Acadia (restaurant)

Acadia was a fine dining restaurant that also had a bar where patrons could buy food, which was a more casual dining experience. The restaurant's bartender, Michael Simon, was noted by food critics for the experimental cocktails he created at Acadia. The exterior of the building was non-descript, while the interior was well-decorated. Phil Vettel of the Chicago Tribune described its dining room as "a warmly minimalist, softly lit and serenely quiet space with alabaster walls, neutral carpeting and beaded-metal curtains." Menu The restaurant served five- and ten-course tasting menus, lobster pot pie and a Wagyu steak dinner. The dishes on its menu were often heavy and rich. Writing for Time Out, Julia Kramer noted the relative affordability of its prices compared to similar restaurants. Its menu was heavily influenced by the cuisine of New England, particularly Maine. Jeff Ruby, of the magazine Chicago, observed that many dishes on the ten course menu had "a green-and-white palette meant to evoke McCaskey's briny Maine summers as a kid." Many of the restaurant's ingredients were sourced from Deer Isle, Maine. == History ==

Acadia opened in 2011, and was founded by Ryan McCaskey, a Vietnam-born chef who had been adopted by a Chicago couple as part of Operation Babylift. He learned to cook at an early age and spent summers in Maine as a child. McCaskey was executive chef and sole owner of the restaurant. It was noted to be one of only a few fine dining restaurants in South Side, Chicago, which was a more inexpensive neighborhood. The restaurant was well received by food critics, It went on to earn two Michelin stars, It closed in 2020 because of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the restaurant industry. During the temporary closure, several former employees came forward with allegations that McCaskey fostered a toxic work environment in which sexual harassment occurred. The restaurant closed shortly afterwards and McCaskey opened a new restaurant, Acadia House Provisions, in Maine. ==See also==