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Ever (Chicago, IL)

Ever Restaurant
1340 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60607
312-766-9576
www.ever-restaurant.com
Tue 08/18/2026, 07:45p-11:40p





As I've mentioned before, the main purpose of this latest Chicago trip was to revisit Alinea after 20 years, which I of course did. But given that I'd traveled all this way, there was no chance of me not hitting up some of Chi-town's other top spots. I considered a number of options, but ended up putting Curtis Duffy's Ever on the list since I'd always regretted not checking out the Chef's previous Chicago restaurant, the Michelin three-starred Grace. Note also that a few episodes of The Bear were filmed inside Ever, so as a watcher of the show, being able to see the space for myself was a nice little bonus.

About the Chef: Curtis Lee Duffy was born in Newark, Ohio in July 1975, and was raised by his problematic tattoo artist-biker father Robert Duffy (a.k.a. "Bear") and his stepmother Jan Duffy (the biological mother skedaddled after just six months). He grew up in Colorado Springs, but when he was 12, the family (including younger sister Trisha and older brother Robert Jr.) moved back to Ohio to be closer to Bear's folks, this time settling in Johnstown. Duffy had a difficult childhood--which wasn't helped by his parents' struggles with poverty--but he was offered a glimmer of hope by Ruth Snider, his sixth-grade home economics teacher at Willis C. Adams middle school. Snider taught him the basics of cooking, which proved to be a bit of a lightbulb moment, giving the troubled youngster an artistic outlet, a feeling of authorship, of mastery.

At age 14, Duffy landed an after-school job at a Johnstown diner with the uninspired moniker of Ohio Restaurant #2 (a.k.a. "The Greeks"), where he'd wash dishes and help with prep. While he was attending high school at C-TEC (Career and Technology Education Centers of Licking County), his culinary arts instructor Kathy Zay helped him secure a post at the nearby New Albany Country Club, where he started out as a dishwasher but also honed his cooking skills. When he was 16, Duffy took a job at Muirfield Village Golf Club, and would continue cooking there after graduating from high school in 1994. He also enrolled in the culinary program at Columbus State Community College.

However, catastrophe would strike soon after. His parents were separated by that point, and Jan had filed for divorce. In September, Bear tried reconciling for one final time, and when that didn't work, ended up taking Jan hostage, shooting her, and then himself in a tragic murder-suicide. Following the calamity, Duffy, along with best friend Tony Kuehner, went out to Colorado as a means of escape, but returned to Ohio after four months. Back at Muirfield, he would meet a server by the name of Kim Becker, and two would later start dating, get married, and have daughters Ava Leigh (b. December 2005) and Eden Grace (b. March 2009).

After Muirfield Village, Duffy went to work at Handke's Cuisine in Columbus as well as Tartan Fields Golf Club in Dublin, where he was making good money as the Chef de Cuisine. However, the job wasn't challenging enough, so in January 2000, he left Ohio and moved to Chicago to work at Charlie Trotter's, following a weeks-long stage there the previous year. During this period, he also apprenticed at The French Laundry, and then in 2003, after experiencing a life-changing meal by Grant Achatz at Trio in Evanston, decided to leave Trotter's for Trio.

Duffy started in garde manger before leading the pastry kitchen, and when Achatz left in 2004 to open Alinea, he followed suit. Alinea thus opened in May 2005 with him as CdC, and the place would go on to become one of the defining American restaurants of the 2000s. However, Duffy left in 2008 in order to forge his own path, and would land at The Peninsula Chicago, which had opened in January 2001. At the hotel, he took command of Avenues, its flagship eatery, which he soon whipped into shape. In November 2010, the place garnered two Michelin stars, while Duffy earned James Beard's "Best Chef: Great Lakes" semifinalist honors in 2009/2010, and nominee status in 2011. Despite the accolades, Avenues would shutter in September 2011 following the Chef's departure.

