Look Around Tortoise Club, Now Open in River North

Grid View

• The Parlor has a working fireplace
• Pull up a suede couch in the lounge while awaiting your table
• Is this your grandfather?
• The red walls, subtle lighting and length add dramatic touches to the Parlor
• An old-timey caricature adds whimsy to the private booth
• Dark woods and plaid fabric evoke the feel of an old-school clubhouse
• A grand piano sits just below framed photos of horses
• Welcome to Tortoise Club. Won't you come in?
• The main dining room features beautiful dark wood throughout

Like the newest exclusive club in Chicago, Tortoise Club opened its doors today. But fortunately for you, it's all about being inclusive as anyone—assuming you have slightly deeper pockets—can head in for lunch or dinner.

The restaurant is absolutely jaw dropping with a front lounge featuring suede couches, a grand piano, framed photos of horses and a bar with plenty of brown booze to wet your whistle. The 140-seat main dining room has dark wood throughout with plaid fabric on the walls. Whimsical caricatures evoke the feeling an old-school clubhouse.

Step back into the "parlor" with its sexy, eye-popping red walls. A framed portrait of someone who could be your grandfather (or great grandfather)—if he was the president of Standard Oil—sits above a working fireplace.

And chef Gray McNally's (Spiaggia, Boka) menu, which he talked about in detail with Eater back in August, rivals the majesty of the room and will likely give any grand steakhouse or even RL a run for its money. McNally has pulled together classics like Dungeness crab toast, steak tartare, veal sweetbreads, Dover sole, Lake Superior Whitefish and more. His signature dish will soon become the wild pheasant pie. The restaurant is now open with regular hours. Check out the full menu below and go through the gallery. Try not to gasp.

Tortoise Club Menus

· Chef Gray McNally on What to Expect at Tortoise Club [~EChi~]