Parachute HiFi — Restaurant in Jefferson Township

The new incarnation as HiFi is working well. It is a little bit like Parachute Simplified. When you come in it has a little bit of a 70's audiophile garage feel. (minus the smells...🤣) But wood paneling, acoustic tile ceiling, and lots of well loved vintage speakers, amps, and turntables.

Luckily the theme does not extend to the seating which is modern, clean, and comfortable. The casual "hangout feel" is extended though.

The long dining bar area reminiscent gives the intimate social dining feel of a Izakayas or indoor Kissaten. Then the rest of the seating is grouped in what feels like rec-room nooks where groups of friends or families might gather to relax. luckily with full height tables instead of coffee tables!

There are also semi private booths along the wall to give small groups a feel of intimate private dining.

The Music: Going back to the audiophile theme - We were too early for the DJ, but the effort put into the sound was impressive. The acoustic tile and sound system are set up such that the music is always clear and audible and well rounded, but not loud. This means that you can also have a casual conversation without having to raise your voice. I wish more places took this much care in thinking about the sound! The music was good the night we were mostly 80s new wave and art pop.

Food: I loved the food at the original Parachute. It gave upscale and fine dining a run for its money anywhere else in the city. HiFi has taken that same Korean Fusion style but simplified and distilled the menu and leans more into the craft cocktail lounge space to make it a more casual "drop in with friends and relax" experience. This is reflected in the shorter dining menu, lots of sharable items, and much longer cocktail and traditional Korean wine and spirits selection. A lot of the items feel like elevated, reconstructed fusion takes on "comfort food" like the "cheeseburger", Spam Rice with Egg (delicious!) Thai Tteokbokki, and others are items that are straight up crowd pleasers like the Chicken Karaage (boneless fried chicken) that makes me feel comfortable that even my kids could find something to enjoy. We really enjoyed our meal, getting 3 items + a desert to share between the two of us and ending the meal feeling satiated and satisfied but not stuffed or heavy. it was a really wonderful dining experience.

Drinks: I don't actually remember much about the drinks from the original Parachute, but they are really a standout in the new version. Many places have their own signature cocktails that are basically old standards with a couple little tweaks. often these are really impressive, as they upscale ingredients and put extra effort into a classic, but you can still immediately see what the original inspiration was.

HiFi has list has taken another half step forward, and come up with some actual originals or at least picked more interesting and off the beaten path inspirations for their versions. They have also added several NA cocktails that seem to get the same level of attention and love , which is a pleasant change. We tried the milk punch, the shrub, and the whiskey apple and they were all delightful and complimented the meal well. Very well balanced and drinkable. I would like to go back and see if they have something a little more "challenging" but all the drinks we tried went along with the"comfortable" vibe.

Sool! So this is a place where HiFi is a stand out. They go waaaay beyond Soju. There is a long list of traditional Korean alcohol, almost following it's evolution from home made rice wine/beer to more and further refined and then distilled spirits. Staff was well educated and knowledgeable and did a great job explaining and helping us make a selection. I want to come back and explore more! I just really wished they had a flight or tasting option in the menu. Maybe if we all beg they will do an event?

I had a wonderful experience last night, and really look forward to my next return visit. The new version is very welcoming and...

Stopped by 45 mins after they opened on Saturday and the place was packed. The lighting and the music set a very lovely and intimate mood. Where the vibe change was the service. My party of 4 came in and noticed there wasn’t a host. A few moments after standing around, a waiter approached us and told us in an aggravated tone that it’d be 20 mins for a party of 4. We said okay great! Stepped outside because the restaurant is really small. We knew coming in that they didn’t accept reservations, what we couldn’t comprehend was not taking a name or number. We found out afterwards, you are expected to stand in this small restaurant and line up to wait and be seated. We didn’t know and stepped out as the space is the size of a living room, and realized that was a mistake. The line quickly backed up near the bar and into vestibule. The line was backing up so much patrons could hardly walk into the restaurant. After noticing the line backing up, we quickly checked back in and we’re told we needed to wait inside and would need to get back in line to be served. We decided to leave after that. I am okay waiting, but to be expected to line up in a vestibule for a chance to be served is unacceptable honestly. The line backed up enough to make ingress and egress difficult. Server had a bad attitude the moment we entered. Overall the place is trendy and appears to check the box for a neighborhood gem, but after this experience I don’t think we will be back. I think suggestions I’d make would be to simply get a host. Nothing about the vibe or reservation process would have to change, but it would ensure the safety and comfort of...

It’s hard to live up to how much love the original Parachute had in the Chicago food scene, so it was smart for the new Hi Fi concept to pivot toward a more casual vibe and reduce direct comparison to its predecessor

Unfortunately however, the one point of direct comparison that remains is the area of greatest disappointment - the triumphant return of the much acclaimed bing bread is underwhelming, delivering little flavor and an overly stodgy texture. Not worth coming on a Wed just to catch this weekly special

The tteokbokki pad thai feels like a bit of a misnomer, but a tasty one. The sweet, sour, nutty flavor profile has some of the same notes (and garnish) as a traditional pad thai without even if it doesn’t hit it dead-on, and the tteok’s texture is perfect - crisp exterior with a beautiful chew. Don’t get the shrimp add-on, as $8 for 4 overcooked shrimp dampens the overall joy of the dish

It’s a bit expensive for the portion size and level of execution, but the service, vibes, and music selection are immaculate. Don’t be daunted by the lack of reservations either, especially if you’re coming on a...