Openings, Closings, Comings & Goings, Oct. - Dec. 2013

Please post all related news on this thread.

For last quarter's Openings and Closings, please this thread:

Openings, Closings, Comings & Goings - July - September 2013

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=R=
for the Moderators

Important Reminder:

LTH,

Please, do not post about a closing without making absolutely certain that your information is correct and accurate in every way.

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It's far more important to be accurate than early with your information. The best course of action may be to make a phone call to the establishment before posting anything. But whatever you do, make sure you are 100% correct before posting about a closing on this thread or any other in these forums.

Thanks again,

=R=
for the moderators

Recently opened in the forgotten fringes of Irving Park: Diego's Picanteria Cocina Ecuatoria. Seems they cater to a mostly Ecuadorian clientele; the menu is almost entirely in Spanish and there are no explanations for what the items are in any language. Even if you speak Spanish it may not help you much unless you're intimately familiar with Ecuadorian cuisine; an acquaintance from Guatemala indicated that even she had no idea what many of the items were.

Also recently opened a few doors down in the original Papi's Cafe space is Hannah's Sandwiches and Cafe. It looks to be a Cuban-Rican type place with sandwiches served on plantains jibarito-style.

Diego's Picanteria
3443 N. Milwaukee Ave
773-853-0590

Hannah's Sandwiches and Cafe
3507 N. Milwaukee Ave
773-657-3148

Cookies & Carnitas will be opening in the old Barry's Spot space at 5759 N. Broadway. According to their Facebook page, they have been at Green City Market. Has anyone tried their food?

A New Orleans-style restaurant is set to open mid October in River North. The 130-seat Nouveau Tavern will occupy Ai Sushi's old space at 358 W. Ontario in a block that's seen two restaurant closings this year.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... iver-north

Dave148 wrote:

A New Orleans-style restaurant is set to open mid October in River North. The 130-seat Nouveau Tavern will occupy Ai Sushi's old space at 358 W. Ontario in a block that's seen two restaurant closings this year.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... iver-north

They are actually supposed to open this Friday, October 4th...If you go to their Facebook page, they actually talk about it there in a few posts. Also to note that Nouvou will be a bar as well with 2am/3am (Saturday) closing time and they will have bottle service apparently too (think Dom Perignon). Not sure if that means they'll be a lounge setting more than a bar (my guess is yes to the lounge), but this is the information I have attained.

According to neighborhood gossip, a new Vietnamese place will be opening in the old Al Primo Canto space on Devon in Edgebrook.

That Al Primo Canto spot was at least three storefronts, wasn't it? Pretty big.

But if true, that would be a great spot, although parking is a bear around that area. When I have a craving for Vietnamese food in that vicinity, it's either Dung Gia by the Des Plaines train station or Hoanh Long on Lincoln south of Devon. Both very good, but I'm still searching for an off-the-charts Vietnamese joint, like the old Mekong on Broadway & Argyle, or Hue around the corner near the El station, both of which are long gone. Along with Pasteur (I believe on Broadway), they were instrumental in bring authentic Vietnamese cuisine to Chicago, mid '80's I'm thinking.

The GP wrote:Cookies & Carnitas will be opening in the old Barry's Spot space at 5759 N. Broadway. According to their Facebook page, they have been at Green City Market. Has anyone tried their food?

Yes. Big thumbs up.

jnm123 wrote:That Al Primo Canto spot was at least three storefronts, wasn't it? Pretty big.

But if true, that would be a great spot, although parking is a bear around that area. When I have a craving for Vietnamese food in that vicinity, it's either Dung Gia by the Des Plaines train station or Hoanh Long on Lincoln south of Devon. Both very good, but I'm still searching for an off-the-charts Vietnamese joint, like the old Mekong on Broadway & Argyle, or Hue around the corner near the El station, both of which are long gone. Along with Pasteur (I believe on Broadway), they were instrumental in bring authentic Vietnamese cuisine to Chicago, mid '80's I'm thinking.

