Restaurant News: Flourish Bakery Closes, New Chefs at Elate, Tribute

Tentori assembling his new wrap at Falafill.

- Flourish Bakery, the independent uptown bakery that we've covered several times in the past year, is closing this Sunday, September 11. "We are so sorry we couldn't make this business thrive and we only wish the best to others that can," said owners Ed and Allison Madell. "Please, please, please support local small businesses. There are so many in our neighborhoods and they need you to survive." We'll miss Flourish (especially their idea for the family-friendly dinner club) and wish the Madells the very best.

- This month at Falafill, Giuseppe Tentori (of Boka and GT Fish & Oyster) will be presenting his own wrap. Part of their "Guest Chef's for Charity" series, Tentori's wrap includes smoked trout hummus, pickled daikon radish, fresh dill yogurt, and GT Fish & Oyster "Burn" sauce. Proceeds from the wrap will be donated to Common Threads.

- Tribute can't seem to get past its opening jitters. First it lost Brandon Baltzley to rehab. It got a decent review from Time Out Chicago (and a bad one from the Chicago Reader) and then, replacement Executive Chef Lawrence Letrero left about a month after opening. The restaurant announced late last week that Letrero would be replaced with Chef Jared Case, former executive chef of Marche and most recently a private club chef in St. Louis. He has already began re-tooling the menu, adding simple, comfort food dishes that are radically different from the original vision for the restaurant.

- In other chef-changing news, River North restaurant Elate (located in the Hotel Felix) also gets a new chef this week. Mike Noll, formerly Elate's Chef de Cuisine, released the new dinner menu a few days ago and it looks like a winner. Selections include  short rib with carrot, turmeric, royal trumpet mushrooms and coco nibs and octopus confit with chorizo, eggplant, shiso and yuzu. Noll has previously cooked at Moto, Schwa, Butter and Jam.

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By Anthony Todd in Food on September 7, 2011 9:30 AM

Comments [rss]

Michael Gebert

I went to Flourish and got a fantastic baguette the first time. I went the second time and got a pretty good one. I went the third time... and no baguettes, they were (quote) "transitioning between bakers." In other words, they had this huge facility but in the whole city of Chicago they couldn't find anybody who could walk right in and make baguettes? You're telling me there isn't one baker in town who wanted some extra hours? I liked the look of the place and was willing to patronize it, even significantly off my beaten path, but you know, if you've got the facility you need to actually use it, every day, and get as much out of it as you can. I can't imagine the equivalent space ever going idle at, say, Floriole. Anyway, I would agree, it's not the neighborhood and I hope someone sees the opportunity here and makes baguettes as good as that first one.

Brian Morrissey

I gave Flourish a few tries but came away disappointed each time. Their pastries were stale and their lunch items were poorly made or not fresh. The customer service was not always the best either.

This restaurant closing is not an indictment of the business climate in Edgewater, however. A lot of establishments along Bryn Mawr and Broadway, and of course on Clark Street, are kicking ass. Those that are have a great product and great service. Piatto Pronto, the Coffee Studio, Zanzibar, Broadway Cellars, Antiqa Pizza, M. Henrietta, Apart, El Norte...the list goes on. Yes, you need a niche and for a bakery that bar is high, but certainly not unattainable.