The much buzzed-about Ing (951 W. Fulton, 855-834-6464, ingrestaurant.com), the latest project from Moto chef Homaro Cantu, opened on Tuesday in the former Otom space. General manager and sommelier Garrett Kern said that the noodles, which will be hand pulled at a noodle station, have been in the works the longest of all the menu components. Executive chef Thomas Bowman‘s contemporary Asian menu is divided into categories like Heating (e.g., oysters with uni, foie gras, and smoke), Boiling (three types of noodle soup), Melting (Wagyu beef cooked on a “firebrick” and served with ponzu and a soy rice krispie), and Sweetening (waffles frozen in a waffle iron soaked in liquid nitrogen and served with coconut, mango sorbet, and stout).
Kern says that Ing will offer ten nanobrews—those are like microbrews, but brewed in smaller batches—made on the premises in batches of five to ten gallons. So far the team has come up with a porter brewed with doughnuts and coffee and a pretzel-infused beer with mustard seed, among others. They’re also making soda in-house; currently it’s cotton candy flavored.
Reservations are required to dine at Ing, and groups have the option of booking the chef’s table for a 15-course tasting meal or booking a table by the hour (prices for this vary) in addition to ordering a la carte.
Also slated to open early this month is Fish Bar (2956 N. Sheffield, fishbarchicago.com), the latest from David Morton and Michael Kornick of DMK Burger Bar next door. On the menu is sustainable seafood, both raw and cooked, from oysters to Maine lobster rolls to po’boys to octopus a la plancha, plus sweet tea and craft beer and cocktails. The capacity is only 30, so “no strollers, umbrellas, big hair or bad attitudes,” says a press release.
On Saturday, March 5, beginning at 9 PM, SushiSamba Rio will celebrate Brazil’s Carnival—originally a Portuguese pre-Lenten festival—with samba dancers, batucada drummers, and a holiday menu featuring a special sushi roll, beef short ribs, and a tangerine-honey caipirinha in addition to the regular offerings. Live footage will be screened from the celebration in Rio de Janeiro, our erstwhile Olympic rival. There’s no cover.   Â