Key West in the burbs: Chicago Culinary Kitchen restaurateurs opening seafood eatery in Palatine
You won't have to hop a plane to grab a taste of Key West in the Northwest suburbs.
Pink's Shrimp & Oysters, which opens Jan. 25 in Palatine, promises to take you there with a palate-stretching variety of seafood offerings - served with a touch of Hemingway.
The owners of Chicago Culinary Kitchen will operate the new restaurant at 773 N. Quentin Road in the North Quentin Plaza shopping center. It's the same location where Chicago Culinary Kitchen operated until 2021, when it moved to 2391 N. Hicks Road in the Lake Cook Commons shopping center.
Pink's promises to be a very different restaurant, operations manager Jay Goldberg said.
"We're trying to develop a new voice for the brand. We want to stand apart from Chicago Culinary Kitchen," said Goldberg, who added that restaurant industry veteran Michael Waters Jr. will manage Pink's.
Pink's will feature dishes including grilled oysters, fried shrimp, paella and cioppino.
Restaurateurs Kristina and Greg Gaardbo also plan to offer customers a bit of culinary escapism.
"My idea is to get you out of Palatine," Greg Gaardbo said. "Not that there is anything wrong with Palatine. But I want to transport you into a different place when you come in, whether you're in Key West or you're in South or North Carolina or you're in Spain."
The Key West motif will be reflected in the decor, with corrugated metal walls that evoke memories of old fishing shacks. Hemingway quotes and vintage nautical photographs submitted by Chicago Culinary Kitchen's faithful customers will adorn the walls.
The Gaardbos have a passion for food, beverage and travel worthy of the late Anthony Bourdain. Their quest for great food and beverages has led them to Italy, Costa Rica, Mexico, Spain, Belgium, Holland, Denmark and throughout the United States.
"They have traveled the world looking for unique flavors and authentic recipes," Goldberg said.
The Gaardbos turned their passion for food into a profession, starting with Rockin' Rodizio, a Texas BBQ/Brazilian fusion catering company. That evolved into the popular Chicago Culinary Kitchen.
To learn more, visit www.pinksshrimp.com.