Drover wrote:While it's not official yet, it's not exactly a secret either that M Pub, formerly Mirabell, has found a buyer and its days are numbered...

Looks like they made it official on their FB page today.

Sorry when anyone loses a job, but can't say I'll miss Parse's at 7049 W. Higgins.

Per their facebook page and website, the Davis Street Fishmarket in Evanston is closing up shop - a call to the resto revealed that their last day was yesterday (!). Here's their slightly salty (and somewhat bitter) post:

"Davis Street Fishmarket regrets the closing of our restaurant after thirty one years. Not many restaurants can say they were open that long–anywhere. The Fishmarket opened in 1985, when a gallon of gas was $1.09, and Nintendo was the wave of the future.

We are fortunate to have had such a great run, and we’re extremely proud of it. The restaurant business has changed in Evanston; when we opened we were one of only a handful of restaurants, and that number has dramatically changed. Nobody ever said the restaurant business is easy. It is a daily battle to keep your head above the water line. It’s also rewarding, creative, and enjoyable. Throwing a daily party for people is really fun. Now, it’s time to wrap it up and sell the restaurant. (New Asian concept anyone?)

A BIG thank you to all of of our employees, past and present. A special thanks to Ed Huelke, Dan Tarver, Omar Uddin, and Jose "Choco" Chavez. Thank you to all the phenomenal guests who passed through our doors. Thank you to those regulars who made The Fishmarket feel like home and who knew our names; we always knew yours. Thank you to our vendors who supplied us with the freshest fish and seafood out there. We could not have done it without all of you. Thank you! Gracias! Merci!

Lastly, as a little side note, to the few cheap or negative Yelper’s who think your reviews have made you a credentialed restaurant reviewer…….KISS MY ASS.

Tight lines to all, and fair winds and following seas, we have gone fishing!"

Davis Street Fishmarket
501 Davis St
Evanston, IL
(847) 869-3474
http://davisstreetfishmarket.net/

^^ Classy.

Good riddance.

Nothing like a tinge of yellow peril in your restaurant closing announcement.

If only they had paid the same attention to their long-standing customers as they did to Yelpers, maybe they'd still be open. Everything had slipped in years past. Unfortunately we're personally stuck with a couple hundred bucks of reward credit, which we were saving for some time for a family occasion where we had to host relatives we didn't like all that much.
>>Brent

I've been there sporadically in recent years, and I liked it. Especially for lunch.

I looked at their Yelp reviews, and they look like any other good restaurant on Yelp - mostly positive ones, along with a sprinkling of naysayers. So I don't think their comment about Yelpers is justified (and regardless, they shouldn't have mentioned it).

Noticed the building a couple of weeks ago while driving by, saw it again today and remembered to see what it was...

Pork Chops And Sushi? Take Peek Inside Global Kitchen Ahead Of Friday Debut

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160525/morgan-park/pork-chops-sushi-take-peek-inside-global-kitchen-ahead-of-friday-debut

Not sure if it did open or not.

Alex's, the burger joint on the corner of Irving Park and Troy, has closed. Not exactly "new" news but it hasn't been mentioned here yet. It was a typical Greek-owned greasy-spoon burger joint, one that I thought didn't get nearly as much attention as it deserved. It was a really solid burger spot and the old couple who ran it were like your Greek grandparents.

Tony's Finer Foods just opened in the great, sprawling space previously occupied by the short-lived Ultra Foods in Arlington Heights. Just took a spin through tonight. Not much different from the Tony's in Niles, but is appreciated as it's just down the street from me. I'm now pretty much surrounded with good stores.

Tony's Finer Foods
1241 N Rand Rd
Arlington Heights, IL 60004

Sad to report that after 30+ years, Itto Sushi's owners are retiring and closing up shop. Informed by my delivery driver-called the restaurant to confirm. Employees were told today. Been a rough year for rock stars and Chicago's traditional Japanese restaurant community. If anything happens to Renga Tei, I'll cry.

boudreaulicious wrote:Itto Sushi's owners are retiring and closing up shop.

I dig Itto, sorry to hear they are throwing in the o-shibori.

I'm with you 110% on Renga Tei, I would cry like a colicky infant if they closed.

boudreaulicious wrote:Sad to report that after 30+ years, Itto Sushi's owners are retiring and closing up shop. Informed by my delivery driver-called the restaurant to confirm. Employees were told today. Been a rough year for rock stars and Chicago's traditional Japanese restaurant community. If anything happens to Renga Tei, I'll cry.

