Here's a look at 10 highly anticipated venues that just opened or are scheduled to open in the coming months.
1. Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel
Slated to open next fall, the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel will take over 18 floors of the mixed-use Aqua skyscraper on North Columbus Drive. The $125 million property will have 334 guest rooms and a private party suite with a catering kitchen. Additional perks will include a spa, a 12,5000-square-foot ballroom, and 27,000 square feet of meeting space.
2. Tinley Park Convention Center
Last April, the venue broke ground on a $19 million renovation that will double its current size by May. The overhaul will add 24,000 square feet of clear-span exhibit space and 9,000 square feet of meeting space.
3. GT Fish and Oyster
From the owners of Boka and Girl and the Goat, the seafood-focused restaurant will open in River North in early 2011. Chef Guiseppe Tentori will oversee the menu, and the venue will serve lunch and dinner. A patio will open in the summer, and two so-called “king’s tables” in the main dining room will seat 10 guests apiece.
4. Sepia
The West Loop restaurant is set to expand next door with a new banquet space in the former studio of fashion designer Maria Pinto. The space is slated for completion in the spring.
5. Hubbard Inn
From the owners of LaSalle Power Co., Hubbard Inn is scheduled to open in River North in January. The venue will host private events for 115 guests. The menu is inspired by dishes that Ernest Hemingway wrote about, and decorative elements include Moroccan tiles, black crystal chandeliers, and tables made out of reclaimed meatpacking carts.
6. Valeo Spa
The 20,000-square-foot Valeo spa opened in the JW Marriott in December. Available for private events, the venue offers a fitness center with an indoor pool and rooms devoted to treatments such as manicures and gemstone massages.
7. South Branch
The owners of Sweetwater plan to bring a new bar to the Loop in the spring. The American restaurant will host semiprivate gatherings during the week and private functions on the weekends.
8. Paris Club
The Paris Club, a new venture from Hub 51 owners R.J. and Jerrod Melman, is set to take over the former Brasserie Jo space in early 2011. Serving French classics with unexpected twists, the space will seat 200. A rooftop patio will open later in the year. The restaurant will host private and semiprivate events.
9. Public House
The owners of Bull & Bear plan to unveil Public House in January. In River North, the 10,000-square-foot spot will focus on barbecue and beer. With 30 plasma TVs and an HD-3D video wall, the space will offer booths and alcoves for semiprivate events. As at Bull & Bear, beer taps will on each table will allow for pour-it-yourself service.
10. Bice
In February, the space currently known as Bice Bistro at the Talbott hotel will reopen as Bice. The 100-seat space will have a new menu focusing on Northern Italian fare and a completely remodeled interior. Owners bill the new, 120-seat patio as the largest piazza in Chicago.
