One Of Chicago's Best Fine Dining Experiences Is Getting A Shake-Up

By Anthony Todd in Food on Feb 2, 2016 2:44PM

Wilted Kale Salad: roasted pepitas, jalapeno, cotija. Photo by Anjali Pinto.

Intro, the restaurant that made every 2015 best-of list (including ours) and that we called "The Best Fine Dining Experience in Chicago" is making some fairly large changes. However, we strongly suspect that these changes will be for the better.

The original idea for Intro was like an extreme version of Next. Every three months, the menu would change—but along with it, an entirely new chef would come and take over the kitchen (and the dining room, and the playlist). They've had four very successful chefs-in-residence so far. In addition, the original concept only included prix fixe dinners, which made the changeover potentially easier—the kitchen and service staff only had to learn one set of dishes.

That's changing, sort of. The most recent chef, Stephen Gillanders, was the first Intro chef to introduce a la carte selections when he began his tour of duty. He was scheduled to leave the kitchen early this year to open a restaurant in LA, but now he's staying on as the permanent executive chef. The rotating chef concept will continue, but now there will be a permanent overseer (Gillanders) keeping track of everything.

The next chef at Intro will be Jessica Largey, whose shift begins on Feb. 8. According to Lettuce Entertain You, she'll introduce "an accessible, creative California-inspired menu with an emphasis on vegetables." She'll also add family style shareable options to the menu.

We hope that this will keep the Intro concept alive, while increasing its sustainability. The shock of reconcepting a restaurant every few months must have been at least somewhat jarring to the permanent staff, and with Gillanders in charge, the transitions will be sure to go smoothly.