Stylish New Restaurant With a Downtown View

February 1, 2007

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On the first floor of the Flat, a Holiday Inn-turned-swank apartment complex, Blue Velvet is a restaurant and lounge designed by Tag Front. Using sustainable products in many areas, the green space is stylish and comfortable. A Swiss-cheese-like wall separates two dining areas; one overlooks a pool, with the downtown skyline in the distance. In the lounge, marshmallowlike light fixtures hang over a 12-person table. The Red Room has a separate bar and fireplace, a perfect setting for chef Kris Morningstar’s cutting-edge American cuisine. Managing partners Robert Harstein and “T” Elliott came from the Standard Downtown. Rooms can be rented individually, or the entire space holds 300 for receptions. —Lesley Balla
Posted 02.01.07

At a fundraiser for Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, caterer Blue Plate created a five-course dinner inspired by how a child with autism experiences the world. One course was called 'Things Aren’t Always As They Seem.' It was meant to surprise the guests, with cheese molded to resemble summer fruits, pumpernickel “dirt,” chocolate-covered “grasshoppers,” edible “pebbles,” and grilled bread.

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