Interesting about Gayety's. I wonder if they will keep their Lansing location open. My daughter and I were in there a couple of months ago for some hot fudge sundaes on a Saturday afternoon. We were the only customers in the place. I also notice they have closed their party room.

Suzy

sdritz wrote:Interesting about Gayety's. I wonder if they will keep their Lansing location open. My daughter and I were in there a couple of months ago for some hot fudge sundaes on a Saturday afternoon. We were the only customers in the place. I also notice they have closed their party room.

Suzy

Suzy,It wasn't mentioned in the article but I read somewhere else where they said no matter what they are staying in Lansing.

Here it is... Gayety's also is planning to expand to the Oak Brook area and to the northern Chicago suburbs by the end of the year, and possibly to Northwest Indiana, he said, adding Gayety's would retain its store and production facilities in Lansing, no matter where it opens new stores.
http://tinyurl.com/2ldf9u

My husband and I went to dinner twice at Bombay Kabab House and we had two excellent meals. We tried the samosas which were excellent and their house special shrimp appetizer, which had a sauce that was flavorful. Entrees we tried were the Goan Fish Curry (in a scrumptius tomato coconut sauce), the Tandoori Mixed Grill that came with Dal Makhani (the best Dal we ever had). The grill was good except for the lamb, which had been marinated too long. We also tried the shrimp with cream coconut curry which was different from the Goan Fish curry sauce, but equally delicious, the chicken in almond sauce (great to dip the wonderful nan in), and the roasted mashed eggplant. We also had the kheer for dessert, which cooled things down nicely. Portions were generous. Everything was very flavorful, but not overly hot. Service was friendly and very attentive and it beats looking for parking on Devon. We'll be bringing our friends back there soon.

As I was driving down Lincoln today, I saw a storefront near the intersection with School with an "Opening Soon" sign. The new restaurant's permanent sign was also hanging: "Poo's Thai Food -- Hot & Spicy." Um...before they open, do you think someone ought to suggest they rethink their name?

Roti in Palatine closed last week. One of those open one day, completely cleaned out the next...

Tortfeasor wrote:Roti in Palatine closed last week. One of those open one day, completely cleaned out the next...

That's too bad. It wasn't really a good location. I've actually only been to the one downtown for lunch even though this one is vastly closer. Thanks for the info.

Spotted on Western just south of Lawrence: A brand new awning with the name Pannenkoeken Cafe which promised traditional Dutch pankakes and 6 a.m. breakfast. I got home and discovered Mike Sula at Food Chain had also spotted the awning. http://blogs.chicagoreader.com/food/2007/07/18/spotted-pannenkoeken-cafe/

Camusman wrote:As ddane noted a few posts up, this is "Tavern at the Park." There is a Keefer's tie-in.

...as of Friday there is a sign up saying they're "Training in progress" and they're opening August 1st.

I noticed yesterday that Joey Tomatoes in downtown Des Plaines is closed, which, from my experience, is not really a loss to the culinary scene there. In the window there's a sign that reads, "Vietnamese Restaurant Coming Soon." I'll watch out for more information.

Formerly Joey Tomatoes
1436 Miner
Des Plaines

According to metromix and a few other online listings, Kizoku is closed.

bananasandwiches wrote:According to metromix and a few other online listings, Kizoku is closed.

I think that's one of the places I had in mind when I started this thread, but it slipped my mind, even though I've walked by a few times in recent weeks.

This week's Dish e-newsletter has the story on its successor, another Japanese spot:

Dish Newsletter wrote:Set to open in three weeks, Ai Sushi Lounge (358 W. Ontario St.; 312-335-9888) is the third brain child of Agnes Yoshikawa and Eugene Chua, the brother-and-sister team who own Tsuki (1441 W. Fullerton Ave.; 773-883-8722) and Ringo (2507 N. Lincoln Ave.; 773-248-5788). Since Toyoji Hemmi, Tsuki’s sushi whiz, will now split his time between Tsuki and Ai, we asked Rai Calma, Ai Sushi’s general manager, whether we should expect a Tsuki knockoff. “Tsuki is more tapas style. The nigiri and sushi will be there, but this kitchen will focus on entrées, so people can course out a more traditional meal,” said Calma. Here’s hoping the place does better than the previous sushi bar at this address. That was Kizoku, a Vegas-type extravaganza where you could pick well-placed sushi off of barely clad women. Not a tradition in Chicago.

