Quick Bites

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Apr 24, 2008 3:00PM

• While we were down Hyde Park way over the weekend we did some recon around Park 52, Jerry Kleiner's new entry into the compact Harper Court dining area. It's got all the hallmarks of Kleiner's other restaurants: dark wood accents, banquettes, and lots of red velvet. It also has an open kitchen so diners can see the hullabaloo behind the scenes. Other curious diners were disappointed that Park 52 wasn't open for brunch. Chris LaMorte writes in Metromix that Park 52 is set to give Hyde Park a shot of "fun," which is BS. Apparently LaMorte's never had the catfish po' boy at Dixie Kitchen or enjoyed the plantain nachos at Calypso Café over some Red Stripe.
• Also arranged for some longtime friends to enjoy dinner at one of our favorite sushi spots over the weekend. Ginza (19 E. Ohio, 312-222-0600) isn't going to wow you with monster works of sushi-as-art. They keep their rolls simple and clean here. What you will get at Ginza is some of the freshest fish imaginable. The interior is warm, inviting, and quiet: the antithesis of many of the more popular sushi bars around town. See for yourself why this restaurant is a hit with Japanese business travelers and Loop power lunchers alike.
• Gordon Ramsay is set to do a signing of his new cookbook, Gordon Ramsay's Fast Food, Tuesday from 1-3 p.m. at Barbara's Bookstore location inside Macy's on State. Part of us is hoping Ramsay brings the "Kitchen Nightmares" cameras in tow to inspect the Macy's food court, followed by a "scorched earth" trip to the Walnut Room.
• Finally, we stopped by the former Rosscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles Saturday. We say "former" because they took down the "Rosscoe's" with a quickness after the real deal in LA sued their collective ass. It's now just "Chicago's House of Chicken and Waffles." There's also no major improvement with the long wait, food quality (average, at best) and especially the service (some of the worst we've ever experienced). Here's hoping that, now that the threat of a lawsuit is behind them, they can start tackling these more pressing issues directly.