Chef Christian Hunter has gotten used to making headlines lately: he was a James Beard Award Finalist in 2022 for his work at a restaurant in Connecticut, and in 2023, he received the Michelin Young Chef Award and his Lincoln Square restaurant, Atelier, earned a Michelin star. Although his resume reads like an industry veteran, Hunter is just getting started, and his next move is his most ambitious—and most personal—project yet.

This fall, the Kentucky native introduces his first solo concept, Hooligan , a vibrant 50-seat seafood and wine bar inside Time Out Market in the West Loop. Hooligan will, as Hunter describes, flip the script on what a Midwestern seafood bar can be.

The à la carte menu is polished yet playful, featuring plates such as peel-and-eat shrimp with barbecue sauce,

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