Restaurants, We Recommend
Pizzeria Portofino, 317 N. Clark St.
The team behind RPM Restaurants is bringing a new addition to the Chicago riverfront
with Pizzeria Portofino. Instantly you will be transported to the Riviera with hand-stretched
pizzas, vegetable antipasti, and artisan pastas coupled with coastal wines.
Contact your CUI Concierge for a VIP reservation today.
Restaurants, We Recommend
Rooh, 736 W. Randolph St.
The highly anticipated Randolph Row Indian restaurant, Rooh, has finally opened! Rooh,
the San Francisco fine-dining import will feature fancy cocktails, truffled flat-bread
and fried chicken.
Contact your CUI Concierge for a VIP reservation today.
New Venues, Restaurants, Uncategorized
Flora Fauna, 11 W. Illinois St.
Flora Fauna is a restaurant created with a unique blend of international flavors that aims to be a tropical oasis for both omnivores and vegetarians, alike. The restaurant plans to open later this summer inside the previously filled Bohemian House space.
Contact your CUI Concierge for a reservation today!
New Venues, Restaurants, Uncategorized
Torchio Pasta Bar, 738 N. Wells St.
Serving authentic Italian-inspired cuisine with a focus on fresh, house-made pasta, Torchio is bringing a new approach to the Italian restaurant scene in River North. The restaurant is a product of Varley’s, the owner, extensive travels throughout Italy with his wife.
Contact your CUI Concierge for reservations!
Restaurants, We Recommend
CDA, 20 East Chestnut Street
Executive Chef John Taus brings a new creative direction to Sofitel Chicago Magnificent Mile’s dining experience. CDA, the property’s reinvent-ed lobby-level dining offering, is a neighbor-hood meeting place that features a communal ambiance and shared plates inspired by all that the Mediterranean region has to offer.
Restaurants
Riccardo Trattoria, 1023 W. Lake Street
After three years as Executive Chef of Bice in Chicago, Riccardo, has begun a new Italian food adventure. Through the craftsmanship of an Italian food connoisseur, dishes are prepared with Riccardo’s professional and existential life course.
Restaurants, We Recommend
Cabra, 200 N. Green Street
Stephanie Izard and Boka Restaurant Group have come together to help Chicago welcome bright and sunny skies, with spicy, citrus laden food at the new Peruvian restaurant, Cabra, at the Hoxton Hotel.
Contact your CUI Concierge to secure your Reservation
Restaurants
Na Zdorovie! Russian Tea Time, 77 E. Adams
Have a great evening at this classic Chicago cultural icon.
This review is by CUI Concierge, Christopher Wilke.
We sampled several of their dishes from each section of their Dinner menu, and it was delicious! Standout items pictured here include: The Borscht, Beef Stroganoff, and delectable desserts such as Napoleon Bonaparte and the I Smell Honey.
Be sure to contact your CUI Concierge for a VIP reservation for lunch, dinner, or their popular afternoon tea time they hold daily from 2:00pm-4:30pm. Russian Tea Time has been hosting patrons in their warm, at-home feel restaurant since 1993.
As the vodka selection is quite impressive, we will leave you with the proper Russian way to take a vodka shot, as described on their website and menus:
A Shot of Vodka The Proper Russian Way For many Russians and ex-Soviets the genuine act of drinking vodka constitutes a very special ceremony. So, join “the club” and learn the bona fide way of drinking vodka. We’ll give you the rules and the tools. You read, observe, and enjoy!
1. Your two ounce shot of iced vodka, served straight, comes with pickle and pumpernickel bread
2. Announce a brief toast “Na Zdorovie!” – “To Your Health!” Sniff your piece of
pumpernickel deeply
3. Ceremonially say, “Nu…” (“So…”). Take a deep breath. Tilt your head back, and down the entire shot
4. Exhale loudly, producing a sound just short of a whistle. Then, give a quick sniff to your slice of pumpernickel bread in a quick ritual gesture
5. Eat your pickle neatly but quickly
6. Say, “Oh Khorosho” (“It feels good”), or “Khorosho poshla” (It went down well”)
7. Repeat the round in 15-20 minutes; slow down if you feel fuzzy warm, comfortable and your attention span is not at 100%
Na Zdorovie!
Chris Wilke, CUI Concierge
CONCIERGE UNLIMITED INTERNATIONAL
New Venues, Restaurants, We Recommend
Ocean Prime, 87 East Wacker Drive
A modern American restaurant and lounge from renowned restaurateur Cameron Mitchell has arrived to Chicago.
Boasting 15 locations, including Boston and New York City, Ocean Prime continues to deliver an extraordinary experience to guests with an impressive array of seafood and prime cuts of steak, signature cocktails and genuine hospitality.
Entertainment, Events, Restaurants, Uncategorized
James Beard Awards 2019 Finalist Announced
Chicago chefs swept the Best Chef category for the Great Lakes (which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio) in finalists announced by the James Beard Awards today. The Beards are considered the Oscars of the restaurant industry.
Winners will be announced May 6 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, at an event hosted by actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson.
Semifinalists were announced Feb. 27.
The Best Chef finalists are:
• Diana Dávila, Mi Tocaya Antojería
• Jason Hammel, Lula Cafe, Marisol
• Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark, Parachute
• David Posey and Anna Posey, Elske
• Noah Sandoval, Oriole
• Lee Wolen, Boka
Alisha Elenz of MFK restaurant is a finalist for Rising Star Chef of the Year (chefs under 30).
The much-lauded Lost Lake snagged the finalist nominee for Outstanding Bar Program, and perennial favorite Spiaggia got a finalist nod for Outstanding Wine Program.
In a category they’ve been nominated for before, Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz of Chicago’s Boka Restaurant Group (Boka, Girl & the Goat, Momotaro) are finalists for Best Restaurateu
For the best restaurant design or renovation since Jan. 1, 2016, two Chicago spots got nods for restaurants 76 seats and over. Chicago finalists are Lonesome Rose, done by Land & Sea Dept., and Pacific Standard Time, by Parts & Labor.
Other Chicago finalists are:
Outstanding Baker: Greg Wade, Publican Quality Bread
Outstanding Pastry Chef: Meg Galus, Boka
