The Elizabeth Chicago

Elizabeth, the Michelin-Starred Restaurant Founded by Iliana Regan, Will Close After 10 Years in Chicago | Eater Chicago

"For a decade in Lincoln Square, Iliana Regan’s “new gatherer cuisine” often mixed her love of the woods with unexpected pop-culture forays; the restaurant, which opened in 2012 after Regan’s pop-up dinners, became known for serving vegetation foraged in the woods, local bear, and other ingredients no Chicago restaurant dared serve. That adventurous Midwestern cooking drew national critics and culinary tourists, and Regan staged occasional themed meals inspired by video games, Wes Anderson films, Game of Thrones and nostalgic Nintendo games. Regan quietly handed the restaurant to Tim Lacey in 2020, and under Lacey and executive chef Ian Jones it maintained Regan’s standards—Michelin inspectors awarded Elizabeth a star earlier this year—but it will close after service on Thursday, December 22. Lacey plans a few minor cosmetic changes and will replace it next year with a new tasting‑menu restaurant called Atelier with a new chef; he is interviewing candidates to replace Jones. Regan, who has returned to Chicago for the winter and will be promoting her memoir Fieldwork next year, wrote that Lacey has the “right idea,” that she’s happy for him, and that while the space once bore her name it hasn’t been her restaurant for over two years." - Ashok Selvam