The Chestnut Street Grill (dearly departed) is my gold standard whenever considering and reviewing a restaurant that purports to be a genuine fresh seafood and fish establishment.  It was one of the first Chicago restaurants to feature grilled seafood, offering the public a welcomed alternative to deep-fried or sautéed fish.  The old Chestnut in Chicago was in the Water Tower Place where you can now find Mity Nice Grill; part of the Food Life monstrosity on the Mezzanine level.

Styled as an authentic San Francisco seafood house, Chestnut Street Grill became one of America’s foremost seafood restaurants and enjoyed a long, successful run with it’s heyday being between the years of 1985-1990 or so.  The restaurant defied the odds as it was tucked deep away within an 8 story Shopping Mall with no on street presence.

The centerpiece of Chestnut and the thing that set the restaurant apart from other seafood impostor restaurants was their glassed in display kitchen which extended out into the heart of the dining room featuring a vast, wood fired charcoal grill in which almost all entrees were grilled to order.  The smartly dressed wait staff were all attired in white jackets with black trousers and were expected to be incredibly knowledgeable on each and every fish species or shellfish that the restaurant happened to have flown in that week or even day.   Was an Opah really just a Moonfish?

Monthly tests were administered to all staff (Bar Tenders included!) on fish and seafood provenance as well as specific flavors, textures and little known asides & fables about each fish; all the better to help sell the fish table side or answer any and all questions thrown their way by their customers.

The restaurant counted as regular guests a who’s who of Chicago’s business and cultural elite including Christie Hefner, the Daley brothers and countless visiting celebrities who were likely ensconced in the Ritz Carlton, a short 7 minute walk away via a connecting entrance from Water Tower Place.

One of the restaurants signature dishes was their Cioppino, a fine take on the Italian/San Francisco classic brimming with chunks of swordfish, monk fish, jumbo shrimp and various clams and mussels in a rich tomato white wine broth ultimately savored with a wedge of the fresh baked sourdough served alongside.  Other menu stalwarts included jumbo sea scallops simply grilled and a wide variety of daily east coast and west coast oysters.

Daily specials usually featured no less than eight fresh grilled fish flown in from the west coast and the east coast; all simply grilled over hardwood and charcoal and served with a drizzle of drawn butter and a superb house made tartar sauce which included mashed potatoes as a secret ingedient.  Occasionally, a champagne beurre blanc may have been available as well.  Accompaniments typically included boiled redskins, fresh steamed asparagus or broccoli or crunchy fries.

I have never tasted fried Calamari anywhere else that rivaled Chestnut’s squid. Their secret was soaking the squid for at least 24 hours in whole milk before dredging in seasoned flour and quickly deep frying to order. The garlic infused tartar sauce and traditional cocktail sauces always presented a quandary as to which condiment better accompanied the steaming hot and tender calamari. I couldn’t hazard a guess as to how many pounds of squid the restaurant served on a weekly basis.

Unfortunately, I’ve yet to find a seafood restaurant anywhere that equals the quality and abundance of seafood available on a given day or evening; seafood and fish cooked with simple restraint and not hopped up with overblown sauces or oils.    Levy Restaurants closed Chestnut back in 1992; deciding not to renew the lease for that and two other adjacent restaurants.

They continue to own and operate the wildly popular (and fantastic) Bistro 110 and Spiaggia, both a few minutes walk from the Water Tower Place.