Shikago (190 S. La Salle St.; 312-781-7300), the Loop spot he owned with his brother, Alan—he has retired from the restaurant business altogether. Shikami (Kevin, Yoshi’s, Jimmy’s Place) recently married and plans to travel with his wife to Southeast Asia, then relocate to Hawaii. Stepping into his shoes is...

" /> Shikago (190 S. La Salle St.; 312-781-7300), the Loop spot he owned with his brother, Alan—he has retired from the restaurant business altogether. Shikami (Kevin, Yoshi’s, Jimmy’s Place) recently married and plans to travel with his wife to Southeast Asia, then relocate to Hawaii. Stepping into his shoes is...

" /> Shikago (190 S. La Salle St.; 312-781-7300), the Loop spot he owned with his brother, Alan—he has retired from the restaurant business altogether. Shikami (Kevin, Yoshi’s, Jimmy’s Place) recently married and plans to travel with his wife to Southeast Asia, then relocate to Hawaii. Stepping into his shoes is...

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Mantuano’s Renaissance

Rebuilding Shikago

Chef Kevin Shikami has not only left Shikago (190 S. La Salle St.; 312-781-7300), the Loop spot he owned with his brother, Alan—he has retired from the restaurant business altogether. Shikami (Kevin, Yoshi’s, Jimmy’s Place) recently married and plans to travel with his wife to Southeast Asia, then relocate to Hawaii. Stepping into his shoes is…

Presto Merlo

High on Merlo

In late September, Giampaolo Sassi and Luisa Silvia Marani, who own Merlo Ristorante and Merlo on Maple, plan to unveil La Trattoria del Merlo, a simple 99-seat Bolognese restaurant, at 1967 North Halsted Street. “The concept in general is ‘like it is in Italy,’” says Marani, also the chef. “That means I prepare things with…

A New Urban Legend

Rubbing the Belly

The most beloved new restaurant in Chicago right now? Urbanbelly (3053 N. California Ave.; 773-583-0500), Bill Kim’s noodle-and-dumpling BYO in Avondale. On The Huffington Post, Steve Dolinsky called it “the best first-day opening of any restaurant in Chicago,” and approximately a zillion Yelpers, LTHers, and other species of foodies have already weighed in with praise. A pair of trusted FODs who live in the neighborhood went nuts for the…

No Bull: The scoop on Bull & Bear; plus, a new bar alert and celeb spotting

Luke Stoioff—along with fellow Stone Lotus partners David Rekhson and Brandon Zisman—has been working on Bull & Bear (431 N. Wells St.), a high-end sports bar for Loopers and traders, for more that a year. Although the place isn’t slated to open until mid-October, the trio already has a slew of other projects in the pipeline, including…

When You Wish Upon A Sushi Bar

Yeah, I Wish for 10,000 Hamachi Rolls

Andy Park was the executive chef of Blu Coral (1265 N. Milwaukee Ave.; 773-252-2020) when one of his longtime customers told him he was building a mall. Turns out the guy was Mike Jaffe, the developer of The Arboretum, a soon-to-open 600,000-square-foot open-air lifestyle center in South Barrington. Next thing you know…