Pasteur was, and is, more of a fusion menu.

jnm123 wrote:I'm still searching for an off-the-charts Vietnamese joint, like the old Mekong on Broadway & Argyle, or Hue around the corner near the El station, both of which are long gone.

Then you should visit GNR Nha Hang Vietnam.

Nha Hang Viet Nam
1032 W Argyle St
Chicago, IL 60640
773-878-8895

stevez wrote:

jnm123 wrote:I'm still searching for an off-the-charts Vietnamese joint, like the old Mekong on Broadway & Argyle, or Hue around the corner near the El station, both of which are long gone.

Then you should visit GNR Nha Hang Vietnam.

Nha Hang Viet Nam
1032 W Argyle St
Chicago, IL 60640
773-878-8895

Agreed. Great place and authentic (or so I've been told). My favorite in the city right now.

I'm ecstatic about the prospect of a new restaurant in Edgebrook. Al Primo Canto was always packed, as are Thai Elephant and Mia Figlia down the block. This neighborhood has repeatedly shown it can support good food; the problem has always been the landlord who owns (owned?) the majority of the storefronts on Devon. Hopefully, some movement indicates things are changing...
Any more intel (if it's available) on the Vietnamese place would be greatly appreciated!

MikeL wrote:Al Primo Canto was always packed . . .

Is this true? If so, I think it'd still be there. I loved the place but it was never packed when I was there, though it deserved to be.

=R=

The GP wrote:Cookies & Carnitas will be opening in the old Barry's Spot space at 5759 N. Broadway. According to their Facebook page, they have been at Green City Market. Has anyone tried their food?

Very good carnitas. Maybe not Don Alfredo good but then again who is?

AngrySarah wrote:

The GP wrote:Cookies & Carnitas will be opening in the old Barry's Spot space at 5759 N. Broadway. According to their Facebook page, they have been at Green City Market. Has anyone tried their food?

Very good carnitas. Maybe not Don Alfredo good but then again who is?

Good to hear some positive intel about Cookies and Carnitas. I look forward to trying it!

jnm123 wrote:Both very good, but I'm still searching for an off-the-charts Vietnamese joint, like the old Mekong on Broadway & Argyle, or Hue around the corner near the El station, both of which are long gone. Along with Pasteur (I believe on Broadway), they were instrumental in bring authentic Vietnamese cuisine to Chicago, mid '80's I'm thinking.

Although Chicago had Vietnamese restaurants in the mid-1970s, they didn't really get established until a cluster opened on Argyle in the late '70s and early '80s. Hue and Mekong (both opened around 1982 or '83) were probably the first to appeal to a wider non-Asian audience. Hue was in the current Honeymoon Cafe space; Mekong occupied the corner where Tank is now. Pasteur opened around 1986 at the southeast corner of Sheridan & Lawrence and became perhaps the most popular of the bunch, partly due to appearances at Taste of Chicago. Their food was quite good too.

spinynorman99 wrote:Pasteur was, and is, more of a fusion menu.

As I recall, Pasteur in its early days at Sheridan & Lawrence was a very good, purely Vietnamese restaurant. If there were any fusion-y dishes I overlooked them. By the time Pasteur moved to Broadway in the late '90s (a fire forced them out of their original location) it was a very different restaurant than the original.

The GP wrote:

AngrySarah wrote:

The GP wrote:Cookies & Carnitas will be opening in the old Barry's Spot space at 5759 N. Broadway. According to their Facebook page, they have been at Green City Market. Has anyone tried their food?

Very good carnitas. Maybe not Don Alfredo good but then again who is?

Good to hear some positive intel about Cookies and Carnitas. I look forward to trying it!

They had a really nice dish at the Green City Market BBQ Festival this past July.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

MikeL wrote:Al Primo Canto was always packed . . .

Is this true? If so, I think it'd still be there. I loved the place but it was never packed when I was there, though it deserved to be.

