To really understand Filini, the modern Italian restaurant opening tonight along with the Radisson
Blu Aqua Hotel, be prepared for these situations:
The scene: The Dinner Party.
The cast: You; foodie pals.
The set: The dining room.
Action: We see a dark, sexy, low-ceilinged, second-floor room. You’re seated at the head of the communal table, mid-toast. A chef with what sounds like a Northern Italian accent stokes a pizza oven, slices prosciutto, then makes six different takes on bruschetta. Waiters in blue tuxedo jackets and black jeans bring olives, wild boar pappardelle and barolo.
Spoiler alert: You go with osso buco.
The scene: The Obligatory Drink.
The cast: You; a design-obsessed college friend staying at the Aqua.
The set: Hotel bar.
Action: You’re sitting in high blue chairs, in the easy-to-miss bar between the restaurant and hotel lobby. You’re nonchalantly pointing out the homages to local architecture—a brick wall mimicking the skyline; floor mosaics modeled after Chicago’s tree grates—while you’re sipping Kentucky Bambini (bourbon, maraschino, Aperol, lemon and pineapple juice).
Spoiler alert: You politely beg off an invite to Skydeck.
The scene: The Rom-Com.
The cast: You; a date.
The set: The hotel lobby.
Action: Soft focus. You’re in a well-cushioned room across from the lounge. There are couches everywhere. A gilded wall shimmers. You’re both drinking moscato. We pan to a 50-foot-long gas fireplace, flickering ever so softly. Giggling is heard. Fade out.
Spoiler alert: [Redacted.]
The scene: The Dinner Party.
The cast: You; foodie pals.
The set: The dining room.
Action: We see a dark, sexy, low-ceilinged, second-floor room. You’re seated at the head of the communal table, mid-toast. A chef with what sounds like a Northern Italian accent stokes a pizza oven, slices prosciutto, then makes six different takes on bruschetta. Waiters in blue tuxedo jackets and black jeans bring olives, wild boar pappardelle and barolo.
Spoiler alert: You go with osso buco.
The scene: The Obligatory Drink.
The cast: You; a design-obsessed college friend staying at the Aqua.
The set: Hotel bar.
Action: You’re sitting in high blue chairs, in the easy-to-miss bar between the restaurant and hotel lobby. You’re nonchalantly pointing out the homages to local architecture—a brick wall mimicking the skyline; floor mosaics modeled after Chicago’s tree grates—while you’re sipping Kentucky Bambini (bourbon, maraschino, Aperol, lemon and pineapple juice).
Spoiler alert: You politely beg off an invite to Skydeck.
The scene: The Rom-Com.
The cast: You; a date.
The set: The hotel lobby.
Action: Soft focus. You’re in a well-cushioned room across from the lounge. There are couches everywhere. A gilded wall shimmers. You’re both drinking moscato. We pan to a 50-foot-long gas fireplace, flickering ever so softly. Giggling is heard. Fade out.
Spoiler alert: [Redacted.]
