Name: Blackbird, one of Chicago’s greatest restaurants, closing for good because of the coronavirus
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Blackbird, one of Chicago’s greatest restaurants, closing for good because of the coronavirus

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AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneJun 30, 2020 at 6:43 amThe coronavirus claimed its highest-profile Chicago restaurant victim to date, with word that Blackbird, 619 W. Randolph St., was closing for good after more than 22 years as one of the area’s finest restaurants.“We’ve labored long and hard over this decision,” said partner Paul Kahan. “But in an incredibly small, tight dining room — operating at only 25% capacity for who knows how long — and removing the opportunity to do private dining, it becomes incredibly difficult to manage.”Advertisement“Think of what 6 feet of social distancing means to Blackbird, and then how do you operate a 14-by-9 kitchen?” added partner Donnie Madia. “We have other responsibilities and other staff members to take care of, and it’s our job to make sure we do that.”Blackbird opened on Dec. 1, 1997. Madia and Kahan, along with partners Eduard Seitan and the late Ricky Diarmit, quickly established Blackbird as a restaurant to reckon with. The contemporary-American cuisine was breathtaking, the wine program and service were first rate, and the stylish decor — a white-on-white look that bordered on minimalism — was sleek and sophisticated.AdvertisementThe tables were too small, and too close. The noise level was almost raucous, compared with fine-dining contemporaries at the time. It didn’t matter. Customers flocked in.When other top-tier restaurants adopted a set-menu format, Blackbird continued to make a la carte options available. Not only did Blackbird serve lunch — again, a rarity at this echelon — it also offered a three-course prix fixe option that was one of the city’s best bargains ($22-$25 for most of the restaurant’s career). In time, the restaurant earned a four-star rating from the Chicago Tribune, and acquired a Michelin star, which it has held for eight years. Kahan won the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Chef in 2013; two years later, Madia received the foundation’s Outstanding Restaurateur award. Blackbird became the foundation on which Kahan, Madia, Seitan and Diarmit built One Off Hospitality, a restaurant group that includes Avec, Big Star, Dove’s Luncheonette, the Publican, Publican Quality Meats and the Violet Hour, the cocktail lounge that won the JBF Outstanding Bar Program in 2015. All those restaurants remain in business, Madia and Kahan said, but Cafe Cancale, the group’s most recent restaurant (which opened in May 2019), is also closing permanently. “At this point, you have to be nimble, because nobody knows what will happen in September, or even tomorrow,” Kahan said. “But this is the healthiest decision for the company moving forward. The good news, moving forward, all our other properties have done great pivots. We’re doing everything in our power to keep the staff safe, implementing new things every day.”One Off Hospitality owns the building that houses Blackbird, so it’s possible there may be a restaurant future for the space.“Right now, Blackbird is aiding Avec (next door),” Madia said. “We’re using Blackbird’s restrooms for social distancing, and we’re using the outdoor cafe so we can seat more Avec guests.”“But who knows what’s going to happen?” Madia said. “We thought we’d hit 25 (years) and then 30. Reflecting on it, we’re human and we collect things. Stars, Michelin stars and Beard awards — we love those things, you know? But sometimes you can’t keep collecting; sometimes you have to let go.”Advertisement“Honestly, I’m truly humbled by our long-standing success,” Kahan said. “I’m grateful for our departed partner Ricky, and all the people we’ve loved and worked with. I think we added a lot to the Chicago restaurant community.” (.)One could assemble a formidable chefs army with the people who worked at Blackbird, among them Christine Cikowski, Dana Cree, Patrick Fahy, Brian Huston, Sam Kass, Dale Levitski, Elissa Narow, David Posey, Mike Sheerin, Jared Van Camp and Paul Virant.“That’s a terrible loss for the industry, for sure,” said Virant, chef-owner of Vie and Vistro in the western suburbs and Gaijin in Chicago. “Paul’s an iconic chef who has inspired a lot of people, including myself. I had the opportunity to work there prior to opening Vie, and Paul was one of the few chefs that really had great relationships with small farmers. He’s a big inspiration for me.” “Blackbird is an incredibly important restaurant for the history of Chicago,” said Jason Hammel, chef-owner of Lula Cafe and Marisol. “It’s a very creative place, very cutting-edge, and yet grounded and soul-satifsying.“In the early years, I went to Blackbird to learn and to be astonished,” Hammel said. “In March of 2000, I had a leek charlotte stuffed with Israeli couscous and a sauce inspired by yellow curry but infused with apple. It was delicate and surprising and inventive, but still very grounded in tradition, with complex flavors that made it delicious. I was completely blown away by this dish; the thing was gorgeous.”“One night in Lula, it was very busy and I was running food out to tables, and one table I passed by was talking about how to cut golden beets.” Hamel said. “It was Paul Kahan and his (then) sous chef, Brian Wolf. I got into conversation with them, and Brian became a friend and Paul a great friend. Ever since then, he’s been a mentor.” Advertisement“It’s sad of course, but I think Blackbird will have a place in Chicago history that won’t be forgotten by any means.”“It’s a tough one,” said Posey, chef and owner (with his wife, Anna Posey) of Elske restaurant and former chef de cuisine at Blackbird. “Blackbird brought me up, gave me a name; I stayed longer than I thought I would. It’s one place I never expected to close.”“That is really sad news,” said Cree, partner in Pretty Cool Ice Cream and Cree, who was twice nominated for the JBF’s Outstanding Pastry Chef award for her work at Blackbird. “I thought it would last forever. It certainly hasn’t lost any relevance, or creative output, or its standing in the community. It was a platform that, in many ways, allowed me to become who I am. I consider it to be where I did my best work as a pastry chef. It’s been so much, for so many, for so many years.”“One Off (Hospitality) always has led with an incredible amount of bravery in the industry,” Cree said. “I think sometimes we think of changing in the industry by what we add to it, but I think they’re changing the face of the industry by what they choose to remove at this time.“Honestly, I think this is the first of many reports we’re going to hear,” Cree said. “This is a time for realism, and safety, and protecting our community as a whole, rather than the individual places where we gather. People are going to continue to make very hard decisions, and I applaud their willingness to be the first.”“Are we even Chicago without Blackbird?” asked Scott Worsham, proprietor (with his wife, Sari Zernich Worsham) of mfk and Bar Biscay restaurants. “People forget that when Blackbird opened, nobody went west of the river to dine out. During the day, Randolph Street and Fulton Market literally had blood running in the gutters from the meatpackers. At night, there were prostitutes all along Randolph Street. I remember the first time someone took me to a bar on Randolph Street back in the ’80s: I felt like I was in Scorsese’s ‘Mean Streets.’ Now look at it. None of that would be there without Blackbird.”Advertisement“The great gutting of Chicago has begun,” Worsham said. “This city will be considerably poorer for its absence.” Advertisement

AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneJun 30, 2020 at 6:43 amThe coronavirus claimed its highest-profile Chicago restaurant victim to date, with word that Blackbird, 619 W. Randolph St., was closing for good after more than 22 years as one of the area’s finest restaurants.“We’ve labored long and hard over this decision,” said partner Paul Kahan. “But in an incredibly small, tight dining room — operating at only 25% capacity for who knows how long — and removing the opportunity to do private dining, it becomes incredibly difficult to manage.”Advertisement“Think of what 6 feet of social distancing...

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Phil Vettel

The Chicago Tribune is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television are named), it remains the most-read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region. It had the 6th highest circulation for American newspapers in 2017.

Blackbird, one of Chicago’s greatest restaurants, closing for good because of the coronavirus

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