Pause Café has apparently been sold. The venerable coffee shop on Berwyn closed over the weekend and will reopen as Kitchen Sink Café (1107 w. Berwyn) in early December. The new owners, Jeff and Ally, are former Pause Cafe baristas and plan on keeping many of the things that made Pause a great spot, they will continue to serve Metropolis Coffee and offer free wifi for customers. Jeff and Ally plan on stepping up the food menu with gourmet sandwiches and panini, some breakfast items, fresh salads, hot soups and fruit smoothies. The shop its self will be getting a makeover, most of the décor was being sold off during a weekend garage sale, yet some items remain such as the old phone booth, e-mail if interested.
— Christian Scheuer /
After a successful two-and-a-half years, River North restaurant Aigre Doux will be closing effective today. According to a press release, owners and chefs Mohammad Islam and Malika Ameen decided to close Aigre Doux in order to spend more time with their children; however, Ameen will run a custom-order pastries, cakes and catering business (if you need more of her signature Sticky Toffee Pudding). You can follow them through Twitter .
— Robyn Nisi /
Logan Square's Rustik was kind of a crapshoot of a restaurant. The dimly lit and cozy space was out of an Aspen ski lodge, but the "upscale comfort" food (I hate that concept) they served fluctuated in its quality (although they had a German butter cake on their dessert menu that was worth the visit alone). The place never seemed to be truly busy.
In late May, Rustik abruptly closed, with a sign posted on its door promising a reopening in mid-June; that date was scratched out on the sign and moved up to July 15. That date came and went, too. Now there's a sign on the window stating that Rustik will reopen as Rustico Grill in late August, and reportedly the new space will be serving Spanish fare, with involvement from a partner of Mixteco Grill.
— Robyn Nisi /
Vella Cafe, the popular brunch and lunch place under the Western Blue Line stop, is closing on Sunday, August 23. The restaurant's lease is up at the end of August, and Sara Voden said she and co-owner Melissa Yen have decided to move on. Voden wouldn't go into details about their future plans, other than to say that each will be going her separate way.
There will be no special event to mark Vella's closing, although Voden said, "we will do one last pizza supper on August 14. We'll be sending out an announcement to people on our email list."
— Andrew Huff /
Longtime Hyde Park restaurant Dixie Kitchen will be closing June 7. Dixie Kitchen's Lansing and Evanston locations will remain open, but all is not lost for Hyde Park residents in search of Dixie Kitchen's food: owner Carol Andresen will be transferring some DK recipes to neighboring Calypso Kitchen, which she also owns. President Obama appeared on a 2001 episode of "Check, Please!" to sing its praises, although the footage was shelved because producers thought Obama "was too polished and professional and dominated the show." Well, he moved on to better media opportunities.
— Robyn Nisi /
Le Lan and Soul, its sister restaurant in Clarendon Hills, have closed, effective immediately. In a statement, owner Howard Davis said, "We had to close due to a downturn in business that we attribute to the current economic situation. We appreciate all of the great effort our staff made over the years in creating very high quality restaurants and we are grateful to all of our customers who supported us over the years."
According to the press announcement, Le Lan's chef, Chad Starling, has not yet announced his plans. The restaurant opened in 2004 under the helm of Bill Kim, now chef/owner of Urban Belly.
— Andrew Huff /
Mambo Grill, a River North restaurant of Pan-Latin cuisine, will apparently be closing temporarily. You might think that it's the economy, but in this case, it isn't. The owner, Susan Fresca, says that they were forced to close the door of this 14-year-old restaurant, currently at 421 N. Clark, because they couldn't get a 90-day lease extension from the owner of the building while the restaurant prepares to relocate to 410 N. Wells in summer. Frustrated Frasca says, "Restaurants are closing right and left and Mambo's sales are up 5% from last year. We are rocking and now we have to temporally close until the new space at 410 N. Wells is complete and operational."
While the restaurant will reopen in a larger space in summer, about three quarters of its employees will be temporarily laid off on March 31, when the restaurant close. (The rest will be absorbed by Kinzie Chophouse, which is owned by the same company as the Mambo Grill.) If you are a dedicated fan, make reservation for your last-before-the-move dinner at 312-467-9797 through March 31.
— Yu Kizawa /
Last week, it was announced that Charlie Trotter's Elysian Hotel restaurant project had been cancelled. Then on Saturday, the Loop location of Trotter's To Go (in the Equinox Fitness at 200 W. Monroe Street) changed hands. The new café is still serving a few Trotter's To Go dishes right now, but not for long; the location is going to become another outpost of the Toronto-based rice bowl and soup emporium Freshii in a few months, according to café staff. You can still go to the original Lincoln Park location, but it's sad that such a delicious Loop lunch option is now gone.
— Leah Williams /
Drink Wed Jan 28 2009
Starbucks announced today that it's closing 300 more stores and laying off 6,000 workers. No word yet on which Chicago stores are closing, if any, but we'll keep you posted. Follow local blog Starbucks Gossip for employee reactions and more news.
We've also learned that local chain Intelligentsia has changed the type of chocolate it's using in its mochas and hot chocolate, and the new stuff is not vegan. There has been no official announcement, but baristas have been telling customers as they order as a precaution. Vegans, consider yourself warned!
— Andrew Huff /
News Fri Jan 16 2009
Cru Cafe & Wine Bar is closing its doors next Saturday, Jan. 24, due to the "economic climate," according to owner Debbie Sharpe. If you're in the market for higher-end wines, the cafe will be selling off some of their better bottles this week.
The space will be closed for three weeks for renovations and re-open as a Feast Restaurant + Bar, to complement The Goddess and Grocer next door. A new chef will be announced on Monday.
In related news, Feast Restaurant + Bar and The Goddess and Grocer are expanding to Lincoln Square at 4743 N. Lincoln Ave., right near the fountain at Giddings Plaza. Both are expected to open sometime around June. Feast will seat 120 people indoors, with sidewalk seating for 80 in good weather.
— Mandy Burrell Booth /
An inside source tells us that Orange on Harrison, which announced it was closing back in September and then never did, really will be closing after Sunday's brunch service. The owners plan to open a new Orange outpost near Fullerton and Clark in March.
— Andrew Huff /
