Le Select aims to evoke French brasseries like Chicago’s ‘90s-era Hudson Club. Le Select
Le Select, pegged for a December debut in Downtown Chicago, has hired staff with Michelin-star credibility
Le Select, the cavernous upcoming French brasserie from Boka Restaurant Group and accomplished suburban Chicago native Daniel Rose — a chef who rose to prominence with award-winning restaurants in Paris and in New York (Le Coucou) has announced several key personnel hires. The River North restaurant will rise from the ashes of the infamous clubstaurant Bottled Blonde with a December opening at 504 N. Wells Street.
Ownership released two renderings showing what was promised: a classic bistro with large leather booths, trees, and neutral browns and reds. Boka and Rose envision a bustling Chicago eatery that will resonate with the city. Boka co-founders Rob Katz and Kevin Boehm have promised to bring lively energy to the 12,000-square-foot-space, with 2,000 additional square feet in private event space. They’ve taken inspiration from Hudson Club, a brasserie and bar that opened in 1996 and later gave way to now-shuttered fusion restaurant SushiSamba.
Cara Sandoval, co-founder and general manager of two-Michelin-starred Oriole, will take on the leadership role of service director. She was instrumental in Oriole’s success, known for nailing little details at the acclaimed Fulton Market restaurant. She’ll work alongside general manager Kevin Roskoskey, a former operating partner at Scott Harris Hospitality. That’s the group that includes Francesca’s and Fat Rosie’s Taqueria.
Rose and Boka will soon open a restaurant in LA inside the Hoxton hotel (it mirrors Boka’s Chicago operations). So a strong kitchen staff will be needed to execute Rose’s vision (he and his family remain based in Paris, but he promises to visit Chicago and his family from time to time. Chef Audrey Renninger will move from Paris where he worked at Rose’s La Bourse et La Vie. Renninger will be joined by chef de cuisine Jason Heiman. He’s a Chicago local who briefly decamped south to open Santo in Nashville. Heiman’s credits include Bangers & Lace and Pork Shoppe.
Le Select
Familiar brasserie aesthetics will utterly transform the former Bottled Blonde space.
Rose, known for an exacting style that still taps into creative expression, told Eater in 2021 that he aims to attune his menu to his vision of Chicago, “a city of commerce, architecture, and a sophisticated no-nonsense sensibility.”
Le Select, 504 N. Wells Street, scheduled to open in December.