There's been no progress for quite a while in getting the new Yu's Mandarin on Route 60 in Vernon Hills ready to open --- the chainlink fence remains around the parking lot and nothing inside the chainlink fence has changed for weeks. It's really frustrating that they seemed to have stopped working on the building when it appeared to be so close to being done.

Meanwhile, just a building or two over, signs indicate the former Famous Dave's Barbecue will become an outpost of McAlister's Deli. Based on the pace of construction visible, it may well be open before Yu's Mandarin.

A Chicago Tribune article suggested Vernon Hills officials gave the McAlister's franchisee a lukewarm reception; apparently they were hoping for another breakfast place like Ely's Pancake House. I think they should enthusiastically support any businesses that want to occupy their empty buildings and call Yu's Mandarin and find out when they're going to get into gear.

Hot Dog Central at Central and Irving Park is papered over. Tough luck for that place; they opened just in time to get smoked out by a building fire that knocked them and Amigo Chino out of commission for at least a year and a half, finally re-open and then shutter again after a year.

Banh Mi BaGet on Roscoe and Hoyne is closed. The storefront is listed as for lease but there's a small handwritten note on the door that says they'll "reopen soon." Not sure if the other two locations, in Logan Square and Lakeview, are still open.

JoelF wrote:Tokens & Tankards in Mt Prospect has closed per their facebook page

came to post this. so sad - really nice guy owned that place, and he was trying to turn it around.

Rose Angelis in Lincoln Park is closing on October 1.

Sad day as it was truly a neighborhood restaurant that had a cute space & great food, plus a nice patio in the summer.

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2016091 ... ncoln-park

JoeChicago wrote:Rose Angelis in Lincoln Park is closing on October 1.

Sad day as it was truly a neighborhood restaurant that had a cute space & great food, plus a nice patio in the summer.

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2016091 ... ncoln-park

I'm sad, too, for you and the other neighbors who will miss it, as well as the owner and staff. But my memory is that it offered long, crowded waits for big servings of just-OK pasta.

That said, it's been twenty years since I've been there, and maybe my impression is unfair.

According to Eater, FireFin is expanding into two more locations to satisfy the poke-craving hordes downtown:

Locations at 174 N. Franklin St. and 500 W. Madison (Ogilvie Transportation Center) should open in the winter, according to a news release.

http://chicago.eater.com/2016/9/13/1290 ... poke-shops

174 N Franklin St is the current address for Perry's Deli. I'm guessing the tides have turned and the massive, expensive Jewish-esque style deli sandwich is going to replaced with the tiny, expensive Japanese-Hawai'ian salad bowl.

lodasi wrote:174 N Franklin St is the current address for Perry's Deli. I'm guessing the tides have turned and the massive, expensive Jewish-esque style deli sandwich is going to replaced with the tiny, expensive Japanese-Hawai'ian salad bowl.

I was sad to read this. I haven't been to Perry's for years, but used to be somewhat fond of the place, especially when Perry himself ran it. It wasn't the world's greatest deli and I didn't love everything they served, but a few of those giant combination sandwiches really worked, at least for me. I might have to get back there for one last Ormand Street Special.



Or maybe it's not so urgent.

In the Chicago Tribune Nick Kindelsperger wrote:A call confirmed that the stalwart sandwich slinger will leave this address [174 N Franklin] after 34 years. Apparently, the deli is planning to move to a new location in the Loop, though nothing has been officially finalized.

riddlemay wrote:

JoeChicago wrote:Rose Angelis in Lincoln Park is closing on October 1.

Sad day as it was truly a neighborhood restaurant that had a cute space & great food, plus a nice patio in the summer.

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2016091 ... ncoln-park

I'm sad, too, for you and the other neighbors who will miss it, as well as the owner and staff. But my memory is that it offered long, crowded waits for big servings of just-OK pasta.

That said, it's been twenty years since I've been there, and maybe my impression is unfair.

Great little place, but I was never a fan of the food. If you like creamy pastas with pine nuts, then maybe this was your place.

