One Degree of Trotter
Here, we present a selection from the local branch of the Trotter Family Tree, with the date of each chef’s tour of duty, and his or her current position.
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My Carrie Moment
I’ve been likened to the fictional sex columnist Carrie Bradshaw once or twice, but one thing we don’t have in common: the ability to trot in sky-high Manolo Blahniks. I bought my first pair recently on sale at Barneys (open-toe, patent-leather Mary Janes), but I’ve yet to wear them out of the house. Just looking at them in my closet gives me plenty of pleasure, sans pain.
But since I said I would participate in last night’s Service Club of Chicago charity fashion show at Chaise Lounge, I knew I might have to suck it up…
To Market, To Market . . .
Fox, Obel, and Vulpes?
Vulpes, LLC, a group of locally based investors led by the food retail veteran Bill Bolton, has agreed to purchase Fox & Obel (401 E. Illinois St.; 312-410-7301), Chicago’s leading gourmet food shop. The name will not change, nor will the people involved, but according to Fox & Obel’s president and CEO, Keith Montague, the deal leverages F & O’s longtime plan: expansion. “For a long time we have wanted to build additional stores and go to other areas,” Montague told us. “River North, South Loop, North Shore: all tremendous areas. Naperville, Oak Park. We are a small company and don’t have the luxury of opening sites that won’t be successful, so we want to be careful to do it right.” The deal, whose financial terms were not made public, is scheduled to close…
Mile-High Club
NV Penthouse Lounge features a “European flair” and a view of downtown Chicago
Eye on the Ball
The Four Corners boys shoot, score with a new hang in the Bulls’ ‘hood
Dining Out: Trailblazers
Our critic moseys into Texas to pit its two finest Southwestern restaurants against Rick Bayless’s legendary Frontera/Topolobampo one-two punch.
Geese is the Word
Poetry in Motion
Steve Schwartz, the owner of Campagnola (815 Chicago Ave., Evanston; 847-475-6100), is almost set to open Wild Geese (1245 Chicago Ave., Evanston), an eclectic restaurant with a huge bar. . “We had a guy come from Vermont who built the wood-burning oven,” Schwartz says. “It’s absolutely beautiful.” Pizzas and small plates will be on the menu, but Schwartz is reluctant to pigeonhole the restaurant, which shares a common performance/party space with a neighboring recording studio. And Wild Geese may sound like a random name for a pizzeria, but it comes from a poem of the same name by Mary Oliver: “Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting . . . ”
Out Lao’d
They say you should never open a restaurant in January, and Tony Hu didn’t. He opened two…
Best of 2007: Reader Comments
In the spirit of year-end lists—and not taking myself too seriously—I’ve compiled some of the best (and snarkiest) responses to Last Girl Standing, culled from comments posted to the blog throughout 2007. Here’s to even more banter in 2008.
In response to: Weekend Update
You said: “We have the privilege to read about the chronicles of a Chicago woman who is quickly approaching middle age. She flirts with randoms, gets wasted on expensive martinis, and spends time text messaging bar owners to try to get the ‘in.’ She is the epitome of the Old Man in the Window. If the Old Man had a column ten years ago, it’d be very similar. Last Girl Standing now, Alone Girl Sitting later.”
I say: That’s a great name for a blog! I’ll consider it for Last Girl Standing 2.0. But let’s get one thing clear…
Raising the Bar (Bill)
The U.S. economy may be sputtering, but the current trend on the club scene features markups worthy of the dot-com boom.
Powerhouse
After working with Grant Achatz at Trio and Alinea, chef John Peters plans to carve his own niche at Powerhouse.