For the past two weeks, Embeya (564 W. Randolph St., 312-612-5640) has remained dark following the rocky departure of its opening chef, Thai Dang. Today, they turn on their fancy chandelier again, with chef Michael Sheerin at the helm.

Chef Michael Sheerin  Photo: Courtesy of the Rosenthal Group

Sheerin, a veteran of Blackbird, Trenchermen, the lamented Cicchetti, and the just-announced Hyde Park dumpling house Packed, will spin his own version of Asian cuisine, different from Dang’s Southeast Asian food. “It’s not a total departure from what Embeya has become known for,” he says. “I’ll be using these ingredients, less traditionally.”

Sheerin described some sample dishes from his all-new menu:

  • Seared tuna with roasted beets and coconut
  • Glazed pork belly with roasted banana and fermented strawberries
  • Smoked scallops with pickled turmeric and smoked walnuts
  • Fermented pork sausage from Tête Charcuterie, with green garlic and braised pineapple. “The classic [Thai] grilled sausage—kind of crumbly, usually with rice, but I took the rice out,” Sheerin says.
  • Crispy fried squid with kaffir lime and Asian pear
  • Lobster with orange and XO sauce
  • Peking duck, slow-roasted with blood orange–hoisin glaze, on sweet pea purée 
  • Black pepper curry with spot prawn
  • Miso- and sake-glazed half chicken

Neither the decor nor the name of the restaurant will change, even though Dang’s nickname inspired the name. “Mike” somehow wouldn’t encapsulate the restaurant, anyway.