Duffy had decided to strike out on his own, and soon got to work on Grace (as in the middle name of his second daughter), teaming up with Avenues' Wine Director Michael Muser and real estate guy Michael Olszewski. Situated in the West Loop, the restaurant was originally slated to open in March 2012, but wound up debuting that December. The place was a hit, achieving two Michelin stars in the 2014 Red Guide before landing the troika in the 2015-to-2018 editions. Meanwhile, Beard bestowed "Best Chef: Great Lakes" honors in 2016, after Duffy reached the nominee stage in both '14 and '15. Unfortunately, the Chef and Muser ultimately had a falling out with Olszewski, resulting in their ouster and the shuttering of Grace in December 2017. And if that wasn't bad enough, all the stress associated with opening the restaurant cost the Chef his marriage as well.

From here, after an appearance on Top Chef: Colorado, Duffy, Muser, and a new financial backer regrouped and got to work on their next project: Ever. During this period, in April 2019, the Chef wed Miami native Jennifer Duffy (a.k.a. Jennifer McClain or Jennifer Perez), who brought two stepchildren (Jolie and Van) into the mix. Ever dropped in July 2020, and was soon awarded two Michelin stars, both of which have been retained since then. In December 2020, Duffy started Rêve Burger in reaction to pandemic-related indoor dining bans, though the concept would shut down by July 2022, around the same time he appeared on Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend (he lost to Dominique Crenn).

In October 2022, the team debuted After, Ever's accompanying next door bar/lounge, and at the same time, launched The Canvas by Ever, an event space located in the same building. Meanwhile, 2024 saw Duffy as a guest judge on Top Chef: Wisconsin, though there was a bit of upheaval at the start of 2025, when Muser left Ever under questionable terms. Following, Duffy delegated much of the work of running the restaurant to Chief Operating Officer Amy Cordell (Grace, Avenues, Charlie Trotter's) and Chef de Cuisine Lucas Trahan (Grace, Entente, Fulton Market Kitchen, Pacific Standard Time), and later released a book entitled Fireproof: Memoir of a Chef, written in collaboration with Jeremy Wagner.


Ever is located on the ground floor of a new-ish office building in the Fulton Market District. After opening the doors to the restaurant, I was greeted by a striking entrance area.


I actually arrived early for my reservation (the restaurant was closer than expected to my hotel in the Near West Side), and was thus led by the host next door to After for some preprandial libations.


Here we see After's cocktail list, selection of beers and wines, as well as its brief menu of bar bites. Click for larger versions.


Tossing Peels [$20.00] | ilegal mezcal, banana, tomatillo, jamaican rum
I have a hard time resisting any sort of banana-based cocktail, hence my first pick. Aromas here were all about the sugary depth of bananas commixed with the smoke of mezcal, making for a smart back-and-forth. Beguilingly, the drink somehow tasted of McDonald's' Sweet 'N Sour sauce, but in a good way, I'm guessing due to the interplay between banana and tomatillo.


Bell Pepper Daiquiri [$18.00] | diplomatico planas rum, yellow bell peppers, lacto strawberry, lime
A thoroughly reworked daiquiri was also to my liking, conveying vibrant vegetal-sweet pepper notes undergirded by the heft of rum while strawberry and lime offered the needed lift. Neat.


After some time, I was brought back to Ever, handed a welcome drink by the host, given a brief tour of the kitchen, and led to my surprisingly capacious, well-spaced-apart table, which afforded me a commanding view of the dining room. Note that there are also two PDR options here, seating up to 12 and 20.


Pictured above is the evening's 11-course menu, priced at a prepaid $325 a head, plus 20% service and 11.75% tax, making for a total cost of $435.83. Set beverage options include a $195 Signature wine pairing, a $345 Cellar wine pairing, and a $115 spirit-free pairing. There's also an extensive wine list managed by Cal Barnett (ex-Alinea), while beer, spirits, and classic cocktails are also possibilities. Corkage is $125 a bottle, limit one per person. Click for a larger version.


