Results tagged “openings”

It's been over two years since Lincoln Square's Delicatessen Meyer closed its doors and the building purchased by the Luszcz family of Gene's Sausage Shop fame. Chicago real Estate Daily reports that the Luszczes are finally ready to re-open Meyer as "Gene's Sausage Shop at Delicatessen Meyer" on November 7 (insert your "Jim's Mario's Restaurant" reference here).

It was only a couple weeks ago that Big Star was announced as the name of the Paul Kahan taco joint in the old Pontiac Café space. Now there's a firm opening date: November 9.

    

Back when we visited Half Acre's Lincoln Square brewery in April, one of the construction projects still in progress was the buildout of a retail space. Gabriel Magliaro's plans were to have an in-wall draft system featuring Half Acre selections, special brews and guest beers; bottles and merchandise.

Urban Belly's Bill Kim announced Friday (via twitter, where else?) that Belly Shack, his sandwich shop in the old Vella Café space underneath the Western/Armitage Blue Line station, will open tomorrow at noon. You've been warned.

In anticipation to its proposed mid-November opening, the Metramarket at 131 N. Clinton announced an additional 16 vendors to the 20 already onboard today. We've included the full list after the jump. [Inbox]

Michael Kornick has released the menu for his upcoming burger bar concept with David Morton, DMK Burger Bar (2954 N. Sheffield, 773-360-8686):

          

— Automatic Burger blog

   

To say that Bridgeport is lacking a sports bar is an understatement (Jimbo's does not qualify). There's a handful of criteria to build a successful sports bar: lots of dark wood, lots of widescreen tvs for watching the game, food that won't make you sick, a bar and waitstaff oozing The Hotness and a music playlist that would be at home on Eric and Kathy in the morning. Rocky's aims to change all that. This sports bar is located on the northwest corner of 31st and Wells and named after one of the owner's dogs — not Balboa, Marciano, Graziano or Wirtz — in a space that was long known to Bridgeport residents as Punchinello's. That bar had a clientele of spiked hair, club gear, chin halos and machismo so thick that it earned the derogatory nickname "Punch-a-d@g0'$."

I am a chef who likes to cook more than proliferate and manage restaurants. That’s why Frontera Grill, Topolobampo and, now, Xoco are all together. I can slide from one kitchen to another, tasting and training and coaching and cooking. Cooking is why I became a chef, and I never want to get too far from it.

Wicker Park coffee shop mecca Filter is set to reopen next month at 1373-75 N. Milwaukee, according to Metromix. Bonus: they're gonna be roasting their own beans. Let's hope the new location doesn't become a Bank of America. [Metromix, via Gapers Block]

Top Chef (and twitter) Master Rick Bayless has just released the menu for XOCO in advance of the new restaurant's Tuesday opening. The menu lists 11 tortas; 8 of them made in a woodburning oven. Christ on a stick! They sound amazing on paper.

Rick Bayless, who's probably the most Twitter-savvy chef out there, announced an opening date of September 8 for XOCO, his highly anticipated street-food centric restaurant at 449 N. Clark.

We've been looking forward to seeing Nana (3267 S. Halsted St., 312 929 2486), an organic breakfast/brunch spot in Bridgeport by Omar and Christian Solis, whose father Jose owns nearby Tacos Erendira, open for months. Chicago Brunch Blog reports that they're finally taking the paper off the windows and are slated to open 6 a.m. Monday with a menu including buckwheat pancakes with banana and mulled hemp seeds, liege (a leavened batter with beads of pearl sugar that burst and caramelize in the waffle iron) and the "Nanadict:" a pupusa topped with crumbled chorizo, poached eggs and poblano sauce. Coupled with the packed houses at HAN 202 nightly and Nightwood, my backyard could be on the cusp of destination dining. [via Grub Street Chicago]

From Chicago Mag's Dish: Urban Belly owner/chef Bill Kim has signed a lease to open Belly Shack, an Asian and Latin-inspired BYOB counter service restaurant at 1912 N. Western. Think Kim's Urban Belly, but focusing on sandwiches and salads without the "Really? That much for dumplings?" price tag. Kim told Dish that he plans on having menu items at Belly Shack top out at $10.

