Penny Pollack

Two Sides of the Same Franc
Here’s the news on Rendezvous Bistro (2656 W. Lawrence Ave.; 773-561-4400), a new traditional French spot in Ravenswood, followed by Pollack’s first impressions from her visit:
News: Rendezvous’ owner, Simon Yacobi, worked at Kiki’s Bistro for 24 years, first as a waiter to earn pocket money while at the University of Illinois–Chicago, and eventually as a manager. Read more

Already the site of the recent openings of Aldino’s and Davanti Enoteca, Little Italy will soon get a new paired restaurant and bar. The restaurant, One.Six One (1251 W. Taylor St.; 312-226-1611), is named for the golden ratio (a.k.a. phi or 1.618 and so forth)... Read more

Monday is the inaugural trip for Flirty Cupcakes, the mobile cupcake seller that managed to find a way to comply with Chicago’s strict food-truck laws. Here’s where the Flirty van plans to stop... Read more

Burgers in Bloom
Three weeks ago, we reported on a new, more upmarket second location of Poag Mahone’s planned for 195 North Dearborn Street. Dan Rosenthal, Poag’s owner, tells us a more downmarket Poag is in the works as well... Read more

When you buy a wagyu burger, you enter in a cycle of pampering. The cows legendarily get their massages and beer, and then you indulge yourself by spending a mint to buy the burger. A new menu item at The Bad Apple (4300 N. Lincoln Ave.; 773-360-8406) puts that cycle in a whole new gear... Read more

When Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas, business partners at Alinea (1723 N. Halsted St.; 312-867-0110), drop even a few crumbs of information about their future projects, people become like teenage girls around rock idols. (Case in point: Normally intelligent journalists thought Achatz and Kokonas were opening a bar called Boom.) Well, get ready for unbridled screaming. Achatz and Kokonas plan to open Next, a restaurant with a concept unlike any we’ve heard of before... Read more