Dish Delay: Worth Waiting For
Hey, folks, Pollack and Ruby are under the gun with deadlines. You’ll get your Dish tomorrow, complete with a couple of juicy restaurant scoops.
Thanks for your patience.
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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…
The It List: What’s Coming Up in Nightlife
1. You heard it here first: Dan Schwab of Avenue M has partnered with White Sox GM Kenny Williams to open an upscale sports bar late this fall or early winter in the West Loop, at 1113 West Randolph Street. There’s no name yet, and Schwab is open to suggestions. Post your best shot…
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…
Rodeo Drive
Wicker Park’s hippest strip snags a new cantina with a Spanish accent
Dining Tidbits
Hub 51, Café Orchid, Steve’s Deli, Mexique
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…
Front Burner: Stephanie Izard
September 2008: Sautéed Marinated Shrimp with Corn Yogurt and Corn, Green Tomato, and Bacon Salad
Real Good Beer
While Chicago confronted what sounds like a hailstorm of biblical proportions last week, Texas, where I had road tripped, was busy sandwiching the half-hearted tropical storm Edouard with raging, relentless, stick-to-the-car-seat heat. What better way to wash down rain and rampant sweat than with more moisture, in the form of cold beer? If you’re ever in the Texas Hill Country—that incongruous swath of elevation that rides the Lone Star State’s belly like a giant belt buckle—find yourself a bottle of…