Restaurant News: Eataly Eyes Chicago, Urban Union Launches Brunch Service, and Other News

By Amy Cavanaugh in Food on Feb 11, 2012 7:00PM

• Eater reported that Eataly co-owner Joe Bastianich was in town yesterday to scope out locations for a Chicago outpost of the New York-based Italian food emporium. Eataly's co-owner is Mario Batali, and it includes a cafe, beer garden, retail departments, and basically anything related to Italian food you can think of.

• We haven’t had a chance to get ourselves to Taylor Street to try the new Urban Union yet, but it's on our "go soon" list. The seafood heavy spot launches brunch today with a menu that sounds delicious, but we're not sure we'd want to eat duck leg confit, steak frites, or whole snapper before noon. A few more brunch-like dishes are available, including pork schnitzel Benedict and oven roasted apples. Urban Union will offer brunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.

• Another steakhouse? Crain’s Chicago Business reports that Del Frisco's Restaurant Group LLC (which is responsible for the Sullivan’s Steakhouse on N. Dearborn St.) is planning to open a Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House in the old Esquire Theater building at 58 E. Oak St. The restaurant will be 23,000 square feet, which includes three floors and private dining space. The target opening date is December.

• A new restaurant will be coming to the Hard Rock Hotel Chicago after China Grill closed last month amid legal trouble, Crain’s Chicago Business reports. In October, Miami-based China Grill Management Inc. sued hotel owners Becker Ventures. They alleged that Becker would force them out of business by taking over some restaurant space to handle room service themselves after cutting China Grill as the hotel's room service provider. The Cook County Circuit Court case was dismissed in January, and there are no details about what will replace the Asian restaurant.