Michael Jordan Opening a Steakhouse in Chicago


The famous “Michael Jordan’s Restaurant” didn’t turn out so well for MJ, but the Chicago Bulls legend is going to give the food business another shot in the Windy City. Reports the Tribune: “Michael Jordan’s Steak House Chicago will make its debut Tuesday in the InterContinental Chicago hotel (505 N. Michigan Ave. 312-321-8823), taking over that property’s sprawling, architecturally fascinating second-floor dining space (which accommodates 160, plus a couple of 20-seat private spaces). The restaurant also is taking over the hotel’s lobby-level bar space, which will be expanded to hold 90. ‘It’s an upgrade, to say the least,’ says executive chef James O’Donnell. The restaurant marks a curious kind of comeback for the NBA hall of famer, as it’s the first Chicago restaurant to bear Jordan’s name since Michael Jordan’s Restaurant closed, unlamented, many years ago. (Of course, one sixtyblue, in which Jordan is a major partner, has been humming along the whole time.) But Michael Jordan’s restaurant was a downscale tourist trap into which MJ himself rarely set foot. This new steakhouse will be impressively upscale, featuring the 45-day, dry-aged Delmonico steak (boneless ribeye) of which the restaurant’s namesake is reputedly fond. So the chances of an occasional Jordan sighting probably will be pretty good.”