After a recent tour of one of the penthouses at One Chicago I am listing, I stopped into Gemini Grill and had the most fabulous meal. Gemini Grill is run by Ballyhoo Hospitality, which also runs many of the top restaurants around the city and suburbs such as Coda di Volpe, Old Pueblo Cantina and Pomeroy. I recently chatted with Nicole Manion, director of marketing and community partnerships at Ballyhoo, and had the best time learning more about this amazing local business and all they have in store for us!
Where does the inspiration for each restaurant come from?
An inside joke here at Ballyhoo is that our next restaurant is inspired by what our founder, Ryan O'Donnell, wants to eat next. All kidding aside, there is something mesmerizing about creating a restaurant around a simple feeling or idea. Summers spent eating Southern Arizona's cheese crisps that resulted in our beloved Old Pueblo Cantina, and that quintessential first visit to one of Paris's many open-air bistros that inspired Pomeroy.
Every restaurant we visit offers something memorable – a standout dish, an impressive decor element, a lesson learned. From exceptional service to something that teaches you what not to do, experience or "research" in dining out makes a world of a difference, especially for the finishing details. We are also passionate about location research and strive to craft environments that become part of the fabric of the communities that we belong to.
Where are some of the team’s favorite places in Chicago to find creative inspiration?
We are continuously inspired by our partners Billy Lawless (Coda di Volpe) and Doug Psaltis (Andros Taverna) and how they operate their restaurants outside Ballyhoo Hospitality. We also love what our friends over at Boka are doing (Itoko anyone?). A few of our favorite restaurants (besides our own) are...Tempesta Market, EJ's Place, Cellar Door Provisions, and Brasero.
Name a few of your favorite dishes on Ballyhoo restaurant menus.
While we love all of our menus and they are very thoughtfully crafted by our culinary teams, these are a few of our favorites:
Swordfish Chop at Gemini
Prime New York Strip Sophia Style at Sophia Steak
Warm Tomato Tart at Pomeroy
Spicy Pepperoni Pizza at Pizza by Sal
Spaghetti Limone at DeNucci's
Carne Seca Cheese Crisp at Old Pueblo Cantina
Wood-Grilled Kurobuta Pork Chop at Gemini Grill
Texas-Style Chili at Buck Russell's
What does the future hold for Ballyhoo?
We are thoughtfully expanding Ballyhoo Hospitality to different neighborhoods throughout Chicago and its North Shore. We opened our 10th restaurant, Gemini Grill, in River North this past March and our 11th, 12th, and 13th are scheduled to open within the next year. September marks a big milestone for us as we will celebrate the monumental 15th anniversary of our founding concept, Gemini. We will continue to bring what we've coined "feel-good dining" to more communities as much our focused yet organic growth allows.
