Preview Michael Kornick & David Morton's Ada Street

Grid View

• Welcome to Ada Street
• Wood-clad low ceilings give the feeling of a sauna to this passageway
• The front lounge will feel like a living room
• '70s-style cabinets will hold bottles of wine and spirits, while slots ahead will keep the vinyl collection
• Custom brick lattice work add a design flourish to the hallway
• Mid-century modern hanging pendants and green wool Army blankets on the back of banquettes
• The dining room, with a mirrored back bar, has a glass collapsable garage door.
• Rusted steel beams hang over the brick-walled back patio

Ada Street, the newest project from Michael Kornick and David Morton (DMK Burger Bar, Fish Bar) is coming along. While a lot of aesthetic work still needs to take place, the team is shooting for a late February or early March opening in this space off the Elston Corridor in an industrial area near the Chicago River. Eater got a sneak peek inside.

This spot is unlike anything the pair has done. Morton describes it as a place where you can come to chill and let it all hang out. The vibe is uber-cool and when you walk in, you have no clue what's in store ahead of you as you make your way through low-ceilinged passageways.

The nondescript brick building sits about a block south of music venue The Hideout, adding a new dining option over there. Walking in, guests will walk through a casual 20-seat lounge that will be reminiscent of someone's living room, complete with a dry bar with some spirits and an ice bucket. Next, you'll head down a low-ceilinged hallway clad in light wood paneling that evokes the idea of being in a sauna.

The short hallway quickly moves you toward a narrow space with 15-foot ceilings, lattice brick work and exposed duct work, where double-stacked custom '70s-inspired cabinetry will house dozens of liquor bottles. Straight ahead, box cabinets will hold Ada Street's large vinyl collection. Yup, vinyl. No iPod music program here.

Turn one more corner and—BAM—the space opens up into an industrially transformed approximately 50-seat dining room with mid-century modern hanging pendants, banquettes covered in green wool U.S. Army blankets, Swedish-design-inspired custom plywood tables, a 16-seat bar with a grand mirrored back bar that adds serious depth to the space and a glass garage door that opens up onto a brick-walled patio with rusted iron work where vertical gardens may emerge.

A small open kitchen at the back of the space will feature "Michael Kornick's version of bar food," Morton said. When pressed, he said it'll be Mediterranean-inspired small plates, a great steak and more on a menu that's still being finalized. Ada Street just announced that Tim Lacey (Drawing Room) will head up the drink program, which will feature 300-plus spirits as well as Kornick's curated and well-priced wine program. And another great feature is the oversized old-school pull-down screen in front of the garage door and projector in the ceiling where Ada Street will hold movie nights. Can you wait until March?
· Tim Lacey Lands at Ada Street [312DD]
· Kornick to Focus on Quality Wine, Cocktails and Small Plates at Still-Unnamed New Spot [~EChi~]