New spot from Nahabedians due in October
Chef Carrie Nahabedian’s upcoming downtown restaurant won’t be solely French, Italian, or Spanish. The chef behind Brindille and the now-closed Naha, shared a few new details about her new restaurant (including its name) inside the Gwen hotel. Kostali will feature a blend of Southern European and Northern African coastal cuisines, bringing in various influences.
Kostali should debut Oct. 1 on the hotel’s fifth floor at the Shops at North Bridge, Nahabedian said. The restaurant represents another effort between Carrie Nahabedian and her cousin Michael Nahabedian. His wine list will match the flavors on his cousin’s menu with bottles from Portugal, France, Italy, and Greece. The restaurant, designed by cousin Tom Nahabedian, should evoke coastal living, to make Chicagoans feel like they are on vacation.
“It’s a mixture of ethnicities,” Carrie Nahabedian said. “You have an Italian, North African influence with the French and Spanish.”
Kostali is the Maltese word for “coast.” Malta is in the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Tunisia, and Libya. Not only does the geography work for Nahabedian, but so do the phonetics. Pronounced “co-stah-lee,” the name should signal English speakers that the restaurant is about coastal cuisine.
Carrie Nahabedian, a James Beard Award winner, has enjoyed working with the Gwen and complimented the Mag Mile hotel for its “approachable luxury.” Kostali will be an extension of that with a nonpretentious menu.
“I think it’s very in tune to what society right now is craving,” she said.