Now you won't have to travel all the way to Beverly for an Original Rainbow Cone. Owner Lynn Sapp told Crain's that they'll soon be sharing a ground-level retail space in the Page Brothers Building (177 N. State Street).

Marcus is stomping around like a kid on pixie dust right now with the news that Chick-fil-A is in the planning stages to open some stores in the greater Chicago area. The first will be in Aurora's Westfield Fox Valley Shopping Center, with plans for others to come.

         

News that Nightwood (2119 S. Halsted, 312-526-3385) opened last night spread like widlfire throughout twitter feeds and other blogs almost as soon as Jason Hammel announced it on his Facebook page. Since it's only a bridge over the south fork of the Chicago River away from home, we decided to check it out.

Opening tonight in Old Town is Eivissa (1531 N. Wells, 312-654-9500), a pinxtos and tapas bar from chef Dudley Nieto. Nieto is best known for his stints at Adobo Grill, Xel-Ha and Zapatista but the number of kitchens he's logged time at rival Geno Bahena for sheer wanderlust.

After spending Winter in the confines of the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Green City Market spread its elbows today with its first day outdoor. To some, this is the first day of summer in Chicago.

  

We're certain this is on Pasquale's short list. Opening Wednesday in Pilsen is Ristorante Al Teatro, an Italian restaurant in the neighborhood's legendary Thalia Hall. Thalia Hall was built by Pilsen's original Bohemian settlers in 1892 and incorporated retail space in order to support the hall's theatrical programming.

The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center has announced former President Bill Clinton will speak at the museum's public grand opening on Sunday, April 19. In a press release, Richard S. Hirschhaut, the museum's executive director, said, "President Clinton's participation in the dedication of this world-class institution truly sets the tone for what we want the museum to be. Not only does President Clinton's attendance underscore the urgency of our mission, but also the important role we must all play in combating intolerance and genocide throughout the world today." Clinton will join Governor Pat Quinn as well as several Holocaust survivors for the festivities. Located at 9603 Woods Drive in Skokie, tours of the museum will follow the festivities. More information on the grand opening can be found here.

        

A bar not dominated by flat-panel televisions and loud music. A sedate tropical environment which instantly transports you away from the outside world the moment you enter. Inventive, generous cocktails served without a drop of pretension. Trader Vic's is special to us.

Following up on the upcoming Stephanie Izard restaurant she mentioned in her "Re-Grills" is a name for the venue and partners. Time Out Chicago has the scoop (fitting, since they're also trying to hook her up, as well) that the Drunken Monkey Goat is pairing Izard with Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz of BOKA, Perennial and Landmark fame. It's still casual and affordable, in Wicker Park, and conservatively slated to open in summer 2K9. [TOC]

Opening this week in River North is Eve (840 N. Wabash, 312-266-3383), from Chef Troy Graves and the team behind the contemporary American bistro Tallulah in Lincoln Square. Eve is only open at this time for lunch service through November 5. If dinner includes the spicy pomegranate glazed prawns shown above, we'll be among the first to check it out. ["Lunching at Eve:" Got Buzz@ Kurman]

Metromix has their opening date as yesterday or today. Helen Rosner at the always entertaining MenuPages Chicago has been waiting with bated breath for the doors to open, as well. We placed a call over to iCream in Wicker Park (1537 N. Milwaukee, 773-342-2834) to see when they would, indeed, open for business and were told "Thursday or Friday."

Dor the Downtown workforce, uFood Grill opens today at 200 W. Jackson. Founded by George Naddaf of Boston Chicken/Market fame, uFood follows that franchise's emphasis on healthy dining options, with menu items made from lean meats, natural and organic ingredients, fresh produce, whole grains, and lower-fat cheeses and dressings. Nothing is fried.

We know that Chicago is a restaurant hot spot. While out-of-town writers particularly tend to maintain the clichés (earned, mind you) of Chicago being a steak and potatoes, deep dish pizza town, out-of-town chefs know the real score.

We've written before about the sad demise of the Chicago Trader Vic's, how it was unceremoniously booted from the Palmer House after the hotel's new owners took over. And we've also sighed about the fact that the reopening of a new Trader Vic's, which was originally supposed to happen in 2006, has still not materialized. Well, we now have some proof that it's finally happening.