Crimson Lounge may start to change that. The new bar in the luxurious Hotel Sax Chicago is not your typical lobby lounge; it doesn't even resemble the Kaz Bar that held court back when this was the House of Blues Hotel—you know, before the $17 million renovation.

Crimson Lounge is total opulence. Red-tinted mirrors line the back bar; red-hued furniture contrasts with the walnut floors; and a spicy scent, created especially for the place, wafts throughout...

" /> Crimson Lounge may start to change that. The new bar in the luxurious Hotel Sax Chicago is not your typical lobby lounge; it doesn't even resemble the Kaz Bar that held court back when this was the House of Blues Hotel—you know, before the $17 million renovation.

Crimson Lounge is total opulence. Red-tinted mirrors line the back bar; red-hued furniture contrasts with the walnut floors; and a spicy scent, created especially for the place, wafts throughout...

" /> Crimson Lounge may start to change that. The new bar in the luxurious Hotel Sax Chicago is not your typical lobby lounge; it doesn't even resemble the Kaz Bar that held court back when this was the House of Blues Hotel—you know, before the $17 million renovation.

Crimson Lounge is total opulence. Red-tinted mirrors line the back bar; red-hued furniture contrasts with the walnut floors; and a spicy scent, created especially for the place, wafts throughout...

" />
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Seeing Red

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Hotel bars really haven’t taken off as drinking destinations in this city—which I’ve never quite understood—but my hunch is that Crimson Lounge may start to change that. The new bar in the luxurious Hotel Sax Chicago is not your typical lobby lounge; it doesn’t even resemble the Kaz Bar that held court back when this was the House of Blues Hotel—you know, before the $17 million renovation.

Crimson Lounge is total opulence. Red-tinted mirrors line the back bar; red-hued furniture contrasts with the walnut floors; and a spicy scent, created especially for the place, wafts throughout…

Engaged

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The Gage, a stone’s toss from Millennium Park, locks in as Chicago’s finest gastropub; Jerry Kleiner’s new American bistro, Room 21, brings the noise, the history, and another smart menu to the South Loop

Panini and Gelato Galore

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Bye-Bye Body Sushi Set to open in three weeks, Ai Sushi Lounge (358 W. Ontario St.; 312-335-9888) is the third brain child of Agnes Yoshikawa and Eugene Chua, the brother-and-sister team who own Tsuki (1441 W. Fullerton Ave.; 773-883-8722) and Ringo (2507 N. Lincoln Ave.; 773-248-5788). Since Toyoji Hemmi, Tsuki’s sushi whiz, will now split … Read more

First Look at Table Fifty-Two

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Right before a restaurant opens, they usually throw a party for the media. Since our dining editors review eating establishments anonymously, they never show at these parties (waiting, instead, to dine there shortly after the opening so they won’t be “outed”). But sometimes they get curious, and when they do, they send someone like me.

I was jazzed. Earlier this week, I was asked to check out Table Fifty-Two, the debut restaurant from Oprah Winfrey’s chef and prolific cookbook author Art Smith…

Dish Flash-Hotshot chef Chicago bound

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Q & A with Jose Garces

Chef Jose Garces is coming to Chicago. Who’s that? A James Beard–nominee you probably never heard of. After all, we don’t pay a bunch of attention to the Mid-Atlantic category. Maybe we should. Garces is a 35-year-old Chicago-born Kendall grad who owns two highly acclaimed restaurants in Philadelphia: Amada, an Andalusian tapas bar, and Tinto, a Basque-inspired wine bar. And he’s about to launch Chilango, a high-energy Mexican spot in Philly. That’s nice. But, even nicer, Garces plans to open Mercat early next year in the renovated Blackstone Hotel at 600 South Michigan Avenue. We had a few questions for the prodigal son…

The Dish on Eight New Spots

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The Early Returns EditionWith a spate of openings all around town, Dish couldn’t resist taking the pulse of the newcomers. We tried everything from Turkish pizza to Mexican parillada-with decidedly mixed results. (In general, we give a place a bit of time to get up and running before visiting for the purpose of a review, … Read more