Charlie Trotter’s reopens as pop-up, honoring Chicago culinary icon

CHICAGO - For the first time in 13 years, an iconic Chicago restaurant that helped change the landscape of the food scene in America has reopened its doors.

Charlie Trotter’s is once again open for business with a temporary pop-up celebrating the legacy and impact of the famed Chicago chef.

It's being run by his son and another Chicago chef who is currently the head of one of the most popular restaurants in the world.

Rebirth of a Landmark

The backstory:

It was 2012 when the famous building at 816 West Armitage Avenue closed its doors for good, leaving behind a reputation and legacy made famous by the iconic chef Charlie Trotter.

Today, it's being brought back to life by his only child, Dylan Trotter.

"People under 40 don't know who Charlie Trotter was," Dylan said. "But we need to look to the past to see that we stand on the shoulders of giants. And what they did they walked so we could run and what my father did was very monumental for 25 years."

For 25 years, Charlie Trotter’s restaurant in Lincoln Park would draw people from all over the world who would fly into Chicago just to try his famous tasting menu.

A Culinary Visionary

Trotter was a visionary. He is said to be the first in many areas when it comes to the restaurant world, including the first to create a vegetarian tasting menu and the first to put a chef's table into the kitchen.

"He never went to culinary school, so he didn't know the rules, and therefore, he could break the rules and form something new," Dylan said.

Today, there are cooks in the kitchen once again in a temporary pop-up that is being hosted by Chicago's famous 3-star Alinea restaurant.

Chef Grant Achatz was trained by Charlie Trotter himself. It's a full circle moment as many stories have been told that Achatz and Trotter were on the outs when he died of a stroke at the age of 54 in 2013.

"They did make up and were friends at the end of my dad's life. And my dad invited Chef Achatz over to his house for multiple parties with the Chicago Restaurant community and really made him feel welcome," Dylan said.

What they're saying:

This pop-up is all about memories and restoration. The menu is 10 courses inspired by Trotter’s first five cookbooks, and the restaurant has been painstakingly updated so you are taken back in time.

"If you look around this room, we have the original wallpaper from 1987, the original sconces, the original dining room chairs," Dylan said.

Dylan even restored the kitchen using parts he purchased from eBay, including a French range that is no longer made.

"It's unbelievable. It's very moving, you know. I never thought I'd see this again," Dylan said.

For Dylan, who grew up in the restaurant, the experience isn't just nostalgic but also for customers lucky enough to get in and share countless stories of the past.

"A couple from Dallas that flew in said that it was there they were on their third date here in 2008 when they said ‘I love you’ to each other. They heard this opened back up, and they immediately booked it to fly all the way here," Dylan said.

The pop-up has brought not only customers back together, but former chefs trained under Trotter as well.

The Future of Charlie Trotter's

What's next:

So, what's next?

Dylan is still trying to figure that out. His goal is to eventually open the restaurant permanently, but he hasn't figured out in what form just yet.

"Maybe he wouldn't want to, you know, show himself off. But I am not bashful, and I will proudly show him off and show off the space that he created and this legacy that he's cemented. And I'm sure he would be very happy," Dylan said.

For now, Trotter’s will only be open until Feb 9. Tickets for the two-week pop-up sold out in an hour, so they added another couple of weeks.