NEW ON THE FOX VALLEY RESTAURANT SCENE IS THE GRACEFUL ORDINARY
Wife and Husband Team Partner with Local Developers Conrad and Curt Hurst to Debut
Newest Dining Destination in Suburban Chicago’s Burgeoning Entertainment District
ST. CHARLES – Earlier this month the suburban dining scene welcomed critically-acclaimed chef Chris Curren and wife Megan, in partnership with powerhouse developers Conrad and Curt Hurst of St. Charles’ Frontier Development (Arcada Theatre, Riverside Building, Idle Hour Building), as The Graceful Ordinary officially opened its doors.
Their much-buzzed-about upscale American restaurant on the Fox River in downtown St. Charles is located at 3 East Main Street in the former BMO Harris Bank building. The concept is the latest in the ongoing revitalization of St. Charles’ historic downtown landscape, joining neighboring businesses Arcada Theatre, Pollyanna Brewing, and Flagship on the Fox as the anchor of the city’s flourishing waterfront entertainment district.
Residents of the Fox Valley since 2010 and veterans of Chicago’s world-class dining scene, The Currens bring decades of combined hospitality experience to the project with Chris serving as executive chef/partner and Megan as event sales manager. A fixture of Chicago’s restaurant scene who worked alongside some of the city’s most celebrated culinary figures at venues including Fulton Market Kitchen, Seven Lions and Blue 13, Chef Curren will showcase his talents at the helm of the new concept’s kitchen to present the area’s newest option for chef-driven dining.
‘In early America, a town’s “Ordinary'' was a gathering place for the community to eat, drink and socialize, and we want our restaurant to embody this idea,” says Curren. “The residents of the Fox Valley are at the heart of everything we do at The Graceful Ordinary - from designing the menu to our hyper-local beer list and involvement with area events. Throughout this process our goal has been to create a restaurant that’s going to still be here for people in the area 25 years from now; a welcoming place where they’ll come to celebrate life’s big occasions or just make memories with friends and family over a great meal.”
THE SPACE - A multimillion-dollar renovation on the river: To transform the former BMO Harris Bank into a high-design restaurant space, the Currens and Hursts turned to top firm d + k, the design talent behind notable Chicago culinary concepts including The Darling, Hubbard Inn and Bar Takito, to carry out a large-scale, multimillion dollar renovation of the first-floor interior and entire exterior facade of the building. The Graceful Ordinary’s 4,700 square foot interior includes a full dining room with a dedicated chefs’ table and view of the open kitchen and wood-burning brick hearth, expansive bar and lounge area, private dining room housing the restaurant’s expansive wine collection and an outdoor terrace overlooking the picturesque Fox River.
Seamlessly integrating sophisticated elements including a palette of dark and earthy color tones, warm woods and brass and black metals, the artful design scheme created by d+ k effortlessly brings the team’s vision of a modern-day interpretation of the traditional American tavern to life. Accommodating 120 seated guests indoors and an additional 110 outdoors, the full venue is available for buyouts for wedding receptions or corporate functions while the private dining room serves as an intimate setting for smaller events like bridal showers and group dinners.
THE CUISINE - Tavern fare through a chef-driven lens: Utilizing his extensive culinary expertise, Chef Curren presents a menu of refined-rustic tavern-inspired fare focused on the restaurant’s wood-burning hearth. Elevated, yet approachable, the menu consists of light bites like gourmet cheeses, charcuterie and shareable small plates. There will also be a selection of hearty, comforting entrees such as Octopus Carpaccio with lemon puree, chili oil and pickled mustard seeds; Shrimp and Grits with head-on prawns, stone-ground white grits, pickled corn relish and Creole butter sauce; Grano Arso Orecchiette with roasted broccolini and fennel sausage; and Wood-Roasted Dry Aged Strip Steak with smoked cauliflower puree, shrimp croquette and red chimichurri.
To accompany Curren’s savory menu, Pastry Chef Martina Preradovic has crafted inventive interpretations of classic desserts like Butterscotch Pot de Créme with sea salt caramel and pecan Florentine as well as seasonal ice creams and sorbets. The Graceful Ordinary’s bar program will feature clever craft cocktails prepared with a curated collection of high-end whiskies and spirits, a broad list of new and old-world wines and a selection of crafts beers from local breweries such as Riverlands Brewing Company, Pollyanna Brewing and Distillery and Alter Brewing.
The Graceful Ordinary is open for dinner Tuesday - Wednesday 4 pm - 10 pm, Thursday 4 pm - 11 pm and Friday - Saturday 4 pm - midnight. For more information, please visit www.thegracefulordinary.com or follow @thegracefulordinary on Facebook and Instagram.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MATT REEVES
Commentaires