Mado, in the old Barcello space at 1647 N. Milwaukee, has been open for just three weeks and is getting largely solid reviews, likely helped by owners Rob and Allison Levitt's proven track record at del Toro and others. And possibly also by this peek behind the kitchen curtain.
Mexique at 1529 W. Chicago Avenue hopes to bring chef Carlos Gaytan's Mex-French flair to West Town this month with its made-to-order tacos, fancy tamales, and a full bar to go with brunch. Every day more and more butcher paper comes down off the windows...it's only a matter of time.
After honing his upscale skills at Charlie Trotter's, Trio and Le Lan, chef Bill Kim is opening Urban Belly at 3053 N. California Avenue in Logan Square sometime in June. A family affair that will focus on noodles and dumplings, Urban Belly may also soon be the Northwest side's answer for weekend dim sum. We can only hope.
Dadaist art gets a nod from newcomer Duchamp, also opening in June, from a team taken from Lumen and Zealous. Taking up residence in the old Meritage space at 2118 N. Damen, Duchamp will feature French and Mediterranean-inspired New American plates with a neighborhoody casual-feel. And, egads, more brunch!
- Andie Thomalla |
Texas de Brazil, a family-owned, Texas-based Churrascaria, is set to open mid to late May on the Magnificent Mile. Gapers Block had a sneak peak of the restaurant, which is still under construction. The two-story, 24,000 square foot space is impressive; the restaurant will house a high-end liquor room, cigar humidor, luxury bar and lounge, and seven private rooms.
Welcome to the meat eater's paradise; 15 grilled meats will be served table side by gaucho-clad servers. An elaborate salad bar will offer over forty items. We sampled TdB's signature cocktail, the Caipirinha, which was deliciously shaken with Brazilian Cachaca, a sugar cane rum.
How will this spot compete with Chicago's established Brazilian steakhouses? Three words: Aerial Wine Artist. Texas de Brazil plans to unveil a two-story, glass wine room that will hold over 700 bottles of wine. A pulley system, installed by Chicago Flyhouse, will allow the aerial artist to "gracefully retrieve bottles, Cirque du Soleil style, as diners watch through the glass doors."
Dinner: $47.99, Lunch: $27.99.
Texas de Brazil
51 E. Ohio St.
Opening Mid to Late May 2008
- Abbey Gillespie |
The next few weeks will bring a steady stream of newcomers to Chicago's culinary arena.
Late April/early May:
Jackson Park Bar & Grill, whose executive chef, Jason Paskewitz, is currently competing in the "Food Network Challenge," will offer modern-day Chicago dishes inspired by Italian, French, and Classic American traditions. 444 North Wabash.
Olo, coming soon to West Randolph Street, will feature rustic, Mediterranean cooking. Chef Sean Eastwood, lauded for his work at Isabelle's Estiatorio in Geneva, promises to feature much of the same cuisine that made Isabelle's such a success. 1152 W. Randolph St.
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- Abbey Gillespie |
We told you several weeks ago that Big Jones Chicago would soon be opening up in the old Augie's space on Clark St. in Andersonville. As of Wednesday, they're officially open for real. Tonight they're hosting a fundraiser for eco-Andersonville, a green initiative run by http://www.andersonvilledevcorp.org/ Andersonville Development Corporation, and $50 gets you a sampling of their menu, cocktails, wine, a preview of the restaraunt, and the knowledge that you're making a neighborhood better.
And I have to commend Big Jones for really understanding the internet. Seriously, folks. I've looked at a lot of restaraunt websites, and frankly most of them suck. But these people get it. You can reserve a table online through them (instead of having to go through Open Table). They have a map, their full menu (that thankfully doesn't involve music or downloading a pdf). And they even have a blog. They're not even open and they have more information on their website than most established restaurants. Oh! and they have tea service! With red velvet cake! Lord have mercy upon my waistband.
