NoMI Getting Full Makeover, Adding Open Kitchen, Marble Bar, Lots of Leather and Wood

Grid View

• The hand-carved stone backsplash behind the Molteni oven
• The extended bar cabinets will house spirits
• New leather beams criss-cross the ceiling
• Restoring the mosaic floor in the wine cellar
• The wine cellar will hold 5,000 bottles and seat 12
• Guests will see all the way through from the restaurant to the Garden.
• The "winter branches" replace the Chihuly sculptures
• The face of the new Molteni over

Work crews are working furiously to meet the June 3 opening date of the newly remodeled NoMI Kitchen. Eater got a sneak peek at the space, which will more or less physically be the same, but with many cosmetic changes and enhancements.

We previously mentioned that executive chef Ryan LaRoche's new open kitchen will have a gorgeous cobalt Molteni oven and that the wine cellar will house a new cheese cave, but there's so much more to talk about.

The entire 11-year-old kitchen, including the prep areas, is undergoing a gut rehab and will get all new equipment. The main kitchen will be totally open and exposed to the dining room, showing off that gorgeous new Molteni oven and its grey natural-stone backsplash hand-carved to look like waves. Things will be more interactive, with chefs working in finishing stations in view of the tables and, for breakfast and weekend brunch, guests will step into the kitchen to plate their food off a buffet line.

The restaurant will have two private dining areas: one will have up to 20 seats while the Art Gallery, where the Chihuly sculptures will now hang, will seat up to 30 or have 50 for a cocktail setting. A semi-private space, which will seat 12, will feature a gorgeous ethanol-fueled fireplace set against wood millwork.

The main dining area will have brown, cream and white accents with beautiful leather beams crisscrossing the ceiling and textured brown fabric between the beams and along the walls with the brown millwork throughout. A giant mirror will sit on the center wall facing toward the kitchen to give the feeling of an expanding space. And bone-colored "winter branches" will hang from the ceiling in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Michigan Avenue.

A two-person chef's table will sit just off the kitchen, adjacent to a new raw bar featuring sushi and crustaceans. Beyond that, the wall has been opened up, but will be enclosed with peek-a-boo glass where guests can get a look from the restaurant straight through out to the NoMI Garden. The patio will get a new larger bar and be accented with greenery and vines on a wind screen around the perimeter.

Guests will enter the restaurant through the wine cellar as they did before. That room will see its mosaic tile refreshed, will seat 12 guests, hold up to 5,000 bottles and have a new cheese cave that will be marble wrapped with wood doors. Through the cellar, guests will still move into the lounge, which will seat 60. The room will have all new modular leather seats with tables made of wood and leather with side lamps for a cozy feeling. The bar will have a new marble top with a leather arm rest and the face will have a leather front. It will also have expanded seating on the east end, where the bar was opened up and topped with new glass shelving to display spirits.

LaRoche will make the new menu more accessible, feature more local ingredients and translate the menu to English. Look for more details on the food as we get them.
· NoMI to Reopen in Park Hyatt June 3 as NoMI Kitchen with a Molteni Oven and Cheese Cave [~EChi~]