Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/61757
So Many DinnerS (So little tiMe) The dark wood- paneled bar area. a place for all seasons BRAND-NEW CONCEPT RESTAURANT, ALLIUM. by liz grossman O THE FOUR SEASONS CHICAGO RELAUNCHES ITS nce awash in hues of mint green, canary yellow, and robin's egg blue, the Four Seasons Hotel's stately 7th-floor restaurant, formerly called Seasons, has shed its skin. And who knew that Chicago-style hot dogs, bacon-onion buns, and miso-butterscotch milkshakes were hiding underneath? Executive chef Kevin Hickey did, and after seven years in this kitchen and two Michelin stars, he ditched the more formal menu and turned his attention to Allium, which features modern food with a playful twist. "The concept [for Allium] grew out of our bar menu," says Hickey. "We saw guests ordering more fun, sharable items." But while some visitors to Seasons (which opened in 1989 with the hotel) pre- ferred to nosh on small plates at the bar, most flocked to the stunning dining room to partake of an elegant, modern American five-course tasting menu that was so seasonal, the menu changed almost daily. "We took the Seasons name literally," explains Hickey. "Every dish hinged on ingredi- 70 michiganavemag.com Lamb neck agnolotti at Allium. Andy Warhol replicas line the restaurant's walls. ents, so we would lose an ingredient and [have to change the recipe.]" At the original Seasons, crystal chandeliers and white tablecloths set the tone for the ladies who lunch and powerbroker crowd, earning a AAA Five Diamond award every year from 2001 through 2011, one Michelin star in 2010, and another in 2011. Now the new, revamped concept for Allium (named after a red onion that once grew wild on the banks of the Chicago River) combines casual dining with Hickey's passion for seasonal ingredients from local pur- veyors and the restaurant's 300-square-foot rooftop garden. While the veggie section of the menu bursts with fresh flavors, we recom- mend starting at the "Snacks & Breads" section on the dinner menu, where you can find lavish flatbread drizzled with pumpkin oil or onion oil (depending on the season) and warm Nunes Farm almonds come shell-on and tossed in maple flakes and sea salt. And we dare you not to inhale the bacon-onion pull-apart buns, a signature dish Hickey calls "crack buns—[because we can't stop] shoving them in our mouths." Equally gorge-worthy are three- to four-bite "smaller" dishes like bison tartare and kale and sweet potato salad with wild-foraged hickory nuts, while "bigger" plates include a suckling pig flat- bread. Under the heading "Mine" you'll find the entrees, including a burger topped with a fried egg, Dunbarton blue cheese, and bacon fat-sous vide onion rings; and a Chicago-style hot dog, made entirely from scratch, from the brioche poppy seed continued on page 72 photography by lara kastner