=R=

My in-laws live two blocks from there, so we know the area pretty well. I wouldn't describe the Devon Ave. Al Primo Canto as having been always packed, except on weekends. What I think did them in was a) the recession hurting their margins, given the huge amount of food they served for the price point and b) the failed expansion into River North. And the parking's not THAT bad, if you don't mind parking around the corner by the train station.

I don't know the financial details, but if they'd put any money into the location that was on Clark and Superior, they must have taken a bath in red ink. With the higher rent for that part of the city, the relatively poor crowds it drew, and being lumped in with Fogo de Chao and nearby Zed 451 into the same general cuisine (yes, I know it was galeteria vs. churrascaria, but to the layperson it was all the same), they never quite recovered from that move. If they'd wanted a second location, they'd have been much better off going to Lincoln Park or maybe Bucktown. FWIW, even though we lived in Streeterville, we usually went to the original because the owners were usually there and the quality IMO was better.

Rene G wrote:

jnm123 wrote:Both very good, but I'm still searching for an off-the-charts Vietnamese joint, like the old Mekong on Broadway & Argyle, or Hue around the corner near the El station, both of which are long gone. Along with Pasteur (I believe on Broadway), they were instrumental in bring authentic Vietnamese cuisine to Chicago, mid '80's I'm thinking.

Although Chicago had Vietnamese restaurants in the mid-1970s, they didn't really get established until a cluster opened on Argyle in the late '70s and early '80s. Hue and Mekong (both opened around 1982 or '83) were probably the first to appeal to a wider non-Asian audience. Hue was in the current Honeymoon Cafe space; Mekong occupied the corner where Tank is now. Pasteur opened around 1986 at the southeast corner of Sheridan & Lawrence and became perhaps the most popular of the bunch, partly due to appearances at Taste of Chicago. Their food was quite good too.

spinynorman99 wrote:Pasteur was, and is, more of a fusion menu.

As I recall, Pasteur in its early days at Sheridan & Lawrence was a very good, purely Vietnamese restaurant. If there were any fusion-y dishes I overlooked them. By the time Pasteur moved to Broadway in the late '90s (a fire forced them out of their original location) it was a very different restaurant than the original.

I moved into the area in the early 1980"s and spend about 15 years there. Pasteur always distinguished itself by being more colonial (not to be confused with Le Colonial).

The Marquette Inn on Madison closed about a month ago.

Drover wrote:Also recently opened a few doors down in the original Papi's Cafe space is Hannah's Sandwiches and Cafe. It looks to be a Cuban-Rican type place with sandwiches served on plantains jibarito-style.

Hannah's Sandwiches and Cafe
3507 N. Milwaukee Ave
773-657-3148

Clarification on their menu; only the jibaritos are served on plantains. The online menu I saw seemed to suggest that all their sandwiches were served on plantains. More PR than Cuban but they do serve a pretty mean Cubano.

Twisted Tapas has opened in the space that was formerly occupied by "Aqua" (awful), and before that "Ropa" at 1146 W. Pratt Blvd. in East Rogers Park. This space has been of interest/disappointment for me since we moved here - I live across the street. Apparently, it was a pretty rockin' mediterranean place back in the 90's - with belly dancers, good music, and great food. Can't remember the name of the place from back then, it was before my time - but I'm told tales of it and that it was always busy. Since they left - this place has been Ropa (somehow lasted 5 years, though always empty), and most recently it was "Aqua". Aqua's name referred to its proximity to the beach, and their slogan was "making a splash in your neighborhood" or something ridiculous like that. It was a "gastro pub", then a "seafood crawl?? with cajun flair", then a "Steak/pasta joint" - every time they changed chefs/concepts/menus I cringed at the poorly thought out ideas and goofy slogans. Just awful. Bad food, bad service, but a BEAUTIFUL space in a neighborhood crying for culinary help. It's been for sale for awhile - and for a decent price considering its size (250k for F, F, E with seating for 120 and 2 fully equipped kitchens) - and finally I think we have a winner: Twist from lakeview recently closed its doors after 12 years in the same space, and one of the owners (with the chef) opened "Twisted Tapas" in the space on Pratt. I was at their GO last night, and it was terrific. I can walk across the street now and eat delicious small plates and drink Sangria, and that makes me very happy.

