Openings

Open now: Evanstonians can say oui to some gorgeous French treats at Patisserie Coralie (600 Davis St.), soft open as of now. Owner Pascal Berthomieux teamed up with Parisian pastry chef Manuel Bouillet (who did stints at acclaimed patisseries such as Un Dimanche à Paris) to create a slew of éclairs, Napoleons, and madeleines, among others.

Open now: Momotaro (820 W. Lake St., West Loop) has a pretty impressive pedigree. The very savvy Boka Restaurant Group (Balena, Girl & the Goat) stocked its Japanese stunner with two chefs, one for hot dishes (Mark Hellyar) and another for sushi (the Michelin-starred Jeff Ramsey).

Morsels

A bit of a shocker: Cicchetti (671 N. St. Clair St., Streeterville, 312-642-1800), the Venetian-inspired osteria from Dan Rosenthal (Trattoria No. 10) attached to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, will close after this weekend. We loved the small plates spot enough to name it the city’s sixth best new restaurant earlier this year, but the sudden departure of chef Michael Sheerin (Trenchermen) and pastry chef Sarah Jordan a few weeks ago appear to have been ominous signs in retrospect.

And now for some less shocking news about another osteria on our Best New Restaurants list. Our second-favorite, Nico Osteria (Thompson Hotel, 1015 N. Rush St., Gold Coast, 312-994-7100), made Esquire’s list of the best openings of the year, with writer Josh Ozersky calling out both the spot’s outstanding fish dishes and desserts.

Can you guess what the top-grossing independent restaurant in Chicago is? Here are some hints: It serves steak. It’s on Rush Street. It’s got a fancy neon sign. Its name starts with a G. Yes, it’s Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse (1028 N. Rush St., Gold Coast, 312-266-8999), which, according to Restaurant Business Online, is the eighth highest grossing restaurant in the country. Several other Chicago spots made the top 100—the full list is here.

There’s a new face in the kitchen at Inovasi (28 E. Center Ave., Lake Bluff, 847-295-1000), as Matt DuBois (EL Ideas) is taking over as the spot’s first ever chef de cuisine. DuBois graduated from Kendal College in 2008 and also worked at several spots in Portland, Oregon, before coming back to Chicago.

Time for a shameless plug! Our very tasty annual event Chicago’s Table will take place November 7 at the Montgomery Club (500 W. Superior St., River North), and tickets ($125) are available now. Expect drinks and bites from standouts such as Baffo, Honey Butter Fried Chicken, the Radler, and more. Also, part of the proceeds go to the Shedd Aquarium, so you can feel benevolent as you stuff your face.