Ex-Ada Street Chef Zoë Schor’s Highly-Anticipated First Restaurant Coming to West Town

An acclaimed chef is bringing her first restaurant west of Western Avenue. Zoë Schor, who gained accolades while helming DMK Restaurants’ Ada Street for more than three years, has latched onto a space for Split-Rail. The Americana-inspired concept she described in February is coming to 2500 W. Chicago Ave., according to a building permit with her and the restaurant’s name on it. Schor was too busy to provide an update on its status by press time, but she previously said it would open sometime this year, so stay tuned.

Expect interesting chef-driven small plates of elevated American country fare and revamped comfort food that utilize ingredients from this country’s melting pot history, at Split-Rail, Schor said back in February. The chef had previewed her restaurant’s food during popups at White Oak Tavern & Inn and TWO earlier this year, which showcased dishes including "Land & Sea" (hamachi crudo, crispy bone marrow nugget, candied kumquat & chile, vanilla bean-coconut sauce), "A Study of Eggs" (64 degree hen egg, uni cream, caviar, brioche toast), and "Fajitas, Reimagined" (dry-aged strip loin, creamy masa, caramelized onion, red pepper gel). Interested yet?

Schor has been prepping the concept since stepping down at Ada Street in August 2015 after leading that restaurant to three straight Michelin Bib Gourmands. With a space secured and construction underway, the wait should hopefully be nearing an end. More to come soon.