Adalina Prime is Coming to Fulton Market | Eater Chicago
"Planned for a late August opening on the ground floor of a new Fulton Market tower at 360 N. Green Street, just down the street from the Guinness Open Gate Brewery, this follow-up from the team behind a Gold Coast Italian restaurant pairs Chef Soo Ahn — who brought Michelin-starred experience from Band of Bohemia — with partner and kitchen helm Nemanja Milunovic, a Belgrade-born chef who has worked at Nico Osteria, Prime & Provisions, and Aba and who ran Kiosk Balkan Street Food. Ahn says it should open “right before braising period.” Milunovic frames the concept: “If we approach this venture with global flavors, we can bring in so much more fun,” Milunovic says, and teases dishes such as slow-baked tomatoes on the vine infused with mapo flavors (a nod to Sichuan cuisine), a scallop dish with XO sauce made from abalone inspired by his Hong Kong–born mother-in-law’s Naperville restaurant, Korean rice cakes (tteokbokki) atop seafood towers with Fra Diavolo replacing gochujang, a favorite fried onion appetizer given the placeholder name Crispy Petals, and even a riff on Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits. They’ll also offer several vegan options — continuing Ahn’s culinary approach, rooted in creations like the salt-cured carrot entree with a unique miso texture he developed at Band of Bohemia that drew a following of vegans and omnivores alike — and are discussing a secret menu with Balkan flavors like truffled burek and chef-made cevapi. The program will focus on steak with beef sourced from a few suppliers including Miller Wagyu Ranch in the Quad Cities; they’ll be the first restaurant to feature meats from Miller, with some dry-aged beef though Ahn says he feels the Midwest prefers grass-fed beef. Inspired by tableside olive-oil presentations at some Italian restaurants, the team plans to incorporate a salt library with 12 varieties and have staff recommend pairings to customers. As Ahn summarizes the approach: “We want to take the heart and soul of a steakhouse using live fire, bold flavors, very rustic techniques, and refine it a little bit.”" - Ashok Selvam
