Estate Ultra Bar opened today along the Chicago River, in the space that formerly housed Slow Down Life's Too Short. Available for buyouts, the 8,000-square-foot venue has the capacity for 261-person receptions. Several smaller areas are also available for private events.
The 20-seat Trophy Room and the 32-seat Dining Room, both in the northern end of the space, are available for meetings, dinners, or cocktail receptions. In the southern quadrant, the Living Room seats 24 and the Front Room seats 10. The Atrium seats 44, and a central bar can seat 26. Later this year, a rooftop lounge will open, as will a riverfront dining area and a semi-enclosed patio called the Gazebo. The outdoor spaces will all be available for private functions.
Throughout the space, audiovisual amenities include two 70-inch and 11 46-inch flat-screen TVs. Each of the screens can be hooked up to laptops for presentations or video conferences. Additionally, a DJ booth is stocked with two CDJ-2000 turntables, a mixer, and video inputs.
Chef Chris Turano oversees the menu, where specialty items include lobster mac and cheese with a Goldfish-cracker crust, grilled Wagyu steak with frites, and the Champagne Supernova Cake Pop Flight dessert, which pairs mini cakes with a bottle of champagne and a firework sparkler. Mixologist Dan de los Monteros, formerly of the Aviary, stirs up seasonal cocktails with house-made syrups, herbs, spices, infused spirits, and custom ice cubes. A special selection of "skinny" cocktails offers lower-calorie drinks.