Sushi|Bar to Open This Spring in Chicago | Eater Chicago

"Tucked inside the forthcoming River North spot Lady May, the ten-seat Sushi|Bar will bring a splashy, spendy 17-course omakase to a 375-square-foot space at 405 N. Wabash Avenue, serving 30 patrons each night (10 per seating). Executive chef Ambrely Ouimette, who began working in sushi at 16 and worked at Matsuhisa Denver, applies a distinctly non-traditional approach with an ever-changing menu influenced by local purveyors and her travels to Italy, Portugal, and Spain — she still uses traditional techniques like breaking down and curing fish but loves surprising diners with dishes such as a smoked sawara with three types of preserved wasabi, and signatures like aged bluefin akami with dehydrated miso and everything bagel spice, and kanpachi with pineapple, passionfruit, and shaved coconut. The Chicago location will distinguish itself from its Texas and Florida counterparts with mid-century touches — terrazzo floors, brass fixtures, and a marble green backdrop behind the bar — and Ouimette says she wants diners to feel comfortable, relaxed, and involved in conversation rather than bound by omakase pretensions." - Naomi Waxman