Clarke's Back In Lakeview With Original Menu, 1960s Decor And 24-Hour Grub

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2016091 ... -hour-grub

Traditional Oaxacan Restaurant Kie-Gol-Lanee Coming To Uptown

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2016091 ... ing-uptown

I live near Little Beet Table - and tonight walking by someone from there told me the soft opening is tonight. I'll put this one under having opened. I believe they're open until about 11pm - kitchen open until 10:30pm. Menu looked pretty good. They use almost all local area ingrediants.

Little Beet Table
845 N State St

Drover wrote:

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. I don't think I'm at liberty yet to say who the buyer is, but he's an executive chef from a fairly prominent downtown-area steakhouse who plans to convert it into a sort of Italian steakhouse. Hopefully they can swipe some business away from Olive Garden, whose lot is distressingly full on any given night.

I guess the cat is officially out of the bag now. The Mirabell/M Pub buyer is Arturo Aucaquizhphi, executive chef (now former executive chef I presume) at Gene and Georgetti.

The "Coming Soon" sign is up and the new name for the old Mirabell spot will be...

Mirabella Italian Cuisine
3454 W. Addison
312-631-8832

Dining near Northwestern University is about to get more exciting as Alpana Singh has announced a Sept. 29 opening date for her latest restaurant, this time located at 1701 Maple Ave. in suburban Evanston. Terra & Vine is the former "Check, Please!" host’s third restaurant, following The Boarding House in River North and Seven Lions on Michigan Avenue.

http://chicago.eater.com/2016/9/16/1294 ... ening-date

Katie wrote:There's been no progress for quite a while in getting the new Yu's Mandarin on Route 60 in Vernon Hills ready to open --- the chainlink fence remains around the parking lot and nothing inside the chainlink fence has changed for weeks. ...call Yu's Mandarin and find out when they're going to get into gear.

Chainlink fence still remains, the neon sign was blinking on and off last night. A call to the Schaumburg location yielded the same story I've heard repeated for more than a year, "planning to open next month." I miss the honey peach prawns at Silk Mandarin.

A new outpost of MingHin Cuisine opens today in Rolling Meadows.
http://minghincuisine.com/photos/rollingmeadows

1440 Golf Rd
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008

For the sake of reference, the new location is 1 mile from Mitsuwa.

According to Eater, the Falafill on Broadway at Belmont closed Sept. 17. This one hits me right in the stomach! I didn't make it often, but I always made an effort to grab a quick lunch there when I was in the area. I loved that dang topping bar.

http://chicago.eater.com/2016/9/21/1300 ... hard-water

Asian Cajun Too, another one of those cajun-seafood-cooked-in-a-bag places, is now open on Chicago Avenue in Evanston, in the former home of Addis Abeba.

Asian Cajun Too
1322 CHICAGO AVE.
EVANSTON
TEL. 224-307-2870

Drover wrote:

Drover wrote:

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. I don't think I'm at liberty yet to say who the buyer is, but he's an executive chef from a fairly prominent downtown-area steakhouse who plans to convert it into a sort of Italian steakhouse. Hopefully they can swipe some business away from Olive Garden, whose lot is distressingly full on any given night.

I guess the cat is officially out of the bag now. The Mirabell/M Pub buyer is Arturo Aucaquizhphi, executive chef (now former executive chef I presume) at Gene and Georgetti.

The "Coming Soon" sign is up and the new name for the old Mirabell spot will be...

Mirabella Italian Cuisine
3454 W. Addison
312-631-8832

Eater had a brief write-up mentioning they should be open in about three weeks. Article also includes a nice send-off from Gene and Georgetti.

http://chicago.eater.com/2016/9/22/1301 ... getti-chef

There is a sign in the window of the now closed Funky Monk in Evanston announcing the fall opening of Viet Nom Nom. Hope the food is better than the name

Viet Nom Nom will be a prototype for what two recent Kellogg School of Management grads hope will be a chain of Chipotle-style fast-casual restaurants featuring Vietnamese food. Story here.

