The Verdict
PROXI is Andrew Zimmerman's West Loop global tapas restaurant on Randolph Street whose Indonesian fried chicken — the specific preparation whose turmeric and galangal marinade communicates genuine knowledge of the Indonesian culinary tradition applied through Zimmerman's accumulated global ingredient knowledge — has become one of the most referenced available Chicago small plates. The global tapas format whose breadth communicates genuine engagement with the world's most flavourful available cooking cultures; the naan with cultured butter whose specific preparation communicates the South Asian bread tradition applied through the dairy culture; and the Randolph Street West Loop setting whose restaurant row energy communicates the most commercially concentrated available Chicago culinary corridor.
The global tapas menu at Proxi reflects Zimmerman's accumulated global culinary knowledge applied through the small plates format: the Indonesian, South Asian, and Mediterranean preparations whose compositions communicate genuine knowledge of the global flavour cultures they represent; the sourcing whose quality communicates direct engagement with the specific producers whose ingredients define each tradition; and the West Loop Randolph Street setting whose restaurant row energy creates the most commercially sophisticated available daily Chicago tapas audience.
Why It Works for a First Date
Proxi's West Loop global tapas and Zimmerman's Indonesian fried chicken — the global flavour cultures, the sharing format, the Randolph Street energy — creates the first date that communicates genuine knowledge of where Chicago's most globally wide-ranging available small plates intelligence is practised.
Also in Chicago
Explore the full Chicago restaurant guide. See our Impress Clients, First Date, and Close a Deal occasion guides for curated picks across Asia.