Upscale Restaurant Southern Chicago Is Coming to Chicago’s South Loop | Eater Chicago

"A new all-day restaurant and bar in the South Loop is aiming for a June or July opening and will serve upscale Southern dishes like lobster and waffles, Oysters Rockefeller, Cajun cream shrimp and grits, and a selection of steaks with sides such as garlic butter mashed potatoes, baked layered macaroni and cheese, and Cajun collard greens. The project is the first hospitality venture from business partners Troy Vivrett and executive chef Xavier Vance—who met on Instagram, were born and raised in Chicago, and draw on family roots in Mississippi (Vivrett) and Tennessee (Vance)—and Vance says he wants bold, memorable flavors served in an elegant, upscale way. In preparing the 6,700-square-foot space they traveled to London and Paris for culinary, design, and service inspiration and transformed a former dog-grooming business littered with cages into a 200-seat dining room with marble tables, 30-foot booths flanked by olive trees and greenery, bi-fold windows that open onto a 140-seat patio, and a private event space for 300. Vivrett’s real estate and construction background helped secure the location at 2000 S. Wabash Avenue within walking distance of McCormick Place, and the partners say neighborhood enthusiasm—illustrated when locals checked on them after a driver crashed into their building—has been strong. Vance acknowledges the systemic obstacles Black restaurateurs face but says he’s encouraged by industry progress (including Erick Williams’s James Beard recognition) and is focusing on the positive despite some mocking online messages as they work toward opening." - Naomi Waxman