Chalet Restaurant and Lounge Will Soon in River North | Eater Chicago

"Set to open in early June at 228 W. Chicago Avenue, this new bar, restaurant, and lounge is inspired by fancy ski resorts and aims to offer a vacation-like après-ski experience for Chicagoans, with two floors of cabin-tinged décor, an Instagram-friendly ski lift on the first floor, a sleek stone bar, and California-style, West Coast–inspired dishes designed for sharing. Operated by HiFi Hospitality as its first solo project, the venue will serve seasonal cocktails that shift with the weather—colorful, fruity, spritzy drinks in summer and boozy tummy-warmers like mulled wine and spiked hot chocolate in winter—alongside a rotating selection of craft and micro-brews from breweries in Colorado and on the West Coast. The 2,200-square-foot first floor will house a dining room with modern furniture, expansive wooden floors, and knotty pine accents, while a 1,900-square-foot second-floor lounge will offer late-night hours with low-set tables intended to be lively but not clubby; partner Sam Egar promises a “very skilled executive chef who just left one of the most noteworthy restaurants in Chicago,” and operators compare the food approach to the West Coast style seen at Pacific Standard Time." - Naomi Waxman