Restaurant News: GEB Opens, Do-Rite Donuts Pops Up At Second Location
By Anthony Todd in Food on Jun 5, 2012 5:20PM
- GEB, Graham Elliot's new restaurant across the alleyway from Nellcote/RM Champagne Lounge, opened last night. Eater Chicago has the whole menu. For those who might be wary of the Graham Elliot name because of the high cost of his eponymous restaurant, every dish at this new spot is under $20. The theme is rock and roll meets church, with menus affixed to punk rock records, reclaimed pews for seating and tall kitschy candles everywhere. No reservations will be taken. We caught a glimpse of Chef Elliot last night from across the alleyway - what a lovely patio! Once RM finally opens, the mingling of the two patios will create such a nighttime hotspot that Randolph street will start glowing on Google Earth.
- Do Rite Donuts has already started up a second location - sorta. Last week, 312 Dining Diva reported that the chain hosted a pop-up on Thursday morning, right behind the Lyric Opera at Riverside Plaza. Based on the amount of Twitter chatter that the opening generated, we can only assume it will be a recurring feature every Thursday morning. If you need a donut fix, check it out from 6-10 a.m.
- As Grubstreet put it, "Everything old is Cru again." That's right, the former wine bar/nighttime spot Cru has reopened. Cru had rebranded into Feast in 2009, but "after a brief hiatus" (PR speak for "whoops, we messed up") it's coming back. The wine bar looks gorgeous, boasting reclaimed wood tables and the original French chandeliers. Chef Richard Roettgen, of Girl and the Goat and Alinea, has designed a menu of American classic standards that, if executed well, will make for perfect late-night noshing and allow diners to focus on the drinks and the space. The same restaurant group also owns The Goddess and Grocer.