When Stephanie Izard was preparing to open Cabra, her new Peruvian restaurant in Chicago, she needed to do some serious research. The Iron Chef had always loved Peruvian cuisine, but she had never been to Peru. (Cabra means “goat” in Spanish; Stephanie is famous for her goat-named restaurants, including Girl & the Goat and Duck Duck Goat.) The chef headed out on a two-week all-she-could-eat trip to Lima, Cusco and Arequipa, and on her first day, she tried 27 dishes — just for lunch! “I was like, we have five other meals today; I can’t do this,” she says, laughing. She came back to the States with a menu’s worth of ideas featuring fresh fish and bright flavors, plus a few souvenirs for the restaurant, which is located on the rooftop of the new Hoxton Hotel. “No matter what the weather’s like outside, Peruvian food will make it feel sunny,” Stephanie says. Click to take a tour of the beautiful space now!

Photographs by Jim Franco