The opening night of RPM Seafood in Chicago featured one million oysters, extravagant decor and several Chicago celebrities. Here’s a glimpse at the evening from “Chicago Today.”
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Pizzeria Portofino Wins Best New Restaurant
This was a hotly contested category, and not just because we placed 12 restaurants on the ballot instead of the five in most of the other categories. Last year was a strong one for Chicago newcomers, and even narrowing the field to a dozen was difficult. You voters proved to be as conflicted as we were; fewer than 20 votes separated second place from sixth, and there was no shame being in the middle of the pack. Nevertheless, there was a clear winner: Pizzeria Portofino, the riverside Italian place that spent most of last summer playing to standing-room-only crowds, finished well ahead of second-place Galit, the Lincoln Park Middle-Eastern restaurant that was wildly popular in its own right, and the Moody Tongue Dining Room, the South Loop newbie helmed by chef Jared Wentworth. 317 N. Clark St., pizzeriaportofino.com.
Offering an a la carte menu, spritz kits to go, wines by the bottle and a Family Meal for Four via Chownow for delivery and carry out Wednesday – Sunday from 3 PM – 8 PM
Beverage Director: Ben Schiller
Restaurant: Pizzeria Portofino
Patios and rooftops can emerge from lockdown—here’s what’s open now
After being shuttered to dine-in guests for months, Chicago restaurants are finally allowed to reopen outdoor seating, including patios, rooftop and indoor spaces with retractable roofs and floor-to-ceiling windows.
A new full-service restaurant from Lettuce Entertain You, a pizza-and-pasta people-pleaser, instantly became the go-to riverside dining spot when it opened in July.
Lettuce Entertain You unveils Pizzeria Portofino along the Chicago River
While Chicagoans bustle above, walking back and forth from River North to the Loop, the vibe is relaxed under the bridges and riverside at Pizzeria Portofino. Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises’s opened the restaurant on Monday, debuting thin-crust pizzas, coal-fired seafood, and a bevy of sparkling beverages near Clark Street and the Chicago River. The pizzeria is part of Lettuce’s four-level restaurant space that includes RPM On the Water, an upscale seafood restaurant slated to open this fall or early winter.
Pizzeria Portofino from Lettuce Entertain You opens in the RPM On the Water building
Summer is worth waiting for in Chicago, no matter how long the wait, and today a much-anticipated restaurant space debuts along the Chicago Riverwalk. Pizzeria Portofino is the first phase for Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises’s new restaurant complex on the northeast corner of Clark Street and the Chicago River. Later this year, the company’s new upscale seafood restaurant, RPM On the Water — a spinoff of the collaboration between LEYE and celebrity couple Bill and Giuliana Rancic — will open upstairs.
Sitting in the two levels above Pizzeria Portofino and RPM Events, RPM Seafood is the final phase in Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises ambitious riverfront project north of the Chicago River and east of Clark Street. The city of Chicago, developers, and the Melmans have worked together on this project which could further transform the riverwalk into a destination for food and drink.
Gilbane Building Company was selected by Hines as the general contractor for this 45,000 SF renovation and expansion. The work includes enlarging and refurbishing the main lobby area, creation of integral retail and restaurant space, construction of a partial mezzanine level on the south end of the building, remodel and reconfiguration of portions of the LL1 and LL2 levels, along with complete elevator modernization.
This restaurant will provide prime water views and more than enough of outdoor space. The massive operation from celebrity couple Bill and Giuliana Rancic, Chicago chef Doug Psaltis and Lettuce siblings R.J., Jerrod and Molly Melman is part of a $50 million building upgrade. There will be an events venue that will take up an entire floor for small gatherings to 300-guest weddings. This restaurant will be a tremendous addition to the Chicago Riverfront.