- Cinnamon Cooper |
Cinner's Chili Parlour & Cocktail Lounge opened last weekend! This long awaited neighborhood spot specializes in Cincinnati Style Chili. Cincinnati chili is saucier than typical Texas chili and is served over spaghetti or coney-style. Beans are cooked separately from the sauce and are used as an addition to the plate. Cinci-style is for the chili sophisticate; interesting spices like cinnamon, allspice, cocoa and Worcestershire create a one-in-a-kind taste.
Cinner's offers 3, 4, and 5-way Chili, plus a variety of other cheesy, meaty concoctions. Meatless options are graciously included on the menu, and cocktails are named for some of Cincinnati's main attractions. The "Over the Rhine," made with rum, gin, and watermelon vodka, sounds like a must try.
Cinner's Chili Parlour & Cocktail Lounge
4757 N. Talman Ave.
Chicago, IL 60625
- Abbey Gillespie |
Following the very emotional closing of the Hyde Park Co-op Market earlier this year, an outlet of the Treasure Island grocery store chain will be opening in the Co-op's former location at 1526 East 55th Street this upcoming Wednesday.
- Robyn Nisi |
If you've been teased by last weekend's balmy weather and can't wait for the farmers markets to open, check out Green City Market's winter list. You'll find stores that carry products from Green City vendors. Green City Market opens Wednesday, May 14 at 7 a.m. in the grass at 1750 N. Clark. City of Chicago farmers markets also open in May.
- Chris Brunn |
Opened about three weeks ago, one block off the North, Damen and Milwaukee intersection, W Crossings (2045 W. North Ave.) is a hybrid of liquor store and natural food conscious mini-mart. You'll find liquor, wine, and beer, including a few of Goose Island's reserve brews. With bananas, apples, oranges, cantaloupe and pineapple, they are no match for the produce selection at nearby specialty grocer and wine/beer shop Olivia's Market (2014 W. Wabansia Ave.), but I hear vegetables like spinach, onions, and tomatoes will be arriving soon. W Crossings has many quick pick offerings, including Amy's frozen pizzas, natural peanut butter, natural cereals, vegan cookies, soy milk and canned soups. Open until midnight weekdays, and 1 a.m. weekends.
Other immediately nearby small business grocery options include the 24-hour Wicker Park Food Mart (1571 N. Milwaukee Ave.) for typical convenience items, granola, cookies, crackers, nuts, raisins, juice, soy milk and dried beans. Goddess and Grocer (1646 N. Damen Ave.) offers an ample wine selection, plus plenty of specialty foods to go with. Crespos (2157 W. North Ave.) sells beer, wine, liquor, and the occasional food item. The Wicker Park Blue Line concession stand reliably sells bananas and small snacks and drinks. Evergreen Pantry (1339 N. Damen Ave.) offers more convenience items.
- Chris Brunn |
An all vegan fast food restaurant on the South Side (Mount Greenwood neighborhood) that's known for its vegan takes on gyros, Italian beef, buffalo wings, chili cheese fries and dogs, will soon open its much anticipated North Side location in Wicker Park, at 1300 N. Milwaukee. I rode my bicycle past Veggie Bite's soon-to-be second location yesterday morning, their name and logo prominently and repeatedly displayed in papered windows. (I had long wondered if they would take the iconic one-story building left by Burger King's departure ages ago, on the corner of Milwaukee and Honore, a block south of North and Damen.) Columbia College's Chronicle talks about the restaurant, the differing reactions to its original location, and how they're going for a mainstream eco-friendly appeal with their new Wicker Park address.
Meanwhile, Chicago-area Chicago Soydairy wants you to buy a slice of the vegan pizza that has their new vegan cheese, from the Whole Foods in Lake View at 3640 N. Halsted. Their main product, Temptation Vegan Ice Cream, seems to hold a solid reputation as the vegan ice cream served at several area restaurants, and according to Soydairy, the new cheese melts and tastes great.
