May 7, 2008
Le Lan's Kim Has Noodles on the Brain
From Crain's comes word that Le Lan Executive chef Bill Kim is leaving behind the river North French-Vietnamese outpost to open a noodle shop/casual eatery in Logan Square.
Urban Belly, a casual, BYOB eatery at 3053 N. California, is set to open in mid-June. It's also fulfills a longtime dream of Kim's to open a chain of casual restaurants and to highlight noodles on to show that there's more to them in Asian cuisines than ramen. Entrees will top out in price at $20, and the interior will feature furnishings by importer Golden Triangle.
Image via star chefs.
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Noodles by Takashi Yagihashi is a great example of how a renowned chef can do solid things with a "casual" noodle eatery. It also demonstrates well that traditional (and well prepared) ramen is better than the freeze-dried crap most of us lived on in college. If Kim's new place ends up being as good as Noodels by Takashi, Logan Square scored big time.
I agree, and am actually looking forward to this opening.
Hellllllo new lunch spot.
This movement of high end gourmet guys opening "fast food" joints is all too welcome. Thomas Keller has a "burgers and half bottles" joint, their is more than a handful of culinary school geeks in California starting up taquerias, and now this. Awesome.
Cool, yo!
Please be advised that the proper citation for the photo is StarChefs.com and credit us properly in future posts.
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StarChefs.com team