Introduction to Midōsuji
DOWNTOWN — An eight-seat omakase restaurant has opened inside the Chicago Athletic Association hotel, replacing the eight-seat Milk Room bar. Midōsuji is the first significant addition from Boka Restaurant Group since taking over management of the Downtown hotel’s restaurants and bars. The hotel at 12 S. Michigan Ave. also houses the now-closed Cherry Circle Room and Cindy’s Rooftop.
Concept and Design
Named after a famous gingko-lined street in Osaka, Japan, Midōsuji offers only two daily seatings of eight guests: at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. The restaurant is designed to emulate the feel of eating in an intimate alleyway in Japan, where omakase restaurants flourish. It features a 1930s bar with restored original tiles, wood-beamed ceilings and fabric lanterns and Japanese influences throughout: a hand-carved naguri-edge walnut bar, cherry blossom wall coverings and seaweed-green velvet stools.
Midosuji is now open inside the Chicago Athletic Association. The omakase restaurant features an 8-person bar with only two seatings a night. Credit: Nick_Podraza
Credit: Nick_Podraza
The Menu and Beverage Pairing
Chef Brian Lockwood, who previously served as chef de cuisine at New York’s three-Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park, leads the kitchen. Midōsuji’s $195 tasting menu features 11 courses that change seasonally. Dishes aim to blend Japanese ingredients with classical French technique, creating what the restaurant calls nouvelle omakase. Staff guide diners through the meal, introducing each dish and explaining how it is best enjoyed.
At a media preview ahead of Friday’s grand opening, Block Club Chicago experienced the full tasting menu, which Lockwood said will likely run through
