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Here’s something different: an elegant dining experience that is not pretentious or stuffy. In a city crowded with restaurant choices, Sepia manages to stand out by being something other than what you’d expect to find in Chicago.
Two colleagues and I found Sepia’s rustic wooden door set into the corner of a turn-of-the-last-century brick office building. The modest entrance did not prepare us for what was inside. True to its name, Sepia’s dominant color palette is brown, light brown and beige, all complemented by sepia-toned photographs adorning the walls. It somehow works to create a soft, cozy atmosphere into which you can slowly sink and feel the outside world slipping away.
What surprises did the menu hold? For one thing, the selection is dramatically slender. The dinner menu on the night we visited offered just eight entrees yet managed to have something for every palate. We opened by sharing an appetizer of pheasant rigatoni, masterfully prepared by someone who knows their way around a spice rack. The best I’ve ever had, and that includes Boston’s North End.
For an entrée, I chose the pork tenderloin, which was served with pork belly. It was superbly prepared and presented and a pleasure to enjoy. My dining companions chose scallops and Waygu beef and were equally dazzled. For a restaurant in America’s heartland, the portions at first appeared surprisingly small but turned out to be just right to satisfy and delight.
The meal was accompanied by selections from Sepia’s extensive wine list, and the pairings were made precisely and perfectly. The wait staff was attentive, but not obsequious, adding to the enjoyment of the meal without becoming the center of attention.
Hidden in plain sight in the heart of Chicago’s West Loop, Sepia is not a place to eat, but a place to dine. I highly recommend hunting down this Windy City gem.
Sepia
123 N. Jefferson Street
Chicago, IL 60661
(312) 441-1920