When most folks think of the quintessential Chicago dining experience, thoughts drift to the stereotypical deep-dish pizza or hot dog. In truth, the exemplary Chicago meal is hiding right downtown. From the Chicago-bred roots of its familial owners to local art and farm-fresh ingredients, Tortoise Supper Club is like a love letter to the city. The keys to the restaurant’s success are deceptively simple, with a focus on heartfelt hospitality, top-tier food, and an atmosphere that toes the line between ritzy and leisure. Deep-dish pizza has nothing on this local gem.
For husband-wife owners Keene and Megan Addington, the success of their restaurant has been a thoughtful and steady evolution, honing in on aspects that customers love, endearing themselves as a neighborhood keystone. After opening in River North in 2012 as Tortoise Club, the restaurant quickly became a place that conjured nostalgia and brought people together to share stories, laugh, and enjoy elevated comfort foods. These are the components of a good supper club, which enticed the owners to rename the restaurant Tortoise Supper Club {350 North State Street, Chicago; 312.755.1700}.
“Most people think of supper clubs as a northern Wisconsin thing, but we are much more urban,” Keene Addington explains. He notes that supper clubs originated in cities, like New York City, where sophisticated and sexy restaurants were the norm. This meant white tablecloths, lavish environs, steaks, chops, seafood, and live entertainment that often lingered long into the night. “Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, and the likes started their careers in the 1940s and 1950s at places like this,” Addington adds. Although you will not find these old-school, American stars at Tortoise Supper Club’s bar, you will find a modernized version of this pastime, complete with historic art and artifacts and live jazz every Friday and Saturday nights.
In a neighborhood saturated with clubby, over-the-top restaurants and bars, Tortoise Supper Club stands out as a timeless icon. You feel as if you are home here, which is a testament to the owners emphasis on hospitality, sophisticated entertainment, and masterful food and beverage. Describing the restaurant as a metropolitan supper club, Addington notes the importance of being consistent and classic.
Incidentally, those are two traits instinctive to tortoises, hence the name. A couple of beautiful tortoise sculptures greet guests by the entryway, along with a warm welcome and smile from the Addingtons themselves.
“Megan, my wife, is here basically every lunch and I’m here basically every dinner,” he says. “We are running the business and greeting guests; it’s a key part of who we are.” Adding that personal touch makes a pivotal difference, especially coming from consummate hospitality pros like the Addingtons. Their familial warmth is palpable, and it is a refreshing sense of comfort that feels homey and, ultimately, Midwestern.
Another essential facet both in Tortoise Supper Club’s evolution and its endurance is its ambiance and cuisine.
“A lot of people have asked us what kind of food we serve here, and our answer is traditional American,” Addington says. “We’re not looking to be the newest trend or the hippest place. We want to be a nice, white tablecloth restaurant that is approachable, friendly, and not stiff or stuffy.” It’s the kind of place where customers can feel right at home in a suit and tie or jeans and a golf shirt, sipping martinis at the bar while crooning along to the pianist or tucking into Skirt Steak Frites by the fireplace.
via Tortoise Club
The same attention to detail that the Addingtons employ in the dining room is exhibited in the kitchen and behind the bar. Everything is made from scratch, with local purveyors delivering ingredients on a daily basis and the freshest seafood flown in from both coasts. For sourcing steaks, in particular, the restaurant is part of a co-op of farms called Chicago 250, wherein all beef comes from sustainable farms within 250 miles of the city.
Likewise, cocktails skew classic and thoughtful, opting for precision and quality in lieu of ornateness or over-complication.
“If you look at our drink list, you’re not going to see anything you’ve never heard of before.” Addington explains of a cocktail menu that runs the gamut of daiquiris and sidecars to whiskey sours and old fashioneds. “Everything is made with all fresh ingredients; we squeeze our own juices and use Luxardo Italian cherries for Manhattans.”
For the Addingtons, their timeless restaurant is a full-circle endeavor for two proud Chicagoans.
“We both love Chicago, and we celebrate the city throughout our restaurant,” says Addington who grew up mere blocks from Tortoise Supper Club. The celebration of their beloved city can be seen in subtle ways throughout the space. Take for instance the rows of books from the Newberry Library lining the walls by the fireplace or the live jazz performances held both inside and on the patio in the summer months. Then there is the caricature art throughout the main dining room—the handiwork of a local artist who interpreted images of colorful Chicagoans from the early 1900’s with the inspirational aid of the Chicago History Museum.
In the summer months, the restaurant ingratiates itself even more as a downtown staple with promotions like Martini Week and a special Restaurant Week called RWxRN. The former runs from July 16 through July 22, featuring steeply discounted martinis with the purchase of any entree at lunch or dinner. RWxRN is a clever extension of the city’s main wintertime Restaurant Week, which offers affordable three-course dinner menus from August 6 to August 12. It’s all part of celebrating the community the Addingtons have cherished for so long.
When it comes to success and longevity, the owners have perfected practices that seem so simple, yet are rare to find in an industry as frenzied and fickle as the restaurant business. For the Addingtons, Tortoise Supper Club at its core is a family-run restaurant with approachable food of the highest quality.
“You can’t be all things to all people. The key is staying very true to our brand, being approachable, relaxed, and fun,” Addington summarizes. Tortoise Supper Club is the kind of place where white tablecloths and beef Wellington can be enjoyed in an environment so cozy and inviting you feel like you are having dinner in a family member’s home. The result is a classic meets comfortable dining experience that will never go out of style.
By Matt Kirouac
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