Restaurant News: Sicily Menu At Next Begins June 2, Lure Izakaya Closes

By Anthony Todd in Food on May 23, 2012 6:20PM

- Next is in the process of finalizing the menu for their newest iteration, Sicily. El Bulli will close down on May 27, and Sicily will rise on June 2, according to Eater Chicago. If you have a season pass, you already have tickets to Sicily - this accounts for about 50 seats per night. Another 90 will go on sale once the menu is finalized, so get ready to start hitting refresh over and over and over. Sicily will run through September 9, and after a short pause the restaurant will reset for Kyoto. Details on the Sicily menu are still a bit sketchy, but it will apparently be their version "of a sicilian home" meal. If only your home had a team of cooks versed in molecular gastronomy and a wall of spices 20 feet long.

- Bryce Caron has been let go from his position as head of pastry at Blackbird. This came as a bit of a shock when 312 Dining Diva broke the news, since Caron was just recognized as one of Food and Wine Magazine's best new pastry chefs. His tenure at Blackbird has been short (not even a year as head pastry chef) but he told Eater that the position "just wasn't a fit." He is seriously considering relocating away from Chicago.

- Lure Izakaya, the latest attempt to open a hip lounge/restaurant in Chinatown, has closed for business. Grubstreet Chicago reports that they may reopen downtown, but for now, doors are closed. The spot got decent reviews, and had a serious chef in Eric Aubriot, but the strange location (in the strip mall adjacent to the main Chinatown drag, tucked into a corner) may have contributed to its demise.