Renga Tai, yes, I'd be unhappy over.

Itto... pretty mediocre. Ate at the restaurant once. I used them at The Casino Cub for a number of years for reception maki rolls, because the price was right. And pre made hours before maki rolls are pre-made hours old maki rolls. To quote someone famous..."What difference does it make?"

Using M Square catering company and there is a world of difference in the quality. Cost to us has doubled.

Well, I don't know about Japanese catering . . . and I'm usually not about maki either . . . but Itto was one of the best and steadiest Japanese options in the city as far as quality nigiri go - well cut fish, proper rice (a real rarity - texture, temp, flavor solid here) and pretty nicely seasoned. I don't get there very often these days due to logistics, but I will miss them a lot.

Sadly, whereas this area (and just north of it) once housed a number of solid old school Japanese options for sushi (and other Japanese restaurants), that era will be officially dead when Itto departs. There are still some remnants in what was once a pretty good sized Japanese community in the area, but I'm not sure of any that are owned by the original owners. I can only assume children of the original owners decided against entering the restaurant business. Times they are a changin'.

Sad to see Itto go. Although I haven't eaten there much since they moved to their present location, when they were located on the corner of Deming & Clark, Juko San & company gave me my introduction to sushi and taught me much about the finer points of sushi making and eating.

Sorry you had a bad experience once upon a time ER but it's definitely a loss for me. I love the homey feel of the place, cooked dishes are solid and sushi is properly prepared and includes specials like Aji and Kanpachi that you don't find at the Rollapaloozas of this world. Most importantly, they deliver--and properly too. Definitely planning to go in once last time before they close--I think I forgot to mention that it's supposed to be at the end of June. Not sure of the exact date.

boudreaulicious wrote:...it's definitely a loss for me. I love the homey feel of the place, cooked dishes are solid and sushi is properly prepared and includes specials like Aji and Kanpachi that you don't find at the Rollapaloozas of this world. Most importantly, they deliver--and properly too. Definitely planning to go in once last time before they close--I think I forgot to mention that it's supposed to be at the end of June. Not sure of the exact date.

Thanks for the additional info about Itto's likely closing date, boudreaulicious. This will be a real loss for us, and we're very sad. We've been Itto regulars for over 30 years now, following them from Clark to Halsted. Probably been in there an average of once every 10 days for all this time. (So, something like 1200 times?) Keiko and Juko have become like family to us. We will definitely get in there at least twice more before they're gone, to wish them well.

boudreaulicious wrote:Sorry you had a bad experience once upon a time ER but it's definitely a loss for me. I love the homey feel of the place, cooked dishes are solid and sushi is properly prepared and includes specials like Aji and Kanpachi that you don't find at the Rollapaloozas of this world. Most importantly, they deliver--and properly too. Definitely planning to go in once last time before they close--I think I forgot to mention that it's supposed to be at the end of June. Not sure of the exact date.

Hi Jenn,

I know from your posts that delivery is a big plus to you.

So... I'm not trashing Itto. It's just that we had a very bizzare experience on our one visit.

Juko and I always got along very well, and he always delivered the product to me personally. These shipments always included several six packs, even cases of Sapporo, Ichiban and other chilled refreshments for the kitchen staff. Any time I called and identified myself, he made a beeline to the phone. ($$$...) I also used him for "Sushi Stations" on big events like J. B. Pritzker's annual High Stakes Poker Tournament benefitting the Holocaust Museum in Skokie, ordering 1500 pieces, mostly made to order on an action station. Nice little piece of business to have every year.

So, for years, on a bi-weekly basis, he generously invited Donna and I to his restaurant. We finally said to ourselves, "why not?"

So...on that never to be forgotten evening, we were greeted with the most bizarre welcome. Like lepers, actually. One of the most uncomfortable meals of my life, and the quality of the fish left much to be desired. No eye contact at all, not to mention his passive aggressive behavior directed at us.

Should I have not accepted his offer to dine in his restaurant after having been invited 75-100 times?

I continued to politely order from him for a while. That evening was never mentioned by either of us, except for the numerous times I thanked him for his generosity and fine cuisine.

