Aria Bar

01/30/07

Nice atmosphere, Minimal wine selection

by ganative79 at Citysearch

Visited the Aria Bar while staying at the Fairmont. I liked the atmosphere and would imagine that there?s plenty of people watching during the weekend. I was very disappointed in the wine selection, only 8 selections or so split b/w reds and whites, with the cheapest glass being $12. The food was subpar at best. While the miso soup was good, the beef noodle bowl was practically inedible. The broth was over-flavored and of course the veggies and noodles absorbed the unpleasant flavor. However, the beef strips were good, all 4 little pieces of them. My coworkers said the food in the main restaurant is better.

• Pros: Atmosphere, plenty of seating
• Cons: Poor wine list, pitiful food

11/22/06

Great place to sit and have a drink

by luvs2travel at Citysearch

We visited the old Aria bar which was very nice and the very next day were astonished to see that it was entirely torn apart for remodeling. When we returned it was an entirely new bar which looked great. It has a sushi bar that looks pretty good, we haven't tried it... yet. This is definitely a great people watching place and has many interesting spots to sit and talk. The waitresses are prompt and friendly. And on this visit we had a waitress when had served us before in the Fairmonts reception/lounge area. Unfortuantely we cannot remember her name, but she was really nice and attentive. And she knew her wine list, she was able to give a good description of and recommendations of the various wines.

• Pros: Great people watching, after work, before/after dinner spot

11/22/06

The slick spin-off of the Fairmont's adjacent Aria aims to draw hipster and foodie attention to the East Loop.

by Fred Schlatter at Citysearch

The Scene
Amber and violet lighting wash the oval room. Metallic tiles play nicely with shimmering drapery. The bar to the right offers stool seating, but modish lounge configurations throughout are more inviting for cocktails. A central communal sushi bar is glass and glows blue and offers a more serious eating space for loners or couples. Techno is perhaps too aggressive, and maybe too loud, but reinforces an intended nightlife vibe.

The Food
From the illuminated sushi bar (and hidden hot kitchen) comes a pan-Asian menu focused on well prepared and dramatically presented sushi. Hot starters jump from Chinese--crispy and richly filled lobster spring rolls--to Thai--Sriracha-spiked chicken satay. Sushi is about quality and subtlety, like freshly grated wasabi root and expertly formed and seasoned rice. Notable pieces include velvety fatty tuna and briefly torched salmon. Rolls are few but astute: toothsome nori holds creamy tuna and prickly scallion-jalapeno sauce.