One Sixtyblue Closing, Reconcepting

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Jan 5, 2012 3:30PM

One Sixtyblue's House-Cured King Salmon - citron, crispy hash browns, lemon curd

It's shaping up to be a big week for restaurant closings around town. One sixtyblue joins Charlie Trotter's and the Gaztro-Wagon and announced it would be serving its final dinners Saturday.

But don't call it a full closing. Cornerstone Restaurant Group CEO David Zadikoff said the restaurant would re-open with a new concept in the spring. Zadikoff wouldn't tell Tribune restaurant critic Phil Vettel whether chef Michael McDonald and his staff would carry over to the new restaurant. But Zadikoff did cite the fast changes along the Randolph Street restaurant scene as a reason for the closing and that the group's highest profile investor, Michael Jordan, is a-ok with the move.

This isn't the first time One sixtyblue has been rumored to close. The restaurant has been one of our favorites among underrated restaurants in town in large part to the cooking of McDonald and pastry chef Hilary Blanchard-Rikower. It will be intersting to se what Cornerstone has in mind for the space, which will be renovated.

This would be a good time for us to recommend checking out Laura Stolpman's 2009 gallery from One sixtyblue.