A Visit to Chicago’s GT Fish & Oyster Restaurant

Chicago is well-known for its wonderful restaurants, and over the holidays, my family had the opportunity to experience several gastronomic delights. For the next few Fridays, I’m going to continue what I started last week with our visit to Eataly, and will feature some of Chicago’s great dining establishments.

Named after its Michelin-starred chef, Guiseppe Tentori, GT Fish & Oyster has been open since March 2011 at 531 N. Wells Street in Chicago. The 115-seat restaurant’s menu focuses on fresh, seasonal seafood presented in small plates designed for sharing, and the pricing is designed to fill a hole in Chicago’s market by offering outstanding seafood at mid-range prices (source). On the high side of what we consider mid-range, the prices are probably fair for the quality of the food.  Continue reading

Eataly Chicago — a Foodie Fantasy Destination

Yes, I typed that right. EATALY — a very cute pun on Italy, but Eataly is more than just a cute name. It’s truly a foodie fantasy destination right here in Chicago.

Co-owned by Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, the Chicago location is housed in the former ESPN Zone location near Michigan Avenue at Ohio and Wabash. The 63,000 sq. ft. food palace is the second Eataly location in the U.S. The only other U.S. outlet in New York opened in 2010, but media hype says that the next location will likely be in Philadelphia.The first Eataly opened in Turin, Italy, in 2007 and there are now Eataly locations in many major Italian cities.

Eataly Chicago is a foodie destination with 23 restaurants and food bars, one fine dining restaurant and lots of food products for sale. Upon opening on December 2, 2013, Eataly was overrun with locals and tourists, which resulted in its having to close for one day on December 9 in order to restock after its first week of business. We waited until the Sunday after Christmas to venture downtown to check out Eataly and I was not disappointed. It’s a foodie’s paradise. Continue reading

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