- Chris Brunn |
Open:
• Noble Tree Coffee & Tea opens today at 2444 N. Clark St. It's owned by Phil Tadros of Dollop, so expect free wifi, quality coffee and Hoosier Mama pies.
• After being closed for a month due to the Montrose Hole, Scot's reopens tonight. Nice write-up on the TOC blog of a benefit for the bar's employees.
• Lalibela, an Ethiopean restaurant at 5631 N. Ashland Ave., opened this past week. Reviews on Yelp so far are positive.
• Further south in Andersonville, Dish reports that pizzeria-grocery Great Lake, 1477 W. Balmoral (next to La Tache), opened Wednesday.
• Also via Dish, Tallulah, an American bistro in the former She She space, 4539 N. Lincoln Ave., has opened ahead of schedule last weekend.
• Union Pizzeria, 1245 Chicago Ave. in Evanston, opened last week. It's owned by Campagnola's Steve Schwartz, so expect gourmet pizzas, small plates and seasonal ingredients. Here's an early review on LTH Forum.
Coming Soon:
• Aberdeen,1856 W. North Ave., aims to open March 8 in the former Celebrity space.
• Further north on Western, "Kan Pou: Cooking and Baking with spices in the Thai style" says the sign on the former El Palmar space, 4256 N. Western. No word on the opening.
• Yet a little further north, the former Thai Nippon space, 4825-B N. Western, is papered over, and a hand-drawn sign on the door says "Snow Spice Thai" is coming soon.
• 312 Dining Diva has some news on the Chicago outpost (739 N. Clark St.) of suburban hotspot ZED451. The website says March, but expect mid-April.
• It's April for C House, too.
• Again with the April: that's when to expect Gaylord India Restaurant to reopen in its new spot at 100 E. Walton.
• Lincoln Park pizza and pasta joint O'Famé's new Lincoln Square/St. Ben's location, 4159 N. Western, looks nearly open -- the paper is literally peeling off the windows -- but a call to the original turned up no answers. Could be weeks, could be months.
• In Andersonville, Big Jones, in the old Augie's space, has filed its liquor license application and its walls are framed in. Baby steps.
- Andrew Huff |
A-ville Daily tips us to the opening of La Cocina de Frida, featuring "made-from-scratch Mexican food and family recipe cooking," in the space previously occupied by Angel's, 5403 N. Clark. The menu promises fresh guacamole, made-daily tamales and empanadas, pollo en mole negro Oaxaca and other authentic Mexican dishes inspired by Friday Kahlo.
- Andrew Huff |
A few coming soon signs around town:
• Sweet Occasions opens its third location, on Bryn Mawr at Kenmore, next Tuesday, Jan. 15. Three more locations, in Roscoe Village, Boystown and Lincoln Park, are planned for later in '08.
• The owners of Think Cafe recently began construction on a new restaurant, to be called Knew, in Wicker Park. No opening date set yet.
• At Wilson and Ravenswood in underserved Ravenswood, O'Shaughnessey's is nearing completion; looks to be a couple months from opening. From the external signage, it'll be a standard model Irish pub, unless they're serious about being "tea merchants" and "whiskey blenders."
• Metromix reports that a new beer garden is growing in East Ukrainian Village. The Old Oak Tap is aiming for a September opening.
• Pollo Campero will open its third Chicago location on a western stretch of North Avenue in the coming months.
• Eno, the wine room chain with an outpost in the Hotel Intercontinental, is opening another branch in the lobby of the Fairmont Hotel; look for it to pop up in May.
• The beloved, belated Tiny Lounge (formerly under the Addison Brown Line stop) is soon to reopen in the former Charlie's on Leavitt space at Leavitt/Lincoln/Montrose. Let's hope for a quick build-out and open.
- Andrew Huff |
Edgewater gets a new noodle shop today with the opening of Summer Noodles & Rice, just west of the Granville Red Line stop. Here's a look inside from yesterday:
Looks pretty nice; details to come as we get in for a review.
- Andrew Huff |
