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the great restaurants of

 
aja       Near North :: River North  
aja

dana hotel & spa
660 North State Street
Chicago, IL 60654

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Led by Executive Chef Joshua Linton, aja reflects a new direction inspired by Chef Linton's passion for the range of flavor profiles afforded by Asian cultures, demanding a casual, but no less authentic, dining experience. "I'm excited about this new concept because of its approachability and seasonal focus, and also because we will be making all of our own sauces, including XO, in-house. Additionally, we will be creating our own smoked spices and five-spice powder, which has long been a passion of mine, and utilizing them to enhance nearly every dish," says Chef Linton. Chef Linton introduces new lunch and dinner menus offering modern, approachable Asian dishes-all meant for sharing-while utilizing seasonal, market-fresh ingredients, along with a new sushi menu of sustainable-only fish, prepared with bolder, fiercer flavors.

lunch::
Dumplings  10
Steamed shrimp and pork shu mai with ginger soy sauce
Skinny Noodles  16
Wok-seared short rib with crispy egg vermicelli and young ginger
Brown Rice  16
Wild mushroom fried rice, black truffle, and Tellicherry pepper
Tofu  13
Five spices, garlic chives, and XO sauce

banh mi/sandwiches::
Chicken  12
Chile chicken salad with pickled vegetables
Catfish  13
Chile mayo, sweet shallots, mint, cilantro, and dill
Kobe  20
"Sliders," spiced Chinese mustard, and pickled chiles

snak bar::
Market (Sushi/Maki)  7 and
Roasted greenmarket Japanese squash, Tokyo turnip, and truffled-miso aïoli
Lobster (Sushi/Maki)  15
Maine lobster, royal mushrooms, crispy shallots, Szechuan peppercorn, and kewpie dynamite sauce
Maguro (Sashimi)  6
Tuna
Kinmedai (Sashimi)  9
Golden Big-Eye snapper
Scallop (Ceviche)  
Black bean, red chili, barrel-aged soy, and fresh scallions
Guacamole  14
Hamachi, avocado salsa, lime, and soy
Oysters  mkt
On the half shell with yuzu ice
Three Tacos  13
Korean bulgogi beef, shrimp, and sweet egg with tortillas and quick kimchee

dinner::
Pork  21
Smoked Duroc pork, slow “red”-cooked, ginger, and garlic
Chicken  18
Sesame caramel, crispy chicken breast, and dried red chili
Shrimp  26
Wok-seared prawns, chili-garlic paste, pepper, and salt
Big Fish  26
Crispy whole fish, black bean nam pla sauce, and stir-fried yu choy
Beans  7
Long beans, garlic, and Chinese black bean sauce

sweet sticky things::
Bubbles  8
Shaved ice slushie, vanilla tapioca bubbles, and coconut–taro cream
Cake  8
Lemon drop cake, brandy-brown sugar syrup, and eggnog chantilly