09/26/07

Lettuce Serve You Pizza

Cool Mo.Di
The bar at Osteria Via Stato (620 N. State St.; 312-642-8450) is going bye-bye this fall, and in its place will be the Roman-style Pizzeria Mo.Di, outfitted with a gas oven. “I didn’t want to do what everybody else was doing,” says Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises chairman Richard Melman. “We don’t have to use wood to make great pizza. You need temperature.” Mo.Di’s recipe is based on a pizza in Rome that his team fell in love with a few years back, which he describes as “traditional, crustier than Neapolitan, yet light. Some of the pizzas will sport tomato sauce, others even more traditional San Marzano tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella. It’s what I love in pizza...

Posted at 05:10 PM in Dish | Permalink | Comments (1)

09/19/07

Goodbye, Wolfgang

Puck Outta Here
Wolfgang Puck Grand Cafe (1701 Maple St., Evanston), the bustling spot next to Evanston’s Century Theatres, unexpectedly shuttered its doors on September 16th. Employees were called Sunday night and told the seven-year-old restaurant would not be opening Monday morning. The Puck organization, which is giving much of its leftover food to local charities, released a succinct public statement that read, in part: “Due to rising operating costs we are not able to afford the quality and price value our customers deserve.” Then it closed out with an emphatic, “Live, Love, Eat!” Just not in...

Posted at 05:02 PM in Dish | Permalink | Comments (0)

09/12/07

Saveur Loves Chicago

News Flash
We have learned that the upcoming October issue of Saveur (on newsstands next week)—the whole thing!—will be dedicated to the foods of Chicago. Just check out the scrumptious cover.

09/05/07

A Shot in the Arm for Gabriel’s

High Times in Highwood
We’ve noticed a dropoff lately in the quality at Gabriel’s (310 Green Bay Rd., Highwood; 847-433-0031), Highwood’s French/Italian standby, and chef-owner Gabriel Viti apparently got the wake-up call, too. “I’m back here full-time,” Viti says. “I finally found a good management team at Miramar [Viti’s other restaurant] and put everyone in place. It took three years instead of six months.” Viti has also brought in old friend Robert Bansberg, the longtime wine guy at Ambria, to be Gabriel’s full-time sommelier. (Bansberg is also working with chef Pete Balodimas at the soon-to-open Fahrenheit in St....

Posted at 05:53 PM in Dish | Permalink | Comments (0)