User:FrostFairBlade/sandbox/Sepia (restaurant)

Description
Sepia is a restaurant located in the West Loop neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, and can seat up to 90 people. Its building was originally a print shop in the 1890s. In addition to regular seating, Sepia also features some communal dining tables.

History
Sepia was established in 2007 as restaurateur Emmanuel Nony's first independent venture. Nony brought on Kendal Duque, whom he had worked with at the Park Hyatt Chicago's restaurant NoMi, to be the restaurant's executive chef. Nony and Duque were joined by bartender Peter Vestinos, who would go on to win many bartending awards during his time at Sepia. The restaurant officially opened on July 12, 2007.

Vestinos left the restaurant in 2009.

Reception
The restaurant has received positive critical reception over the years. In a review of Sepia's opening weekend, Chris LaMorte from the Chicago Tribune enjoyed Duque's cooking, stating that the chef's "delicious, seasonally focused dishes demonstrate real personality". He enjoyed appetizers like the watermelon salad and bacon flatbread, as well as entrees like the flat iron steak and veal breast, but noted that the service was "shaky". Fellow Tribune restaurant critic Phil Vettel also liked the initial experience, giving the restaurant a three-star rating and later listing them as one of Chicago's best new restaurants of 2007.