Ocean Prime, the modern American restaurant and lounge from restaurateur Cameron Mitchell, is excited to announce the official opening of its Chicago location this April. Located in the Shops at LondonHouse at the corner of North Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive, the restaurant will be open for weekday lunch and nightly dinner, delivering the same genuine hospitality guests across the country have come to know and love. Chicagoans can also expect an impressive menu of seafood and prime cuts of steak courtesy of executive chef Jason Shelley, signature cocktails and an extensive Wine Spectator-honored wine list.
“We’re thrilled to open an Ocean Prime in Chicago, a city we’ve had our sights set on for quite a while,” says Cameron Mitchell, founder and CEO of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants and a past recipient of the Richard Melman Concepts of Tomorrow Award. “When we toured the dramatic, beautiful space, looked out across the Chicago River through its floor-to-ceiling windows, and felt the energy of the neighborhood, we knew the time was right.”
Under the direction of executive chef Jason Shelley, Ocean Prime’s from-scratch kitchen will provide both Chicago locals and visitors alike with a premium dining experience that includes the highest quality ingredients, as well as simple, pure, local and regional flavors. Shelley has been a part of the Cameron Mitchell Restaurants family since 2004. Most recently, he was the opening executive chef at the popular and highly-acclaimed Ocean Prime D.C. Leading the front of house as general manager is industry veteran Louis Morgan III. Morgan’s previous role was general manager of Ocean Prime Troy, where he was twice-awarded Cameron Mitchell Restaurants’ “General Manager of the Year” award for his commitment to exceeding Ocean Prime’s high standards of extraordinary hospitality.
The restaurant, designed by Mark Knauer of Chicago-based Knauer, Inc., is slated to be 12,350 square feet. From the moment, the guest exits their car, they are greeted with an unapologetically luxe experience as they enter the heated canopy covered entry. The two-story lobby is wrapped with illuminated transparencies of Chicago’s history. At the second floor, as one looks in to the bar area, fluted and gilded column enclosures are centered in the room with exceptionally large wedding cake chandeliers cascading from the ceiling, reminiscent of Chicago architecture. From there, the guest experiences an extraordinary marble top island bar anchored by a multi-tiered liquor display and a collection of antique barware. The bar room is illuminated on one side through large picture windows overlooking Wacker Drive and the Chicago River. On the other side, Atelier Olschinsky stylized paintings of the Chicago cityscape are back illuminated. On the third wall, entering into the dining room, the guests walk through the wine room, which then leads to another set of dining rooms, further offering a variety of unique experiences.
“All design elements are woven together like a fabric, inspired by the unique vibe of Chicago while providing a dramatic and unapologetically luxe experience for the guests,” says Knauer. “Ocean Prime Chicago is an extraordinary dining experience. An extraordinary and unique to Chicago dining experience that differs from any other Ocean Prime restaurant, while still maintaining the unmatched hospitality and high-quality food.”
With two bars and ample banquette seating, the restaurant will offer up to 350 guests an ideal place to socialize, talk business, celebrate and indulge. Perfect for events, celebrations and corporate functions, its expansive private dining spaces overlooking Michigan Avenue will include four rooms: The Tribune Room, set to accommodate up to 14 guests, Wrigley Room 1, which accommodates up to 18 guests, and Wrigley Rooms 2 and 3 accommodating up to 24 guests each. For larger scale events, patrons can use all three Wrigley Rooms, which will hold up to 66 guests when combined.
