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RPM Seafood opens in Chicago as part of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises with Giuliana and Bill Rancic

The restaurant is the final phase of the multi-level waterfront dining destination

Holly Petre, Assistant Digital Editor

January 27, 2020

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RPM Seafood opened last week along the Chicago riverfront, completing the high-profile multi-level project that includes two other concepts operated by Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, or LEYE, with Bill and Giuliana Rancic.

The new concept is the latest in the RPM family of restaurants operated by LEYE, which includes RPM Steak and RPM Italian. At RPM On The Water, as the riverfront space was known, Pizzeria Portofino, the Italian Riviera-inspired casual dining restaurant opened in July, offering pizzas, antipasti and charcoal-grilled seafood. RPM Events, a private events venue with 6,000-square-feet, a ballroom, terrace and customizable dining experience catered by RPM restaurants, opened in the same building in September.

Bringing the restaurant group into the seafood arena is Chef Bob Broskey of Beacon Tavern, Intro and L20. Traditional seafood dishes — from Bone-In Swordfish Ribeye with coriander and herb oil to Charcoal-Grilled Black Bass — are on the menu, alongside a modern version of the Chicago classic Shrimp de Jonghe made with Peekytoe Crab and finished with garlic butter and espelette peppers.

The wine program is led by Richard Hanauer, a Food & Wine Sommelier of the Year, Wine Enthusiast 40 Under 40 Tastemaker and RPM wine director and partner. The list centers around the seafood on the menu which takes the form of several wines from Burgundy (including generations-old Chablis) along with RPM Private Barrels, Super Tuscans and Bordeaux.

Related:Lettuce Entertain You chef behind RPM restaurants steps down

The cocktail program has an agave program that includes drinks made with both mezcal and tequila in addition to RPM original cocktails like the Weston, made with Eagle Rare 10-year-old bourbon, Dark Matter espresso and essence of pipe tobacco. Benjamin Schiller curates the cocktail list.

The restaurant is 11,000-square-feet with a second-floor mezzanine that can seat up to 350. That’s in addition to the main 2,000-square-foot terrace and two additional private terraces, which allow for another 120 guests. Two boardrooms and private spaces are available on the second floor of the restaurant.

Designed in partnership with the design firm, Rockwell Group, the restaurant’s finishings are elegant shades of neutrals and creams with large wooden tables, panoramic views of the waterfront and open-air dining capabilities by means of floor-to-ceiling windows that open, weather permitting.

Click through to see the space.

Contact Holly at [email protected]

About the Author

Holly Petre

Assistant Digital Editor

Holly Petre is a digital editor for Nation’s Restaurant News as well as the host of NRN’s podcast, Extra Serving, and producer for Informa Restaurant and Food Group’s other three podcasts, One On One by Food Management, Off the Shelf with SN and In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn. Holly holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Sculpture, fibers and Material Studies and Ceramics from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A native New Yorker, Holly enjoys her place on staff as the resident pop-culture expert and millennial with a sassy attitude and great sense of style.

Holly Petre’s work on Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality often covers marketing and trends, either aimed-at or examined-through the millennial mindset. Holly is responsible for introducing TikTok and Twitch to NRN and RH readers as well as explaining terms like “Karen” to staff and readers alike. She also spends her time on staff trying not to make every headline a pun.

Holly Petre hasn’t spoken at any events or on panels, but she is readily available with a killer shoe wardrobe and several witty quips.

 

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