Paul McGee's First Land And Sea Dept Project Is A Tiki Bar

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Jan 5, 2015 9:40PM

Last week news broke that Paul McGee’s post Lettuce Entertain You/Three Dots and a Dash life involved him becoming beverage director for Land and Sea Dept., the group behind Longman & Eagle and Parson’s Chicken & Fish. Today we know what McGee’s first project with Land and Sea Dept. will entail and he’s sticking with what brought him national recognition and acclaim.

McGee and Land and Sea are expected to open Lost Lake Tiki sometime this month at 3154 W. Diversey Ave. Martin Cate, the rum expert and bartender who did similar wonders in San Francisco with the world-renowned Smuggler’s Cove, is also involved in the project. Eater Chicago’s Daniel Gerzina writes McGee will craft a menu of classic and tiki cocktails from over 275 rums, while Cate will oversee a rum-sipping club.

But wait, there’s more! To help soak up all that rum and sweetness a Chinese takeout place called Thank You is opening next door, helmed by Gabriel Freeman of Mott Street and Ruxbin fame. The kitchen will be open late (3 a.m.) and can be ordered to carry into Lost Lake, which would rival Pleasant House Bakery and Maria’s as a culinary neighbor tag team.

This news further cements the Logan Square/Avondale neighborhood as one of the city’s hottest restaurant areas while giving Chicago’s tiki culture a much-needed shot in the arm. Lost Lake is expected to open in mid-January but, as often with highly touted openings, be prepared for delays.