Hype. You’ll humor it. Smile at it. Friend it on Facebook. You just won’t believe it. Instead,
there’s this. It’s an inspection sheet of sorts. A road test. A canary in the coal mine of Chicago
nightlife. We call it Due Diligence—dangerous work, but your nights are too important to leave to
chance.
The Place: Nico Osteria, an eight-day-old Italian seafood palace in the new Thompson hotel. It’s from One Off Hospitality (Blackbird, Avec, Publican, etc.). Expectations are, in a word, high.
The Hype: This place turns the Viagra Triangle into a foodie mecca.
The Reality: Well, not quite. Yes, the portions here are delicate. And the eponymous cocktail, Nico, is thoughtfully swizzled. But the overall scene still has some Gold Coast boisterousness.
The Hype: You simply must order the Neapolitan-style ragù.
The Reality: Pasta in a braised-pork-belly ragù with swordfish meatballs—that’s a pretty obvious winner. But there’s a hidden gem: Smoked Whitefish Triangolini. You’ll never look at triangolini the same way again.
The Hype: The real action is at Salone Nico, the bi-level lounge off the Thompson’s lobby.
The Reality: You’ll still want to start your night in the dining room, but this lounge’s plum-colored couches, stand-alone bar, oysters and king crab legs do make it a pretty great place to end your evening. Or your morning.
The Place: Nico Osteria, an eight-day-old Italian seafood palace in the new Thompson hotel. It’s from One Off Hospitality (Blackbird, Avec, Publican, etc.). Expectations are, in a word, high.
The Hype: This place turns the Viagra Triangle into a foodie mecca.
The Reality: Well, not quite. Yes, the portions here are delicate. And the eponymous cocktail, Nico, is thoughtfully swizzled. But the overall scene still has some Gold Coast boisterousness.
The Hype: You simply must order the Neapolitan-style ragù.
The Reality: Pasta in a braised-pork-belly ragù with swordfish meatballs—that’s a pretty obvious winner. But there’s a hidden gem: Smoked Whitefish Triangolini. You’ll never look at triangolini the same way again.
The Hype: The real action is at Salone Nico, the bi-level lounge off the Thompson’s lobby.
The Reality: You’ll still want to start your night in the dining room, but this lounge’s plum-colored couches, stand-alone bar, oysters and king crab legs do make it a pretty great place to end your evening. Or your morning.
