Deca’s seafood tower
 

On May 3rd, the poshy-posh urban oasis known as The Ritz-Carlton Chicago culminated its transformational charge into the 21st century by reimagining the fountain-bedecked 12th-floor café as an Art Deco brasserie and tavern and calling it Deca Restaurant + Bar. “We wanted to evoke a sense of fun,” says Mark Payne, the Ritz’s executive chef, of the new 100-seat gold-toned restaurant and neighboring bar. Payne’s idea of fun includes an ahi tuna confit niçoise salad, a decadent ten-layer chocolate cake, a classic seafood tower, and an array of sliders. Sliders? At the Ritz? James Beard is rolling over in his grave—and probably asking for another bite. The Ritz-Carlton Chicago, 160 E. Pearson St.; 312-573-5160.

Photograph: Lara Kastner