Vermilion

"Vermilion was a restaurant in Chicago known for its unique fusion of Indian and Latin flavors. It opened 23 years ago and was located in the River North area. The restaurant underwent a remodel in 2020 and a menu overhaul in 2023, before closing in December." - Ashok Selvam

"Rohini Dey is a bit of a superwoman: model, chef, and in recent years an activist, trying to unite the women in the city’s restaurant world. Vermillion, once one of the hottest restaurants in the world — with a New York location where author Salman Rushdie was an investor — has reimagined itself. A recent menu switch ditched the Latin-Indian fusion for Indo-Chinese food. The results have been wonderful with spicy Indianized versions for Chinese food, from beef noodles to fried cauliflower." - Ashok Selvam, Naomi Waxman

"Vermilion has switched up gears, going from Latin-Indian fusion to Indo-Chinese fusion. The latter simply refers to how Chinese food is presented in India, catering to tastes in the subcontinent. You’ll find spicy noodles, sweet and savory fried cauliflower, and more. Indo-Chinese cuisine is known as a comfort food, and Vermilion’s team presents it in a fun and daring way." - Ashok Selvam

"There are plenty of things to keep you distracted at this 20-year-old River North restaurant. No less than nine different types of light fixtures (including two different styles of chandeliers with only half the bulbs installed, and an LED light that changes colors every 30 seconds), tables with built-in fire features, and a menu filled with questionable names for Indo-Chinese dishes like “Crazy Hot Asians,” “What’s Your Beef,” and desserts simply named “Sex.” But all of the attempts at being edgy can't distract from the fact that the food at Vermilion is mediocre. Like the tangra chaat, which tastes like it was tossed in bottled masala ketchup. Or a plate of hakka noodles that’s essentially just a warm, soggy version of the chaat. The cocktails, however, are tasty. So if you find yourself at Vermilion because your out-of-town colleagues planned the team offsite dinner, just order a few “Bollywood Item Numbers” or mango mint mojitos, and spend the rest of the evening trying to figure out how to change those bulbs." - Veda Kilaru

"Vermilion founder Rohini Dey has found a new purpose with Let’s Talk Womxn... But for the Chicago area, the only place that focuses on Indo Chinese cuisine is in Northwest suburban Hoffman Estates where the India House chain opened Bombay Chopsticks... Vermilion, 10 W. Hubbard Street, Indo-Chinese menu to launch, Friday, February 10." - Ashok Selvam