Temporis, a 20-seat prix-fixe restaurant, is preparing to debut soon in Noble Square, featuring a $110 tasting menu and optional wine pairings for $95. Co-chef and partner Sam Plotnick brought on his old Les Nomades boss, Evan Fullerton, as co-chef for the fine-dining restaurant, which is shooting for an early November opening.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... restaurant

Rene G wrote:

lodasi wrote:174 N Franklin St is the current address for Perry's Deli. I'm guessing the tides have turned and the massive, expensive Jewish-esque style deli sandwich is going to replaced with the tiny, expensive Japanese-Hawai'ian salad bowl.

I was sad to read this. I haven't been to Perry's for years, but used to be somewhat fond of the place, especially when Perry himself ran it. It wasn't the world's greatest deli and I didn't love everything they served, but a few of those giant combination sandwiches really worked, at least for me. I might have to get back there for one last Ormand Street Special.



Or maybe it's not so urgent.

In the Chicago Tribune Nick Kindelsperger wrote:A call confirmed that the stalwart sandwich slinger will leave this address [174 N Franklin] after 34 years. Apparently, the deli is planning to move to a new location in the Loop, though nothing has been officially finalized.

Consider this your last warning if you want to scarf down a gargantuan sandwich at the restaurant's storefront at 174 N. Franklin St., because this Friday is the last day. Make a pilgrimage if you need to, but don't despair if you can't make it. Perry's will reopen Monday less than a block away at 160 N. Franklin St.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/re ... story.html

According to Eater, The Craftsman has opened in downtown Naperville.

The tri-level spot will feature a deli, butcher and cafe on the first floor ("Market Cafe"), a farm-to-table restaurant on the second floor ("Modern Tavern") and a cocktail bar with small plates on the third floor and rooftop will be opening in October ("The Third Floor").

No TVs and no brewing equipment.

http://chicago.eater.com/2016/9/28/1309 ... pen-photos

The Craftsman
16 W Jefferson Ave
Naperville, IL 60540
(630) 615-7100
http://twobrothersbrewing.com/restaurants/thecraftsman/

Pro Samgyubsal has finally opened (3420 N Milwaukee Northbrook, IL)
My wife and I visited on Sunday and can say the meat quality is impressive and the pricing makes it even better.

Parking can be a bit of a hassle during peak times and service is a little lacking, but chalk it up to opening/growing pains and I've got a new regular KBBQ spot.

"Samgyubsal" translates to pork belly so that is their specialty and we tried 3 of their different cuts and all were good. They also offer traditional beef cuts all to be grilled tableside. The servers don't do much grilling (not sure if it was because they were busy or if that's their model) so it is very self-service once the meat's brought out. Side dishes were delicious and fermented soybean soup is included! A welcome addition to the Chicagoland area.

tkoo wrote:Pro Samgyubsal has finally opened (3420 N Milwaukee Northbrook, IL)
My wife and I visited on Sunday and can say the meat quality is impressive and the pricing makes it even better.

Do they use live charcoal, or is this a cook with gas operation?

Griddle 24, a new diner from the owners of the White Palace and Hollywood grills, is scheduled to open on Oct. 10, according to a restaurant rep. The long-awaited diner was built on top of the Baba Palace parcel on the northeast corner of Chicago and Orleans.

http://chicago.eater.com/2016/9/28/1309 ... le-24-menu

stevez wrote:

tkoo wrote:Pro Samgyubsal has finally opened (3420 N Milwaukee Northbrook, IL)
My wife and I visited on Sunday and can say the meat quality is impressive and the pricing makes it even better.

Do they use live charcoal, or is this a cook with gas operation?

It's cook with gas here

Rumor has it Brgrbelly is moving to Clark St. in Andersonville or at least looking into it.

A new, upscale Thai place, Nakorn Kitchen, has opened in Evanston. They still seem to be in their soft opening stage. The decor is lovely, and we liked what we had (a brisket appetizer and a half-chicken) well enough. They only appear to be open for dinner now--no idea if they plan to expand to lunch.

Nakorn Kitchen
1622 Orrington Ave.
Evanston
www.nakornkitchen.com
(847) 733-8424
Menu: http://nakornkitchen.com/assets/PDF/PreOpening-menu.pdf