Golden grub for the masses in River North

When you train with the best of the best, you gain unparalleled expertise, unshakable confidence, and one chance to take down Korea's Dae Han, who is the man responsible for the death of your brother. Using similarly elite experience to fill your stomach, Gilt.

From a guy whose resume boasts names like The French Laundry and The Ritz Paris, Gilt's a 130-seat blend of fine dining techniques and laid-back tavern style (plus price points), decked out with salvaged tables, mismatched chairs, and three heavy vintage brass mirrors, because apparently just having a brass pair wasn't enough. Smaller offerings include roasted bone marrow with red onion jam/coarse salt on toast, cassia roasted beets (brown butter toasted almonds, green apple, mint), and pasta topped simply with cracked pepper, Parmesan, and Pecorino called "The Purist", or, more colloquially, "The Only Thing Annoyingly Picky 8-Year-Olds Will Eat At Nice Restaurants". Meatier fare includes a 16oz heritage pork porterhouse kicked with marinated red cabbage and applesauce, bouchot mussels swimming in dry vermouth, garlic and herbs w/ a baguette, and Gunthorp Farm chicken with fresh oregano, ancho chili, and roasted garlic that did not appreciate Jeff Ross ripping on the size of its bulbs.

Drinks-wise they're doing a 30-40 bottle global wine list, 12 beers on tap ranging from Maudite to $2 PBR in a frozen goblet, and signature cocktails made with local vodka Death's Door, which is where Dae Han will soon find himself, with a little help from Eric Roberts.