Acclaimed Chef Michael Mina Opens His Second Chicago Restaurant Today

Chicagoans who haven’t had a chance to try celeb chef Michael Mina’s food no longer have to leave their city as Mina’s Margeaux Brasserie opens today inside the Waldorf Astoria Chicago in Gold Coast. The classic French restaurant features a menu from Mina and Brent Balika, a former chef de cuisine at Billy Lawless’ The Dawson in River West. A champagne cart will roll through the space, as hotel officials enlisted Mina to create a lively space mixing French traditions with Midwestern ingredients.

It was a two-restaurant deal for Mina and the hotel, as the chef opened Petit Margeaux, a patisserie, last month. Mina brought in his group beverage director Daniel Grajewski and sommelier Ryan Baldwin to handle the drinks. Diners, who will ascend to the third floor via an elevator dedicated to the restaurant, will sip on classic French cocktails that should complement the cuisine. Balika chatted with the Tribune about the dover sole dish, in which they roast the fish, bone it and serve it with white asparagus.

Mina now runs 31 restaurants across the country and another in Dubai. Mina’s Chicago restaurant opens the same day that a handful of local restaurants participate in French Restaurant Week Chicago. While Margeaux Brasserie is not participating, it’s a festive time for French culture in the city, as Bastille Day is also this week. Take a look around Michael Mina’s contribution to French dining in Chicago here.

Margeaux Brasserie, 11 E. Walton St. (third floor of the Waldorf Astoria Chicago), (312) 625-1354, open 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. daily; 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday to Thursday; 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Lounge open 4 p.m. to midnight on Sunday to Thursday; 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Weekend brunch service starts on July 22, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.