Sorry if this was already discussed/reviewed (but I don't remember seeing anything).

Last night I visited Nellcote in Chicago for the first time. It has really good food, drinks, and the design of the room is cool. They certainly made an effort to recreate at least the look of what I imagine Nellcote was like. There are several understated Stones references throughout the restaurant - Mick's picture is on the men's room door, speciality cocktails are named after Stones songs/albums. But it is definitely not a themed restaurant like Sticky Fingers.

I'll let the following summary speak for itself:

*****
Taking its inspiration from Villa Nellcôte, the notorious Côte d’Azur mansion where the Rolling Stones dined and partied with a rotating cast of 1970s bohemians, socialites, style icons and creative rabble-rousers during the recording of “Exile on Main Street,” Nellcôte is a stunningly elegant playground for anyone looking to indulge their deviant streak.

Located in Chicago’s Randolph Street Corridor, this high-energy nightspot takes your breath away with its opulence: Art Nouveau wrought-iron gates, a white Italian marble grand staircase, Parisian herringbone wood floors, crystal chandeliers, Gran Dossier Tolix bar chairs in Hermes orange. But what’s most striking is its utter lack of pretense: Decadent but infinitely approachable, Nellcôte marks a defiant return to classic luxury—but without the velvet rope exclusivity.

Nellcôte specializes in kitchen-crafted cocktails and European-inspired small plates made with Midwestern ingredients, including pizzas and pastas that showcase house-milled Midwestern wheat. Prices are affordable, the dishes shareable, and—just like the Stones’ unforgettable summer in the South of France—everyone is welcome to contribute to the grit and glamour of the new cultural zeitgeist.

You, sir, are a hero. I love it. In the midst of all the spam madness at the moment, you start a proper thread as if nothing is happening. It's like we're all hunkered down in the trenches and you're up there playing hacky sack.

Last week I spent 7 days 50 yards from the front gate at the real Nellcote. An almost spiritual experience.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-08-01 20:44 by BlackHat.

What a brilliant idea...I have Chicago on my list of places to visit and Nellcote will certainly be where I call in. Heard some great things about that city and music wise it has the pedigree.