Results tagged “statestreetmacy”

Dickens wrote, "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times." So it seems with Bucktown's Scylla. Bon Apetit's annual restaurants issue comes out this week, and according to "the Extrovert" blog at Metromix, Bucktown's Scylla merits inclusion (the only Chicago restaurant to do so, apparently). And even that is for their grilled lamb with curried vegetables and grape and pine nut gremolata, not the inventive approach to seafood that earned the restaurant and chef Stephanie Izzard wide praise.

Chicagoist isn't above telling you "we told you so." While we disagree whether Chicagoans should go or not go to the State Street Macy's, we never agreed with the decision to change the Marshall Field's landmark on State Street to a Macy's. The reasons were tenuous at best — brand cohesiveness and the strength of the Macy's name. So, we were not surprised when Federated's chief financial officer, Karen Hoguet, said that the Chicago flagship is "doing badly."

Takashi Yagihashi cut his culinary teeth right here in Chicago at Yoshi Café and Ambria before moving off to become executive chef at a restaurant outside Detroit. After a short stint in Las Vegas, and after winning the James Beard award for Best Chef in the Midwest 2003, Yagihashi returned to Chicago yesterday with the opening of a noodle stand on the seventh floor of the State Street Macy’s. Contrary to how that may sound (we don’t think Yagihashi has serious financial problems and is slinging noodles to anyone who’ll buy ‘em) this appears to be a well-calculated move for the chef who is scouting West Loop and River North locations for a possible restaurant opening next year.

Lost in all the hand-wringing and "loss of innocence" hyperbole over Macy's decision to rename Marshall Field's after itself are all the caveats (read:wary lip service) that Federated Deparment Stores CEO Terry Lundgren tossed out yesterday to soften the blow. It's a litany of promises: the possibility for job growth; keeping the Field's buying team intact in Minneapolis (Minneapolis?!? Allow Chicagoist to be the first to bitch about that.); expansion of the State Street store's Marshall Field Museum; and no changes to Glamorama, charitable giving, the Christmas window, and the flower show. One item not gone unnoticed by us is the promise to "explore" the possibility of bringing Frango Mint production back to Chicago from Pennsylvania.