Soaring on the South Side

When I heard that Acadia, a high-end restaurant, was opening in the South Loop, I sighed. A dining neighborhood that once looked like the second coming of Randolph Street — when Opera, Saiko, Cuatro and Room 21 were doing brisk business — has sagged badly in the last couple of years, as each of the aforementioned restaurants went dark. Only Chicago Firehouse and Gioco are left of that pioneering bunch, and Gioco only after a significant menu overhaul.

Phil Vettel

February 9, 2012