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News for Restaurants in Chicago
April 2011 Archive
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Read about the openings, closings, chef shuffle, and special events in Chicago here. Gayot's Restaurant News has the information you want on the local restaurants in Chicago. |
Openings
Pie is pretty popular in these parts, and now there's another spot to get a sweet fix. Uptown Pie Company is dispensing pies both sweet and savory---from corn and shrimp cobbler and quiche with mushrooms, Gruyère and spinach to orange cream, Dutch apple and raspberry-peach varieties---in the same space that houses The Cupcake Gallery. Uptown Pie Company, The Cupcake Gallery, 1319 W. Wilson Ave., Chicago, IL 60640, 773-334-5450.
Would you pay $3 for a single doughnut? If so, get it line at the Doughnut Vault, Brendan Sodikoff's mad-popular sweet spot prepping buttermilk, chestnut and coconut cream-filled numbers to the appreciative masses. Doughnut Vault, 401 1/2 N. Franklin St., Chicago, IL 60654, no phone.
Get a taste of South America without leaving Chicago at Flavor 180, a Chilean-ish newcomer serving both "naughty"(mango jerk wings) and "nice" (grilled fish tacos) fast food, which is also expected to go mobile. Flavor 180, 511 S. State St., Chicago, IL 60605, 312-291-0800.
The legacy of Papa Milano, a one-time mega-restaurateur in Chicago, will live on when his grandsons---producers of "Drunkboat"---open Mama Milano Pizza Bar, featuring the family's beloved recipes, including Neapolitan pies fired in a gas oven, starting sometime in May. Mama Milano Pizza Bar, 1419 N. Wells St., Chicago, IL 60610, no phone yet.
Given how highly anticipated it was, it's no surprise, really, that Giuseppe Tentori's GT Fish & Oyster is packed to the gills. Take one look at the menu---filled with the likes of sunfish ceviche with jícama and chimichurri, a lobster roll and tuna poke with mango cucumber and black sesame---and you'll know why. GT Fish & Oyster, 531 N. Wells St., Chicago, IL 60654, 312-929-3501.
Michael Jordan's is back...sort of. His eponymous Michael Jordan's Steak House---an offshoot of the ones in New York and Connecticut---will open in the InterContinental Chicago hotel along the Mag Mile, bringing with it seafood towers and fairly straightforward steaks and chops, like a Kansas City strip with Worcestershire glaze or Berkshire pork brined in bourbon and brown sugar with apple-cider sauce. Michael Jordan's Steak House, InterContinental Chicago, 505 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, No phone yet.
Forget the ballpark dogs. The next time you're in Bridgeport, head to Calabruzzi's Café, where Southern and Central Italian cooking translates to a Italian Genoa tuna panino with black pepper and lemon in olive oil, thin and double-dough pizzas and house-made ravioli. Calabruzzi's Café, 3302 S. Halsted St., Chicago, IL 60608, 773-247-9999.
Noble Square gets another dining destination of note: Fogón, a spot from Leo García and Eusebio García of Amelia's Mestizo Grill in the Canaryville neighborhood. Topping the list of appealing menu options: a smoked trout salad with baby arugula, frisée and braised fennel, along with cherry tomatoes and horseradish cream sauce, and grilled pork tenderloin, plated with fava beans, andouille, roasted tomatoes, purslane, onion rings and spicy ciruela sauce. Fogón, 1235 W. Grand Ave., Chicago, IL 60642, 312-421-2000.
It looks like Jason Paskewitz and Ryan O'Donnell (Gemini Bistro) plan to open Rustic House in the space that once housed Trattoria del Merlo, serving up entrée-driven wood-grilled proteins sometime this summer. Rustic House, 1967 N. Halsted St., Chicago, IL 60614, No phone yet.
Opening within weeks of each other are Grant Achatz's adjacent Next Restaurant, an advance ticket dining destination, and newfangled cocktail lounge The Aviary. And they're drawing the kind of lines one would expect. The former's opening menu features dishes like suprêmes de poussin and potage à la tortue Claire, while the latter---a neutral-hued spot---pours ice-encased The Rocks, a riff on an old fashioned, and a seven-layer Hurricane. Next Restaurant & The Aviary, 953-955 W. Fulton St., Chicago, IL 60607, no phone.
Reservations are now being accepted at Next Restaurant, the aptly named next project from Grant Achatz (Alinea). The menu is scheduled to change four times a year, with 1906 Paris as the first muse. The cost varies by day of the week and whether or not you choose to dine during prime time hours. The price point here is notably down-to-earth ($80 to $100 for six courses, with beverage pairings starting at $22 per person). Because the meal is paid for in advance, there's no transaction to speak of at the restaurant proper. Next Restaurant, 953 W. Fulton St., Chicago, IL 60607
News
Bytes
Gioco is Back
Like clockwork, Jerry Kleiner and Howard Davis have reopened a newly adorned Gioco, complete with antipasto bar, house-made gnocchi with fresh wild mushrooms and grilled swordfish with artichokes and fennel. Gioco, 1312 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago, IL 60605, 312-939-3870.
Winds of Change
NoMI has been revamped into the more casual NoMI Kitchen, overseen by Ryan LaRoche. NoMI Kitchen, Park Hyatt, 800 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, 312-239-4030.
Prasino Expands
Prasino---which already has locations in suburban La Grange and St. Charles---will open a Wicker Park offshoot later this summer, bringing with it a locally sourced, organic approach. Executive chef Scott Halverson and pastry chef Todd Feitl are expected to make the move to the pending location at 1846 W. Division St., Chicago, IL 60622. Prasino, 93 S. La Grange Rd., La Grange, IL 60525, 708-469-7058.
Chef Shuffle
Check back soon for more news.
Closings
Hackney's has closed its Wheeling location, meaning fans will have to get their Hackneyburgers from another 'hood. Hackney’s, 241 S. Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling, IL 60090, no phone.
In a surprise move, popular Highwood restaurant Sage Grille has closed its doors. Sage Grille, 260 Green Bay Rd., Highwood, IL 60060, no phone.
View our calendar of Wine Dinners & Tastings in Chicago
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