01/07/09
John Peters (the former chef at Powerhouse) is in talks with Grant Achatz, his boss at Alinea (1723 N. Halsted St.; 312-867-0110), to do a restaurant project together. “Our intention is to open something else in the style of Alinea,” says Peters, who goes with Achatz back to the Trio days. “Not another heavy-hitter restaurant but something in the style of Alinea. We are kind of in limbo with the economy, obviously, but hopefully...
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12/24/08
Getting Mary’d
After 11 years of anchoring Andersonville, the idiosyncratic Tomboy (5402 N. Clark St.; 773-907-0636) is getting out while the getting’s good. Tomboy’s neighbor “Hamburger Mary’s [5400 N. Clark St.; 773-784-6969] is expanding,” says Stacy Malow-Williams, a partner at Tomboy, which closed on December 21st. “I have an eight-month-old baby at home and we got an offer we could not refuse. It’s the perfect opportunity.” Ashley Wright, a partner at Hamburger Mary’s Chicago franchise, says his restaurant will double its seating capacity when the new space opens in the spring. “It will be mostly high-topped tables,” says Wright, who promises the same...
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12/17/08
Quick Bite
On a no-man’s-land stretch at the edge of Uptown, six-week-old Monticchio (4882 N. Clark St.; 773-275-7080) could someday qualify as a pioneer. We were intrigued by the Tuscan-contemporary spot after the owner, Jim Delelio, said about his Neapolitan pizza, “I didn’t want to put myself out there as the best pizza in Chicago. Even if we are. . . .” So Pollack checked the place out. Decent pizza, nice slice of moist banana cake, but the showstopper was...
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12/12/08
Failure to Communicate
Today’s big news: Roland Liccioni, who put Le Français back on the map in the nineties, is apparently leaving Old Town Brasserie (1209 N. Wells St.; 312-943-3000) just before Christmas. “I’m going to France to visit my mother, take some time off,” Liccioni says. After that, he has no plans, but would like to stay in Chicago. Bob Djahanguiri, OTB’s owner, sees it differently. “I told him...
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12/11/08
. . . To Grandmother’s House We Go
Scott Harris (Mia Francesca) and Patrick Concannon (Don Juan’s) plan to open a rustic Italian spot called Osteria Ottimo (16111 S. La Grange Rd., Orland Park; 708-403-3366) around the New Year. “It’s going to feel as though it’s been there for a hundred years,” says Concannon, who has been a corporate chef at Francesca’s for the past six years. “Old barn wood, lots of brick, white mosaic tile.” The 130-seat spot will also feature an open kitchen, a glassed-in antipasti area, and straight-up Italian comfort food: lasagne...
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12/10/08
Dish will be delayed until tomorrow (Thursday 12/11) while we wrap up a couple more details.
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12/03/08
Jim Dragatsis (Marigold), Howard Natinsky (Fat Cat), and Cary Michael (formerly of Rockit) are collaborating on Branch 27 (1371 W. Chicago Ave.), a 120-seat American bistro in the old 27th Ward library. “We are focusing on foods people are very familiar with—flat-iron steaks, great mussels, great seafood—classics done very well,” says Dragatsis. “The plates are not going to be loaded with garnishes and sauces.” The partners...
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11/19/08
New ’Cue
Main Street Smokehouse (536 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville), a promising 35-seat spot slated to open the first week of January, plans to put its own spins on barbecue styles around the country. “I’m pairing pork shoulder with my own apple cider ale barbecue sauce, and ribs with maple chipotle sauce, and brisket with a sweet Tennessee-style sauce,” says the owner, Eddie Moore, a culinary school graduate who has been working as a caterer in...
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11/12/08
A Measured Approach
“The logo is a carafe pouring wine into a goblet; then the sign in the window says it’s BYO,” says a sharp-eyed FOD who noticed Uptown’s new Fontana Grill (1329 W. Wilson Ave.; 773-561-0400). OK, to be fair, the Italian wine bar/restaurant doesn’t have its liquor license yet. But when it arrives, expect a unique concept: 24 bottles, changing monthly, each priced at either $22 or $44, and you will be charged by...
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11/05/08
Continuing Adventures of Pizza
Standing on the shoulders of Ravenswood’s Spacca Napoli and countless others—oh, and 119 years of history—Andersonville’s new Antica Pizzeria (5663 N. Clark St.; 773-944-1492) has joined the Neapolitan pizza uprising. Mario Rapisarda, the chef-partner (his partner is Faris Faycurry who also has a stake in Dylan’s Tavern and Grill), is a Sicily native and a veteran of Spiaggia, so we’re guessing he knows from Italian food. “It’s a very small, simple menu, because Mario is all about quality control,” said a manager. “Everything is made fresh daily, and they shop for...
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