Chicago’s All Well is drawing attention not just because of who is behind it, but because of the format it is trying to champion. The restaurant comes from the team behind Oriole, the Michelin Guide- and James Beard-recognized fine dining spot, yet All Well is aiming for something distinct: what executive chef and co-owner Larry Feldmeier describes as a more relaxed version of prix fixe dining.
Feldmeier says the atmosphere is meant to feel reassuring from the moment guests walk in, with the food and cocktails already carefully worked out. The restaurant’s name also grew out of the team’s own shorthand. While working together at Oriole, Feldmeier and chef-partner Noah Sandoval would text each other “all well” when one of them was out of town to check in on the restaurant and on everyone there. That phrase eventually became the basis for the new place’s identity.
In an interview, Feldmeier said the opening in April has gone smoothly once the doors were open, even though the lead-up included some supply problems. Items ordered months in advance, including glassware and plates, did not arrive on schedule. Staffing also required improvisation, with much of the team assembled through word of mouth and personal connections from previous jobs. Some employees did not begin until opening day, which made the process feel especially fast-moving.
That speed shaped the way the restaurant was trained. Feldmeier said the space was secured in January, with much of the work happening in February and March, followed quickly by friends-and-family meals and then the opening itself. Rather than long training periods, the team largely learned by doing, adjusting stations and systems as they went. According to Feldmeier, that approach suited a group of experienced people who already knew how to work together.
All Well is also trying to separate itself from Oriole rather than read as a second version of it. Feldmeier said that was one of the biggest conversations before opening, since the two restaurants share a similar culinary sensibility but were meant to serve different experiences. Early on, many guests were Oriole regulars, though the audience is beginning to broaden. For now, the restaurant is still working to make clear that it stands on its own, even as it draws on the same level of precision that made its sister restaurant so well known.
Source: eater.com