Fulton Galley Food Hall Opening June 22

This Saturday, June 22, Galley Group will open Fulton Galley, Chicago’s newest food hall and restaurant accelerator, housing five new culinary concepts, a 30-seat bar and a private dining space. Located at 1115 W Fulton Street, the 10,830-square-foot space will have outdoor dining, a beer menu, and a variety of cuisines. Fulton Galley will be open for brunch, lunch and dinner.

Fulton Galley provides chefs with a fully built-out kitchen of their own, front of house staff, marketing, and more, ultimately eliminating prohibitive up-front costs that are normally associated with opening a restaurant. For guests, the food hall brings a constant rotation of new culinary ideas and the bar provides a cocktail program and locally rooted beer offerings. Here’s what guests can find at Fulton Galley upon opening:

·         Taco Mucho from Ron Aleman: Ron Aleman will leverage his 20+ years working in some of Chicago restaurants to open Taco Mucho. The casual taqueria – which will blend Aleman’s classically trained French technique with his passion for Mexican cuisine – brings the celebratory flavors of Mexico to life with street food fare. Taco Mucho combines Aleman’s favorite parts of Mexican and American cuisines with a menu of starters such as the Nacho Fries with spicy queso, green onions, cilantro, sour cream, pickled jalapeños and tomatoes; taco plates including Barbacoa with guajillo chilies, pickled red onion, cilantro and tomatillo salsa and Modelo Battered Fish with shredded cabbage, lime, cilantro and spicy aioli; and sandwiches like the Chorizo Burger made with seared Angus beef, topped with spicy chorizo, pepper jack cheese, avocado mayo, caramelized onions and roasted poblanos. 

·         Pink Salt by Palita Sriratana: Palita Sriratana’s inspiration for Pink Salt is deeply seeded in the years she spent cooking in the kitchen with her grandma as well as traveling to Bangkok. Pink Salt, a family-style modern Thai concept, will pay homage to those memories and experiences while focusing on the flavors and spices of Northeastern Thailand. Sriratana has created a menu of signature dishes such as the Gai Yang Krob with crispy, seared boneless chicken thighs marinated in lemongrass and served with sweet chili sauce and jasmine or sticky rice. Complementing the signature offerings will be a selection of small plates such as the Som Tum Classic with shredded papaya and tomatoes made with green beans, and crunchy peanuts all in a spicy citrus dressing and the Tod Mun Kapod, or lightly curried corn fritters, with ribbons of kaffir lime leaves and served with sweet cucumber relish. Cold Brewed Thai Iced Coffee, Ice Thai Tea and Fresh Coconut will be served to drink. 

·         Steingold’s Deli from Aaron Steingold: Aaron Steingold and his wife Elizabeth Abowd, along with culinary director, Michael Appleby, will expand the Steingold’s New School American deli with its first all-day concept at Fulton Galley. Steingold’s Deli will open with a menu of  ‘Jew-ish American’ offerings including day-time options like the Uncle Rube with hot-smoked, thick-sliced pastrami or corned beef, smoked sauerkraut, swiss cheese, Russian dressing and PQB rye and the Brother Hughie with braised brisket, cola-spiced gravy, melted Havarti, crispy onions, and pickled Fresno peppers on a toasted Challah Roll. Steingold will bring a new selection of offerings, available only on the evening menu, such as Skins and Dip including crispy chicken, duck and salmon skins with a caramelized onion dip, pickled red onions and chive blossoms and the Za’atar Matzo Fried Chicken with Miller Amish chicken thighs, harissa honey, braised mustard greens and Anson Mill grits.

·         Italianette by Gerad Gobel and Alexis Rorabaugh: This husband and wife duo made Chicago their home in 2014 and have since worked at various restaurants across the city, including most recently serving as Executive Chefs at the SoHo House’s public (Gerad) and private (Alexis) restaurants. Their concept, Italianette, will utilize ingredients from local farmers and purveyors to create a menu of takes on Italian classics. The menu will offer antipasti including Eggplant with sweet and sour sauce, carta di musico and mint and Bufala Mozzerella with bottarga, tomato and sourdough, and a selection of pastas such asFazzoletti with almond-basil pesto and green bean; Campanelle with rock shrimp, sweet corn and tomato; and Malfade with short rib ragu al napeltano and pecorino. There will also be a selection of rotating specials and Italian-inspired drinks and desserts.

·         Fairview by Dennis Bernard: Dennis Bernard, most recently Chef de Cuisine at The Publican, will pursue his first solo venture with Fairview, a rotisserie-focused concept that draws inspiration from both Latin and American flavors. With seasonality and locality at the forefront, Bernard is highlighting a selection of spit-roasted meats, such as a Pork Collarwith green garlic, pineapple, citrus mojo, escarole and chicharron; the Veal Brisket with mole poblano, chimichurri, goat feta and radish; and the Calabaza with spring onion, queso fresco, refried beans, and black bean masa crepes. The menu will also include several salads, such as the Baby Kale with papaya, sun gold tomato, aged gouda and a honey-lime vinaigrette, ceviches like the Shrimp with leche di tigre, serrano, avocado and cucumber, and sides such as the Chile Rellenos with queso requesón, oyster mushroom and salsa cilantro.

Fulton Galley’s bar program is spearheaded by Bar Manager Mike Karberg and Galley Group Beverage Director Tim Garso. Karberg will bring his experience in the spirits industry as well as his years consulting on some of Chicago cocktail menus to create the beverage program. 

The cocktail menu, themed around pop-culture references, will have offerings such as the Connecting Flight with Brugal 1888, Brugal Anejo Fernet, Banana, and bitters; the Five Dollar Shake with Evan Williams, La Colombe Cold Brew, Luxardo espresso and bitter chocolate whipped cream with Okinawa Kokuto Japanese artisan sugar; and The Spirit of the Thing with Pike & Clark Gin, Ramazotti Rosato, Mathilde Framboise, lemon and cava. Expanding on their playful approach, the menu will boast several ‘Shooters,’ such as the Cherry Bomb Boilermaker which will include a Summerly Blonde Ale with Raspberry served with a German Kirsch soaked cherry as the ‘shot.’ The beer program will include 20 beers on tap including local Chicago beers, seasonal specials and exclusive brews. In the bottle will be a rotating selection of funky imports and international finds. Just in time for summer, the bar will also have ‘wine buckets,’ which will include a bucket of single serve rosé bottles.

Design team Dimit Architects preserved much of the architectural integrity of the space. By using varying textures of materials as well as a palette of natural colors, the design is accented with green feature walls made of preserved plants and custom banquettes and furniture pieces, fabricated by Pittsburgh-based Bones and All. Within the open and industrial space, a series of areas were created for guests to experience. The Galley, or the communal dining area, includes lighting posted from the existing heavy timber columns, which extend over clusters of the banquette seating and tables. For extended bar hours, the dining area can be screened with oversized sliding glass doors, creating a lounge area overlooking the sidewalk café. The lounge transitions to the  bar area. The bar features 20 beer taps piercing the travertine cladding, with custom brass and wood shelving made by Amuneal. As a nod to the founders’ time in the Navy, which also served as inspiration for Galley Group as whole, guests will find naval officer ranking stars adorning the restroom doors.