News for Restaurants in Chicago March 2019 Archive Search / Openings / Closings / Chef Shuffle / News Bytes / Culinary Events / Wine Dinners / Sign up for our free, monthly newsletter / News Archive 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.   CHICAGO RESTAURANT NEWS Openings Sushi chef B.K. Park presents an omakase dining experience at Mako in Chicago's West Loop. The set menu ($175) features around two dozen bites, including sashimi, nigiri and cooked dishes with a contemporary twist. Mako, 731 W. Lake St., Chicago, IL 60661, 312-988-0687.   While the Chicago restaurant scene seems to be contracting, Boka Restaurant Group is growing its foothold. The empire partnered with The Hoxton, Chicago, a new Fulton Market hotel, to open three concepts on April 4. The first is Cabra, a Peruvian-inspired restaurant by Stephanie Izard on the hotel's rooftop; the second is Cira, a modern Mediterranean restaurant by chef Chris Pandel; and finally Lazy Bird, a classic cocktail bar that will host live music. The Hoxton, Chicago, 200 N. Green St., Chicago, IL 60607, no phone.   One of Chicago's most beloved and romantic restaurants ushers in a new era on Oak Street. The French-Vietnamese boîte Le Colonial has planted roots at 57 East Oak Street, a ritzy strip dotted with high-end boutiques (Above Le Colonial? None other than Chanel and Van Cleef & Arpels.) Le Colonial had a 22-year run on Rush Street, only 150 steps from the new location. Executive chef/partner Quoc Luong has refreshed the menu with seafood and meat dishes enhanced both in flavor and presentation. Look for more than 200 global wine selections, including Le Colonial 2017 AOC Côtes de Provence Rosé created exclusively for Le Colonial by French producer La Cave du Lac. Le Colonial, 57 E. Oak St., Chicago, IL 60611, 312-255-0088.   Ocean Prime, the glitzy modern American restaurant-lounge from restauranteur Cameron Mitchell, will debut its Chicago home at LondonHouse on April 3, 2019. The upscale restaurant has sister locations in Denver, Beverly Hills, Washington D.C. and other cities, and will boast expense account-worthy steaks, seafood, signature cocktails and vino. The second-floor space will seat up to 350 diners and include three private dining rooms, and two bars. Ocean Prime, 85 E. Wacker Dr., Chicago, IL 60601, 312-428-4344.   After a 14-year run with Restaurant Michael, chef Michael Lachowicz will usher in a new era on the North Shore starting in May: the openings of Aboyer and Silencieux, two French restaurants on the same property as George Trois. Aboyer, French for "bark," will be a brasserie catered to those looking for a sexy urban experience in the ’burbs. Diners will be able to have a drink and a meal in under an hour. Silencieux, on the other hand, will be the opposite, offering a hushed, mid-level fine dining meal in a conversation-friendly space. George Trois, meanwhile, closed on March 4 for renovations. The revamp is set to be completed by the time the other restaurants open during the first week of May.   Chef Dave Park and Jen Tran opened Jeong in West Town following the success of their chef-driven food court concept Hanbun. The team named the restaurant after Park's grandmother, and the Korean idea of soulful connection and community. The menu highlights a seven-course $87 tasting option, plus à la carte dishes featuring in-house specialties such as silken tofu and kimchi. Korean touches permeate the 40-seat space, from rice paper dividers to servers wearing traditional Korean hanbok dress designed by the couple's friend Joanna Um. Expect this to be a tough table to score; reservations on OpenTable are limited the first month. Jeong, 1460 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago , IL 60642, 312-877-5016.   Chicago diners ate, and Lettuce Entertain You listened. Now the restaurant group adds its first Beatrix in Oak Brook, where shoppers can pick up coffee, stop for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner or host a private event. This will be the fourth Beatrix under Lettuce's umbrella. The Oak Brook location boasts the largest coffee bar and lounge with seating for up to 100 guests. The healthy menu offers signatures including burnt honey toast, grilled swordfish kebab and pepper steak with sweet peppers, pearl onions and peppercorn sauce. Come spring, diners will be able to sit on the patio to enjoy their fresh-squeezed juices, juice cocktails or wellness shots. Beatrix, 272 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, IL 60523, 630-491-1415.   News Bytes Benny’s Chop House & All That Jazz Benny's Chop House returns to Chicago's jazz roots with performances in the North Lounge every Wednesday to Saturday featuring artists Carmen Stokes, Julie Ponce, Leandro Lopez Varady, Lynn Hilton and Margaret Murphy-Webb. The live series starts on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. Performances straddle traditional to modern contemporary funk and fusion styles. Benny's Chop House, 444 N. Wabash Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, 312-626-2444.   Travelle Kitchen + Bar Hosts Brunch & Calligraphy Class The culinary arts meet the long lost art of handwriting during a calligraphy workshop series followed by brunch at Travelle Kitchen + Bar on April 13, May 18 and June 1. Guests will learn the strokes from local teachers Ricki DiCola of r + ink and Julie Wildman of Wildman Designs followed by a three-course brunch by chef Jeff Vucko, which will feature chicken and waffles and avocado toast, various Benedicts or a burger, and chocolate cake or banoffee bread pudding. Cost of $65 includes the meal, a glass of Champagne and supplies for the class. Reserve your spot by calling 312-923-7705. Travelle Kitchen + Bar, The Langham, Chicago, 330 N. Wabash Ave., 2nd Fl., Chicago, IL 60611, 312-923-7705.   Beatnik On The River Goes Year Round When Bonhomme Hospitality Group renovated the sister outpost of the original Beatnik in the Loop, it faced a tall order: conjure the same visual magic that drew Chicagoans to the boho chic brand in the first place. Fast forward from July 2018, and Beatnik On The River is unlike any of the restaurants on Wacker Drive: fun, funky and Insta-worthy. The remodel includes taking a 20 by 20 foot Nashville jewelry store – complete with chandeliers and sconces – and making it the centerpiece of the space. Plop down some Persian rugs, hand-painted glazed tiles and pillow-topped Indonesian daybeds and you have a true oasis on the river. Open weekdays 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sat. 4 p.m.-10 p.m. and for post-work cocktails. Beatnik On The River, 180 N. Wacker Dr., Chicago, IL 60606, 312-526-3345.   Chef Shuffle Check back soon for more news. Closings CLOSED FOR GOOD Take your taste buds on a walk down memory lane! Check out our exclusive closed restaurant database for Chicago to virtually visit your favorite dining spots from yesteryear. The Dining Room, R.I.P. Owner Bruno Abate has shuttered his Italian restaurant Tocco in Wicker Park. Tocco, 1266 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL 60622, no phone.   Balena, located across from the Steppenwolf Theatre in Lincoln Park, is closed to repair damages from a fire in the building. Balena, 1633 N. Halsted St., Chicago, IL 60614, 312-867-3888 .   CULINARY EVENTS Want to learn to cook? Try new dishes? Meet a foodie friend for fun? Check out our compilation of culinary events in your area. View our calendar of Wine Dinners & Tastings in Chicago

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