OMNI CHICAGO HOTEL RE-OPENS POPULAR DOWNTOWN SIDEWALK SPOT, CAFE 676, FOR SUMMER
New Menu Features Gourmet Cheeses and Chef-cured Meats from 100% Local Sources
CHICAGO (May 23, 2012) –The Omni Chicago Hotel’s popular sidewalk spot, Café 676, is set to open for its third summer season Thursday, May 24, right in time for Memorial Day weekend. A rarity on North Michigan Avenue at Huron Street, Café 676 offers outdoor dining with a farm-to-table approach, providing organic and all-natural options for breakfast, a quick lunch or an after-work drink. New additions to the menu include Chef-cured meats from 100% local sources, including Cold Smoked Lake Huron Salmon, Cook’s Ranch Bison Summer Sausage and Pinn Oak Ridge Farm Lamb Bacon, hung to perfection in 676’s charcuterie room and a variety of locally sourced cheeses, including Six-Year Cheddar, Saint Rocco Brie and SarVecchio Parmesan each accented with it’s own inspiring local preserve or condiment.
“We’re eager to re-open Café 676 for our third season and look forward to delivering ever changing products to our guests, providing a distinctive culinary experience,” said Daven Wardynski, executive chef of the Omni Chicago Hotel and Café 676. “Our Modern Midwest American Cuisine create dishes using local ingredients wherever possible, and we are fortunate that the Midwest has a multitude available that are of incredible quality.”
The Chef’s passion for quality goods also inspired him to created a roof-top garden onsite at the Omni Chicago Hotel, from which his team grows and produces as much product as possible — including an heirloom strawberry patch, a variety of chili peppers and seven different kinds of basil. As a result, the fruits, vegetables and herbs are always rotational, using whatever produce in season and incorporating it directly into one-of-a-kind menu items such as Tomato & Michigan White Bean Soup and the Miller Farm Chicken Salad Sandwich with Roof-top Basil.
Café 676 also features honey from its own beehives located in nearby La Fox, IL as much as possible. The fresh, raw honey is collected twice a month and integrated into menu items such as Steel-Cut Wisconsin Oatmeal with Seedling Orchard Raspberry Jam, Organic Brown Sugar, Golden Raisins and 676 Hive Honey, the Milk Chocolate Tart with 676 Hive Honey Caramel and Kilgus Farmstead Natural Cream and the Heirloom Apple Salad with Sarvecchio Parmesan, Wild Arugula and 676 Prairie Honey Vinaigrette.
Chef Wardynski’s Chicago pedigree includes notable experience at TRU, one of the city's most elite, AAA five-diamond restaurants. He served as chef de partie under celebrity chef Rick Tramonto and oversaw the restaurant’s high-profile fish, shellfish and foie gras preparations.
Café 676 is located at Huron and North Michigan and will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. with a full bar featuring roof-top garden inspired cocktails and Chicago craft beers. For more information and to view a menu, visit 676restaurant.com or call 312-944-7676.
About the Omni Chicago Hotel
The award-winning Omni Chicago Hotel, located in the heart of the Magnificent Mile, is a 347 room all-suite property which showcases a modern, impressive design. This luxurious property also hosts 676 Restaurant & Bar, known for its distinctive flatbreads and breathtaking views of Michigan Avenue, as well as the new Café 676, offering Modern Midwest American Cuisine with a focus on local purveyors whenever possible.