Speaking of that aforementioned welcome drink, it was an herbal tea with Muscat grape and wakamomo (young Japanese mountain peach). I found a very "green" sort of sweetness here, along with tart tastes and an underpinning of salinity.


1: Tomato | white balsamic, orange blossom, LEMON THYME
Tonight's first course was a celebration of tomato--rendered in disparate temperatures and textures--that really did a great job highlighting the fruit in all its sweet, savory, summery, herby, piquant, icy goodness. The dish was based on peeled cherry tomatoes, sundried cherry tomatoes, huckleberry tomatoes, and a tomato juice shaved ice, with a glass of warm, tart, umami-packed tomato broth on the side that made for an effective dance between hot and cold.


2: Scallop | white poppy, caviar, NASTURTIUM
East Coast scallop was seared, chilled, and set atop white poppy milk, romaine, chive gel, haricot vert, and onion, then topped with caviar, lemon zest, and peppery nasturtium leaves-plus-flowers. The brininess of the scallop was on proud display, augmented even further by the caviar, so all the sweet, bright, herby flavors going on were crucial for contrast.


3: Coconut | makrut, chicken, CILANTRO
This next course was inspired by a streetside tom kha kai that Chef Duffy experienced while visiting Thailand. At the base of the bowl was confit poussin leg and coconut, on top of which was a heady toasted coconut broth, chicken breast, and lime leaf. Meanwhile, painted around the bowl were toasty-crunchy masago arare, pickled hon-shimeji, Fresno chile pearls, coriander leaves/blossoms, scallion, and a chicken chicharrón. The dish did an admirable job capturing the essence of the Thai soup, in a seemingly concentrated form, with flavors that were simultaneously familiar yet novel, and I especially appreciated the depth achieved with the chicken.


My beverage selection for tonight was the 1985 Domaine Georges Mugneret Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Feusselottes, the oldest Burgundy of this trip. The producer was founded by Georges Mugneret (1929-1988), scion of the Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg family, and he purchased the Les Feusselottes vineyard in 1985, making this wine the inaugural vintage from the climat.

• Initial Impressions: At first blush, the Pinot noir smelled richly of roses, roasted meats, and dark fruit. In the mouth, I found it silken, its growing red berry flavors joined by hints of smoke and umami.
• After 15 Minutes: After a brief period, the nose--mature yet vibrant--was teeming with flowers, along with light spices and a distinct suānméi character. On the palate--surprisingly youthful, with purple fruits commingled with smoke, sous bois, and a lovely acidity.
• After 55 Minutes: Aromas were noticeably more herbaceous, more tertiary, and taste-wise, I also found those herbal qualities coming to the fore.
• After 70 Minutes: Still herby in terms of bouquet, but with lots more sweet fruit and a delicious savoriness underlying. In the mouth, a touch more tannic, and very harmonious, with red berries and now a palpable sensation of black pepper.

It was now time for the bread service, which actually arrived in multiple rounds. What we had here was a chewy knotted rye bread with horseradish and poppy seeds, accompanied by two rosemary-smoked, house-cultured butters: one soft-n-sweet and one assertively herb-infused with dill, parsley, chervil, chive, and basil.


4: Salmon | corn, radish, BASIL
Ora King salmon was grilled hard on one side, resulting in a delightful crispness, while the other side was cooked on a hot potato to achieve a perfectly rare, mi-cuit consistency. Given the fish's robust flavors, accoutrements of corn, onion, Cherry Bomb radish, mustard seed, and a veggie demi-glace provided some much-needed balance.


Next came a laminated focaccia with elderflower and Okinawan sweet potato. As was the case with the other breads tonight, I do wish it were served warmer.


5: Chanterelle | barley, genmai, MUSHROOM LEAF
Butter-poached chanterelles, fried maitakes, grilled black oyster mushrooms, and a portobello purée all came together to form a delectably diverse representation of umami. Given all those hefty flavors at play, the offsetting nutty crunch of genmai and barley was crucial, as was the zippiness of green garlic.


