Guac, Stock, and Barrel
Quick Hit
We’ve heard the buzz on Chilam Balam (3023 North Broadway; 773-296-6901), a new cash-only Mexican BYO run by Chuy Valencia, an alum of Frontera Grill, but Pollack was skeptical. Especially when the halibut seviche ($9.25) and guacamole and chips ($7.25)—both recommended by the gregarious waiter—arrived in a flash and looked small, especially the guac, even by small-plate standards. Pollack’s upsell alert bell went off, but both were...
Posted Sept. 16, 2009, at 5:11 p.m.
This Old Pontiac Is No Clunker
Neapolitics in Downers Grove
Parkers’ Restaurant & Bar (1000 31st St., Downers Grove; 630-960-5700), a new farm-friendly American revamp of Parkers’ Ocean Grill, also happens to serve Neapolitan pizza so serious that it received Naples’ treasured VPN (Vera Pizza Napoletana) certification. “We had a wood-burning oven since we opened as Parkers’, but we didn’t really utilize it...
Posted Sept. 2, 2009, at 6:20 p.m.
Prairie Tales
From Powerhouse to Prairie
It’s been a good month for Prairie Grass Cafe (601 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook; 847-205-4433). On the heels of its burger being anointed Chicago’s best, now PGC has announced it will spawn Prairie Fire, another all-American outpost in the old Powerhouse space in the West Loop (215 N. Clinton St.) “We’re going to do some of our signature stuff like...
Posted Aug. 26, 2009, at 5:47 p.m.
More Burgers, More Dogs
Nothing’s Stronger than Plutonium
Jacky’s on Prairie (2545 Prairie Ave., Evanston; 847-733-0899), slated to open in the old Jacky’s Bistro space on October 12th, is an homage to Jacky Pluton’s popular French spot. “It will reflect what Jacky was at the beginning,” says Jonadab Silva, the executive chef. “There is such recognition of...
Posted Aug. 20, 2009, at 5:30 p.m.
French Bliss
The Timeless Allure of the Bistro
Joseph Calabrese (owner of Zia’s Trattoria and veteran of Ambria and Spiaggia) has gone French at Café Touché (6731 N. Northwest Hwy.; 773-775-0909), a block from Zia’s. Calabrese describes the 80-seat spot—designed by his wife—as “a cross between a café in Paris and a French Quarter look in New Orleans.” The menu is straight-up...
Posted Aug. 12, 2009, at 5:40 p.m.
Dish Flash
Quince Adopts a New Motto
Quince at the Homestead (1625 Hinman Ave; Evanston; 847-570-8400), which loses chef Pete Balodimas at the end of the month, has named a pretty darn good replacement: Andy Motto. Motto, 33, was a big shot at Old Town Brasserie and Le Lan, and a smaller shot at The French Laundry, Les Nomades, and Le Français. “I think it will be...
Posted Aug. 6, 2009, at 5:11 p.m.
Streeterville Boots Up
Aqua Man and His Wife
Pelago Ristorante (Raffaello Hotel, 201 E. Delaware Pl.; 312-280-0700), a 60-seat spot slated for a Streeterville boutique hotel, sounds like quite an upscale production. Italian porcelain chandeliers, white leather chairs, a mother-of-pearl fireplace, an aqua vestibule, aqua blue damask banquettes, and three meals a day from Mauro Mafrici (Manhattan’s Lo Scalco), a Trieste native plucked from obscurity by...
Posted Aug. 5, 2009, at 6:10 p.m.
A New Stakeholder
Starting Over
The star-crossed space at 444 North Wabash Avenue has another chapter. You may recall it as the former Jazz Record Mart or the place that Jason Paskewitz and Phil Lotsoff had rebuilt a few years back to house Jackson Park Bar and Grill, which never opened. Now it has been leased to...
Posted July 29, 2009, at 5:34 p.m.
Hearty Boys Town
Moral and Hearty
Steve McDonagh and Dan Smith, a.k.a. the Hearty Boys, are quietly moving forward with plans to turn their catering facility/TV studio (3819 N. Broadway; 773-244-9866) into a full-service restaurant, Hearty. “We’re calling it that, because that’s what the food will be,” says McDonagh. “It’s all twists on American comfort-food classics, like a deconstructed tuna casserole, which is...
Posted July 22, 2009, at 5:22 p.m.
Kelly, Meet Kleiner
The Canary Sings
Remember Rick Spiros, the chef involved in the short-lived Mantou Noodle Bar last winter? He’s back with the ambitious Red Canary (695 N. Milwaukee Ave.; 312-846-1475), a chef-driven “modern Victorian” lounge opening in the old Avenue M space as soon as the city gives a thumbs up. “It is a lounge that serves food,” says Spiros. “But it’s not serving food by some guy who is just kind of back there making...
Posted July 15, 2009, at 5:49 p.m.
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