Twisted Tapas
1146 W Pratt
Chicago, IL 60626

rubbbqco wrote:Twisted Tapas has opened in the space that was formerly occupied by "Aqua" (awful), and before that "Ropa" at 1146 W. Pratt Blvd. in East Rogers Park. This space has been of interest/disappointment for me since we moved here - I live across the street. Apparently, it was a pretty rockin' mediterranean place back in the 90's - with belly dancers, good music, and great food. Can't remember the name of the place from back then, it was before my time - but I'm told tales of it and that it was always busy. Since they left - this place has been Ropa (somehow lasted 5 years, though always empty), and most recently it was "Aqua". Aqua's name referred to its proximity to the beach, and their slogan was "making a splash in your neighborhood" or something ridiculous like that. It was a "gastro pub", then a "seafood crawl?? with cajun flair", then a "Steak/pasta joint" - every time they changed chefs/concepts/menus I cringed at the poorly thought out ideas and goofy slogans. Just awful. Bad food, bad service, but a BEAUTIFUL space in a neighborhood crying for culinary help. It's been for sale for awhile - and for a decent price considering its size (250k for F, F, E with seating for 120 and 2 fully equipped kitchens) - and finally I think we have a winner: Twist from lakeview recently closed its doors after 12 years in the same space, and one of the owners (with the chef) opened "Twisted Tapas" in the space on Pratt. I was at their GO last night, and it was terrific. I can walk across the street now and eat delicious small plates and drink Sangria, and that makes me very happy.

Twisted Tapas
1146 W Pratt
Chicago, IL 60626

Long ago it was Cafe Suron and it was very good. You're right, rub, it's a beautiful space. We enjoyed Cafe Suron, only went to Ropa once and never made to Aqua, partially because we moved out of the neighborhood. I'm excited about this new iteration.

I don't know for sure if City Dough at Sheffield and Wellington is fully open yet, but I do believe I saw a woman getting something from the takeout window as I drove by about a half hour ago.

Sorry to read about the closing of The Marquette Inn. Full-service, sit-down, all-day, full-menu, mostly Greek-owned coffee shops--which are always my first choice when it's time for a simple lunch in a business district--are a dying breed. (I guess working folks only have time for takeout anymore.) Same is true in New York.

El Tinajon has re-opened this week at 4425 W Montrose Ave. Previously mentioned here.

Open daily at 10am, serving Guatemalan breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The new restaurant is at least triple the size of the old space on Roscoe, where they were asking $5K/mo. in rent, apparently.
Live marimba music on Fridays & Saturdays. Glad to see an old favorite is back in business...

El Tinajon
4425 West Montrose Ave.
Chicago, IL 60630
(773) 993-0357

The site of the former Burger King in Prospect Heights near Milwaukee and River that I'd previously reported closed now has a banner out front "Coming Soon Hardees" -- I know I passed at least one other such banners recently, but I don't remember exactly where.

JoelF wrote:The site of the former Burger King in Prospect Heights near Milwaukee and River that I'd previously reported closed now has a banner out front "Coming Soon Hardees" -- I know I passed at least one other such banners recently, but I don't remember exactly where.

I have heard rumors of other Hardees moving into the Chicago area.

jnm123 wrote:That Al Primo Canto spot was at least three storefronts, wasn't it? Pretty big.

An Allstate insurance agency has taken over one of the storefronts, So presumably, the Vietnamese place will be in the other two.

Panther in the Den wrote:

JoelF wrote:The site of the former Burger King in Prospect Heights near Milwaukee and River that I'd previously reported closed now has a banner out front "Coming Soon Hardees" -- I know I passed at least one other such banners recently, but I don't remember exactly where.

I have heard rumors of other Hardees moving into the Chicago area.

One has recently opened in Bolingbrook.