George Trois Reopens Alongside 2 New Restaurants In Winnetka

WINNETKA, IL — Hot off the heels of George Trois being named the first suburban Chicago area winner of the Restaurant of the Year award at the Jean Banchet Awards earlier this year, Chef Michael Lachowicz temporarily shuttered his award-winning intimate gourmet dining room and announced the permanent closure Restaurant Michael after a successful 14-year run at its 64 Green Bay Road location.

Lachowicz soon revealed plans to divide Restaurant Michael into a pair of new concepts — the 24-seat Silencieux and the 56-seat Aboyer, which offer the choice between a quieter dining experience and a more boisterous bistro environment respectively. Earlier this month, the tasting-menu-only George Trois reopened, along with Lachowicz's two new restaurants.

“We’ve been in Winnetka for 14 years now and it was time for a change,” Lachowicz said. “I’ve listened to my customers and am very excited to present Aboyer and Silencieux, plus unveil the new look of George Trois.”

Silenceux's debut menu includes a lobster raviolo with confit white asparagus, a ragout of escargot and black trumpet mushrooms and a duo of torchon and seared foie gras with candied kumquats as first course options. Main courses include a roast dry-aged duck breast with kumquat gastrique, a grilled quail with marguez sausage and cornbread stuffing, a whole roasted sole with hazelnut lobster jus, A three-course prix fixe is priced at $85.

"Silencieux was born out of feedback from my Restaurant Michael clientele who wanted to continue having that mid-level fine dining experience," Lachowicz said, announcing his plans for a refined, affordable and conversation-friendly environment. "Guests will feel the embrace of the kitchen in every bite."

Aboyer — French for "to bark" — bills itself as a Franco-American bar and grill. Starters on the menu include a rabbit and sage sausage, an octopus carpaccio and a roasted quail. As main courses, it offers Berkshire pork with a Thai-spiced braised belly, Faroe Island salmon with fennel pollen and a trout with red miso glaze.

"Aboyer is what Winnetka needed – an urban outpost 18 miles from the city," said Lachowicz. "It's a welcoming restaurant where guests can sit at the bar for a cocktail or have a weekday meal in under an hour."

The two new restaurants can be combined to form a 1,300-square-foot space for private events, according to a release. From there, the hallway leading to George Trois features photos of Lachowicz's biggest influences: his grandfather George I, his uncle George II and French chef Paul Bocuse.

The George Trois concept — the chef's "culinary workshop" with "an avant-garde experience" of a 12-course, $205 tasting menu — has remained the same, but the 18-seat space now includes new lighting, carpeting and its own entrance through the kitchen.

“I want a clandestine feel, allowing even more to be left to the imagination by guests who haven’t dined with us yet,” Lachowicz said.

With the update, one of the area's "most elegant, intimate dining rooms," according to Chicago Tribune food critic Phil Vettel, "has gotten better."

Read more from the George Trois Group »

Earlier:

• 2 New Restaurants To Replace Winnetka's Restaurant Michael In May
• Winnetka's Restaurant Michael To Permanently Close In March
• George Trois Becomes 1st Suburban Winner Of Top Restaurant Award
• Winnetka Restaurant Ranked Among Best In Suburbs