Two new St. Regis Chicago hotel restaurants revealed, with Japanese and Italian cuisine on the menus
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Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises revealed the names and further details Thursday of its two new restaurants opening in the St. Regis Chicago hotel.
Miru, which means view in Japanese, is planned to open on the 11th floor in tandem with the highly anticipated hotel next spring.
Tre Dita, which means three fingers in Italian, will follow on the second floor later in the year.
The curving glass tower, designed by world-renowned architect Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang, stands in the Lakeshore East neighborhood as the third-tallest building in the city, and the tallest in the world designed by a woman.
The Alinea Group had previously planned to open restaurants in the hotel, but canceled in December 2021.
Hisanobu Osaka, a Lettuce Entertain You chef previously at Japonais by Morimoto, has already begun taste testing his Japanese-inspired menu for Miru.
At Tre Dita, Evan Funke, the critically acclaimed Los Angeles chef and restaurateur behind Felix and Mother Wolf, will create an Italian steak-focused menu.
Miru will seat about 225 indoors across the dining room, bar and lounge, said Kiran Pinto, LEYE managing partner with the hotel. A pair of outdoor areas can seat 100 guests each.
“The dining room and two terraces overlook the Chicago River and Navy Pier,” Pinto said. “They’re just really gorgeous, unobstructed views of the city.”
A rendering of the dining room shows a neutral palette, but a bright sea foam blue focal wall in background.
“That’s the sushi bar,” Pinto said. “If you were to turn around, there would be north views of the city looking out over the terrace.”
The intimate sushi bar will only seat about eight to 10 in the expansive space.
The restaurant’s menu also includes izakaya-style drinking food.
“We’ll have a skewer section that will come from our robata,” Pinto said. “We’ll also have hot pots, rice and noodle dishes, a wagyu steak section and some really beautiful signature dishes.”
The chef’s signature dishes exhibit his modern take on Japanese cuisine with French influences.
“There is a raw dish that focuses on salmon, and is served with black truffle, yuzu and dehydrated miso, which is really delicious,” Pinto said.
A crispy rice section of the menu features a dish with seared foie gras and pineapple.
“There’s also a lobster harumaki served spring roll style,” Pinto said. “It’s crispy, served with lettuce cups for wrapping, and an orange sauce to dip.”
Miru will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Tre Dita, the name itself, is a nod to two things.
“Three fingers is the proper measurement for a bistecca Fiorentina, which should always be three fingers thick,” Pinto said. “But also we love the name because the building has three towers, so it ties into Jeanne Gang’s design.”
Some Italian steak purists say bistecca Fiorentina should be at least three fingers thick, or three to four, but don’t specify whose fingers.
Pinto declined to disclose more on Tre Dita, but she said it will be entirely indoors with views north and south, and will cook on an open hearth wood-fired grill.
Both restaurants’ culinary teams include executive pastry chef Juan Gutierrez, winner of the competition show “School of Chocolate” on Netflix, and beverage director Diane Corcoran, previously at Three Dots and a Dash.
Expectations have soared with the $1 billion St. Regis development after name changes and numerous delays.
The Residences at The St. Regis Chicago opened with 393 condominiums in 2020. A four-bedroom condo on the 71st floor sold for more than $20 million in September, one of the highest recorded sale prices of any home in the history of the city.
The St. Regis Chicago hotel is expected to open 192 rooms on the first 12 floors of the 101-story building March 20, according to its website.
The historic hotel brand, one of the most luxurious in the world with butler service for every room, was founded in New York City in 1904.
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