the people have spoken! our first reviews are in!

An Instant Classic

Sunda (110 W. Illinois St.; 312-644-0500) is exhausting. Where to look first? The gleaming bar, three deep with gorgeous people sipping stunning martinis like a wasabi H2O with a crushed wasabi pea rim? The long sushi bar under bamboo hangings meant to suggest floating fish? The eye candy packed at the communal table? No matter where you look, it’s good. This contemporary Asian place has been open about a minute and a half, and service is already a well-oiled machine—although the lengthy explanation of how the chef caramelized, glazed, and deglazed the crispy rice gave Pollack’s eyes a glaze, too. She loved the burnt watermelon salad topped with bacon-like unagi, the devil’s basket touted as the spiciest soft shells ever, and the harmonious spinach and mushroom salad with crispy onions—but it was the glazed eggplant with miso-bronzed black cod that rocked her world. Desserts need work, but who cares? The food is great and the place is glitzy, just like the good old days. You know, like six months ago.