Here was a honey-lavender scone with golden raisin, one that did a great job showcasing that sugary interaction between raisin and honey, accented by the floral nature of lavender.


6: Lamb | truffle, pistachio, ANISE HYSSOP
Hiding underneath Australian black winter truffles and anise hyssop was lamb neck, cured with star anise and ground fennel, then braised. The lamb reduction created in said braising process was turned into a lamb gravy, and at the bottom of the bowl sat a sour Michigan cherry relish along with Sicilian emerald pistachios two ways: braised for butteriness, and fried for crunchiness. Here, I loved how dark-toned, sticky, and gelatinous the lamb was, and how the meat melded with the dish's sweet-spicy base and the inimitable musk of truffle.


My final bread was a boule with coconut and black lime (though not enough of either), which was intended to play well with the flavors of the "béarnesco" sauce below.


7: Wagyu | okra, red pepper, OXALIS
Garnished with Murray River salt, pickled okra seeds, and rooftop-grown Sunset Velvet oxalis, pan-roasted Miyazaki A5 ribeye could be likened to an explosion of fat, char, and savor. Off to the side was grilled okra, shingled with slices of lightly-pickled okra, while in the middle was a tangy, punchy, béarnaise-romesco hybrid that worked swimmingly to bridge the gap. With everything together in one bite, the end result was quite impressive I must say.


8: Guava | lychee, macadamia, LEMON BALM
Alright, time for dessert. Ribbons of wonderfully floral magnolia ice cream were pressed into liquid nitrogen, freezing them near-instantly and making for a delightful texture. As tasty as the ice cream was, it was indeed even better when taken with the sweet-tartness of hibiscus and guava, and the nutty-crunch of a macadamia crumble.


9: Cacao | banana, passion fruit, STARFLOWER
For this second dessert, the pastry kitchen's intent was to use as much of the cocoa bean as possible. Thus, we have here a bottom layer of cacao gel, then chocolate ganache with frozen cacao nibs and a cacao mucilage sorbet, along with freeze-dried passion fruit, caramelized baby banana topped with edible flowers and finger lime, and finally, dried Thai banana with cocoa nibs, holy basil, and oxalis. And indeed, this was a rather ingenious, multifaceted presentation of cacao, both taste-wise and texture-wise, and I was a big fan of how all the chocolate-y flavors meshed with both the bananas and the greenery.


10: Tinies | gooseberry, cashew
Mignardise duty was at first handled by a dense gooseberry pâte de fruit, crusted with feuilletine and sandwiched between savory sheets of oboro konbu. In the back was a bonbon composed of white and milk chocolate from the Dominican Republic surrounding a center of cashew butter fudge; I found it almost Ferrero Rocher-esque.



11: CANDY PARLOR
With my meal largely done with, I was taken to the "candy parlor" to pick some sweet treats to take home.


Burrata Colada [$19.00] | diplomatico planas rum, cantaloupe, burrata, tamarind, chamoy
I then headed back over to After for another "dessert" in the form of this riff on the piña colada. The cocktail showed off a really clever give-and-take between the sweetness of the melon and the salty-lactic twang of burrata, with additional piquancy from the chamoy-tamarind combo.


Closing things out was a complimentary shot of Angostura bitters. It was my first time shooting Angostura, and I have to say I really enjoyed it, finding the concoction wondrously bittersweet, herbal, sweetly-spiced, and well-integrated. A fitting digestif to be sure.

The Ever team delivered a pretty standout meal tonight. Service was spot-on, and other than a couple stodgy servings of bread, the food was hard to find much fault with. I'd say that the menu leaned less "out there" and more recognizable compared to what I experienced at my other meals in the Windy City. At the same time, although one might find it easier to identify reference points for the cooking, Duffy's cuisine still offered the intricacy, artistry, skill, and sophistication I was seeking. But now I have to wonder: what was the Chef doing at Grace that earned him three stars, which he can't seem to replicate here?