These old-fashioned Japanese places are gems and it's very sad to see them go. Ginza, Tokyo Marina, Sunshine, Itto, the original Matsuya (which to me was the king of the neighborhood Japanese places in its prime, much more like a corner spot in Hollywood than I've seen anywhere else except the NW burbs here). That more or less leaves us with the Japanese places surviving in Korean neighborhoods (never go, Lawrence Fish Market), Hatsu Hana, and Matsuya 2.0 (not as good or nearly as vast and traditional a menu - you could then get natto, battera, and the Japanese version of dan dan mien in a non-ironic, low-price clean well-lighted place for Christ sakes). The new wave of roll places and Thai hybrids mostly suck but my main complaint is that they are hardly Japanese in the ways that are relevant to me (mostly involves natto and grilled saba, plus a shout at the door). Closer to the Loop we still have the old-fashioned, serene Kamehachis and Cocoro -- the latter of which has an izakaya-ish Japanese appetizer menu worth checking out, and battera.

Pita 1 is open on Central in Evanston in the former Video Adventure space. I stopped in to pick up a menu and walked out with a sample of chicken shwarma they insisted I take. Have to say it was really tasty. Seemed to have a bit stronger marinade than others I have had and was crispy on the ends and yet still moist. It's clearly more expensive than the competition, but based on the bite I had today, worthy of more exploration.

The menu is what you would expect with the addition that the kebabs are cooked over wood.

While I can't find anything official online about the closure of Que Rico! (2301 W Roscoe) the lights have not been on since the week before Cinco De Mayo, their website is dead and the phone number is disconnected.

Seoul Taco by David Choi opened in River North.

Opening in the former Mercadito Counter space on Clark Street, the Korean-Mexican restaurant offers its namesake Seoul tacos ($2.50) with any of four fillings (a savory-and-sweet bulgogi beef, spicy pork, soy-marinated chicken or tofu), topped with a leafy Korean salad mix, sesame seeds, green onions and Choi’s secret “Seoul sauce," a creamy, spicy mayo-based sauce with a peppery kick.

Quesadillas ($7) and nachos ($8) get a punch of Korean flavor, thanks to touches like the Seoul sauce, kimchee, sesame seeds and more. Hearty burritos ($8) are made with your choice of protein, along with kimchee fried rice, lettuce, cheese, sour cream and Seoul sauce. Choi also offers bibimbap (here, dubbed the “gogi bowl”), with protein, rice, a selection of vegetables, fried egg, sesame oil and a spicy gochujang sauce.

Seoul Taco,
735 N. Clark St
http://www.seoultaco.com/

YELP:
https://www.yelp.com/biz/seoul-taco-chicago-2

admich wrote:While I can't find anything official online about the closure of Que Rico! (2301 W Roscoe) the lights have not been on since the week before Cinco De Mayo, their website is dead and the phone number is disconnected.

Wonder if they will sell their coconut heads. Most are pretty old and valuable. Would love them for my collection.
Oh, and sad they are closed.

I've been to Earls twice now. I think they have potential but their ordering process needs a complete rework.

The doughnuts were tasty if a bit heavy. The sauces were meh with the mustard based "Georgia" being my favorite.

Meats were inconsistent. Burger had good flavor but was a little greasy.

I still think it's better than Gale St but that's a pretty low bar.

The team behind the highly-acclaimed Italian restaurant Osteria Langhe is planning to open a second Italian concept in Logan Square this summer.

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2016060 ... his-summer

Big Ange's in Arlington Heights finally opened....and then closed

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/a ... story.html

Hopefully they'll open up again soon.

Animale opens on Wed according to sign that was on their door... there appeared to be a friends and family dinner going on tonight when I walked past on the way home from work.

"Finch" written in big yellow letters on the old Breakroom Brewery building. Quick turn around.

Per the Jollibee USA website, the Skokie Jollibee location is scheduled to open in July 2016

Jollibee
3534 W Touhy Ave (at St Louis Ave)
Skokie, IL 60076

blipsman wrote:Animale opens on Wed according to sign that was on their door... there appeared to be a friends and family dinner going on tonight when I walked past on the way home from work.

Animale
http://www.animalechicago.com/
1904 N. Western Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647
(872) 315-3912,
Open 4:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Monday through Thursday; 3 p.m. to midnight on Friday; 11 a.m. to midnight on Saturday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday.