Midtown Athletic Club Serves Up Details on New Hotel’s Restaurant

Since 1970, members at Midtown Athletic Club — originally Midtown Tennis Club — have served up aces and volleys will taking tennis lessons near Elston, Damen, and Fullerton. But within a few weeks, Midtown, 2444 N. Elston Ave., will serve up a new restaurant for its members and guests at The Hotel at Midtown, the new 55-room hotel opening in November. Chromium will feature food from executive chef Amanda Barnes, a former chef de cusine at Mindy’s Hot Chocolate.

The work is part of $75 million in renovations for the six-level club. Barnes is intent to show fitness-focused members that health food can be delicious: “I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I try to make it good, and if it happens to be healthy, then great!”

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So while, yes, members will come to use the facilities to get their backhand in shape or burn off the calories in a fitness class, no one will be enforcing a kale-only diet.

“A lot of [health] food tastes like punishment,” Barnes said. “I am not a fan of it at all.”

In other words, she wasn’t looking to create “typical club food.” Instead her menu features Wagyu and beef heart meatballs, bone-in Manhattan steaks, tuna crudo, duck-fat tater tot french fries, and even Vienna Beef Chicago-style hot dog. The Vienna Factory store is a down the street from Midtown: “Hey, it’s local — it’s super local,” Barnes joked.

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There’s also outdoor dining along the pool with room for 60. The main dining room seats 182, along with a 16-seat private room. There’s also a bar and lounge.

Other clubs, most notably East Bank Club, have their own restaurants. Barnes is most excited about the roast chicken, which she’s sourced from a farm in Pennsylvania and is raised to mimic the flavor of a Bresse chicken, the coveted French bird. Her menu will also offer unique items like salmon skin chicharrones. But if a diner really wants to stay on the straight and narrow when it comes to their diet, they can find seasonal salads and roasted broccoli, served with apricot-coriander vinaigrette.

For dessert, Barnes is planning seasonal soft-serve and cheffy takes on the Mexican popsicle, the paleta, such as the miso with white chocolate and sesame seeds — for those who aren’t watching their waistline.

Chromium should open sometime during the first two weeks of September for members, while the hotel should open on Nov. 1 at the newly-refinished intersection of Elston, Damen, and Fullerton.