a speakeasy-style basement bar mixing up Spanish cocktails. Avec River North is the sister restaurant to popular Avec West Loop. The larger River North location features similar Mediterranean-inspired small and large plates, like the charred octopus with watermelon and salted yogurt. Avec River North can accommodate 58 guests for a seated dinner, or 100 for a standing reception in its airy private dining room or seasonal rooftop. Black-owned Bronzeville Winery is a combined restaurant, wine bar, and cultural space. The recently opened 120-seat winery features a menu of comfort food (including shrimp and grits) and a wine list curated by Anika Ellison, one of the industry’s few Black women sommeliers. There’s also a small stage for live music, an outdoor patio for 100 guests, and a rotating gallery of works by local artists. The industrial-chic Pilsen Yards features exposed brick walls and reclaimed wood throughout its 3,000-square-foot space. The menu of Latin street food, including tacos and ceviche, is complemented by a bar program that focuses on mezcal, tequila, and whiskey. Event spaces include an all-weather, 180-seat patio with a clear roof and The Alderman, a hidden 16-seat cocktail bar. Catch live music and vinyl DJ sets on the weekends. The Paramount Group recently moved its hospitality and events headquarters into a new 18,000-square-foot campus in the Avondale neighborhood. Its on-site Eden restaurant serves California-style cuisine made with vegetables grown in its own greenhouse, and offers outdoor dining spaces along the Chicago River. BREWERIES The North Shore Ravinia Brewing Co. opened a Chicago location in Logan Square. Ravinia’s craft lagers and IPAs pair well with its casual menu of tacos, quesadillas, and burritos. The industrial-style space features a century-old bar, large outdoor beer garden, garage door-style windows that open onto the street, and swinging benches suspended by ropes. Ravinia Brewing Co. can host private events for up to 250 people. Black-owned Turner Haus Brewery has opened a taproom in Bronzeville’s 92-year-old Rosenwald Court Apartments. Turner Haus shares space with another Black-owned business, local coffeehouse chain Sip & Savor. The 2,500-square-foot venue features a sidewalk patio for outdoor imbibing. Solemn Oath Still Life is the new Chicago outpost for suburban Naperville-based Solemn Oath Brewery. Located in Logan Square, the taproom is an elevated take on the classic dive bar vibe. Solemn Oath Still Life offers barrel-aged beers and cocktails made with its own City Water hard seltzer. Life on Marz Community Club lies on the border of Bucktown and Logan Square, sharing a building with the nostalgic Margie’s Candies (where The Beatles once stopped in for ice cream sundaes) and board game cafe Snakes & Lattes. Life on Marz features 14 taps with lagers, stouts, and pale ales, along with a simple menu of Chicago-style hot dogs and Polish sausage. VENUES The Penthouse Hyde Park is a stunning new venue located in Hyde Park’s historic Kenwood District (where President Obama and his family once lived). Located on the 13th floor of the former 1920s Piccadilly Hotel, The Penthouse Hyde Park is crowned with a 2,600-square-foot rooftop terrace that features both lake and downtown Chicago views. The vintage venue also offers a glamorous grand ballroom that can host 200 guests for a sit-down dinner or 300 for a reception. Hybrid events and experiences can be held at the new ACT Hybrid Production Studio powered by Freeman, located in the Arie Crown Theater at McCormick Place. The state-of-the-art studio, with capacity for more than 4,000 people, uses Hollywood-grade technology and a 400-square-foot video wall to engage audiences both in the theatre and worldwide through streaming virtual environments and augmented reality.
©Chicago. View All Articles.