Sad, but not particularly surprising, news came late Wednesday from Terrace 16, the restaurant in Trump International Hotel & Tower (401 N. Wabash Ave.). Nick Dostal, the restaurant’s executive chef, will resign his position effective Nov. 27.
Dostal earned two Michelin stars at the hotel’s Sixteen restaurant, only to see both stars disappear in the wake of the hotel’s “re-imagining” of the restaurant as Terrace 16, a more casual concept that eliminated the multicourse set menus that had been Sixteen’s signature.
“It has been an absolute privilege and an honor serving as Executive Chef of both Sixteen and Terrace 16 over the past few years, and I would not be where I am today without the support of my colleagues and mentors,” said Dostal in a prepared statement. “I am extremely proud of maintaining Sixteen’s two Michelin stars and then being a part of the new iteration of the restaurant as Terrace 16 came to fruition. I have worked alongside an incredible team of people whose dedication and passion will continue to bring a remarkable dining experience to life at Terrace 16 and I look forward to watching their continued success. It is certainly difficult to say goodbye to the many individuals that were with me along the way. Progress is impossible without change, and the time has come for me to make that change.”
Dostal has been the restaurant’s executive chef since the beginning of 2017, when he took over for Thomas Lents, who departed to become the executive chef of the Detroit Foundation Hotel. Sixteen had earned two Michelin stars on Lents’ watch, and there was speculation that his departure would result in the loss of a star or two. Dostal, however, showed immense talent and kept the restaurant’s stellar rating intact.
RELATED: Trump hotel restaurant Terrace 16 not as good as Sixteen was
Early this year, the hotel closed the restaurant for remodeling and reconcepting; it emerged, with Dostal still at the helm, as the more affordable Terrace 16, featuring its a la carte menu indoors and on the hotel’s spectacular lake-and-river-view terrace. Reviews were mixed, to say the least, and Terrace 16 was not a star recipient in the current Michelin Guide.
“Although we are very sad to see chef Dostal go, we are extremely appreciative of his talent and contributions to the property over the past several years and wish him only the best in his future endeavors as well as our full support for the next chapter of his career,” said Trump Hotel Chicago General Manager Gabriel Constantin, in the same press release.
The timing of the resignation keeps Dostal running the kitchen through the Thanksgiving weekend. After that?
“I can say that I will definitely stay in town,” said Dostal, reached by phone. “I can’t divulge where exactly yet.”
pvettel@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @PhilVettel
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