IPO

Photo: Erica Gannett

The W Chicago–City Center hotel may have renamed its restaurant IPO—short for initial public offering—but this offering is hardly the hotel’s first. The space previously belonged to ristorante we, an Italian steakhouse that itself went through a few face-lifts and iterations. What’s different about the spot this time? Almost everything: Chef Trevor Hoyte has taken the restaurant from Italian to American, creating a menu that starts with a “mingle” section (small bites like grilled shrimp with avocado and jicama), follows with a “continue to mingle” section (slightly less small small-bites like blue cheese polenta cakes, pictured) and finally moves into entrée territory (mushroom-crusted tuna; short ribs with sunny-side-up eggs). In fact, the only thing that remains similar is a lone steak option (grilled beef tenderloin with corn ragout), and the fact that if you find you can’t move after you finish it, you’ll still be able to take a room upstairs. 172 W Adams St (312-917-5608).

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