I rode my bike by Darwin's last night and there was a partially-scraped off city sticker on the door and no signs of life. Tried the phone just now and it just rings and rings.

Looks like it's history (again)

tem wrote:I rode my bike by Darwin's last night and there was a partially-scraped off city sticker on the door and no signs of life. Tried the phone just now and it just rings and rings.

Looks like it's history (again)

Yes, it closed (again) a while back.

leek wrote:

tem wrote:I rode my bike by Darwin's last night and there was a partially-scraped off city sticker on the door and no signs of life. Tried the phone just now and it just rings and rings.

Looks like it's history (again)

Yes, it closed (again) a while back.

I'm intrigued to see what ends up here...hopefully it will find a new use soon--though you never know. There was a mexican restaurant at Damen and McLean that closed over a year ago and no one has claimed that space yet, so who knows!

I walked by the Pannenkoeken Cafe space on Western Avenue just S. of Lawrence Avenue on the way home from work tonight.

The space looks about 85% finished (from what I could see peering over window paper blocking much of the view inside). My impression is that it's a small space, unless it's a deep one and most of it is out of sight behind a partial wall in the middle of the room (some of the adjoining spaces go from Western back (E) to Lincoln Avenue).

The kitchen area is in one front corner, next to the Western Ave. window - and you'll be able to peer in and watch the goings-on, unless some sort of screen is placed in the window.

This will be a nice addition to the neighborhood and I sense it'll be a success.

Hi,

On Elm Street between 1st and 2nd Streets in Highland Park is a new awning: The Tasting Room. I'm not sure it is even open yet. It seems to be a restaurant, then again I am not quite sure what it may be.

Regards,

The current weekly edition of the Chicago Jewish Star features an advertisement for a new Kosher restaurant open for "luxury" (Kosher) lunch only beginning July 31, 2007: Metro Klub.

Metro Klub
in the Crown Plaza Chicago Metro Hotel
733 West Madison Street (at Halsted)
Chicago, Illinois
(312) 602-2104
Hours: 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (Monday through Thursday)
Free Valet Parking
Carry out, delivery and catering services available

In the old Ares Club space on Talman, just south of Lawrence: a whiteboard sign proclaiming "Coming soon, Cinners!"

Apparently going to be a restaurant/bar featuring Cincinnatti Chili 3-Ways. Saw ongoing interior work (and a lonely pool table) when I poked my head in last week.

Since my post on this in May, I wandered past after a trip to Harvestime. A big nasty "Stop Work Order" sign was on the door, with an issue date of June 26th or 28th.

If you were looking forward to some Cincy Chili this football season, don't hold your breath. Too bad.

Extra Virgin, on Randolph & Halsted, closed. Dish wrote:

Extra Virgin (741 W. Randolph St.) closed two weeks ago. Did anyone notice?

I did, just the other day, when the crews were taking down the big neon sign. Figured they weren't cleaning it.

I tried calling Caracas Grill today and got a "this phone number has been disconnected" message.

Not a fair trade at all, but later this afternoon, I spotted a window sign on Clark just south of Supermercado Chapala reading "El Gyro Sabroso - Coming Soon".

Bummer, I quite enjoyed the one meal I managed to have at Caracas Grill.

Is Cosmospolitan on California closed already? We tried to go there last night (Saturday 7:30 pm) and there was no sign of life even though the hours posted indicated it should have been open.

geli wrote:Is Cosmospolitan on California closed already? We tried to go there last night (Saturday 7:30 pm) and there was no sign of life even though the hours posted indicated it should have been open.

i hope not...i was hoping to go in the next week or so!

Extra Virgin is now a Bar Louie, oy. Drove by the other night and the signs are up. Just what the world needs.

The Lovely Donna wrote:Extra Virgin is now a Bar Louie, oy. Drove by the other night and the signs are up. Just what the world needs.

So it went from being a Bar Louie, to a Bluepoint Oyster Bar, to Extra Virgin, and now back to a Bar Louie? Man, Restaurants-America just can't make up their mind.

Not sure anyone's heard of Crab & Things, it's on Rte 83 in Mt. Prospect or something (about 2 miles north of I-90) and my family's been going there for years. No atmosphere but generally reliable seafood at reasonable prices. It has deteriorated in recent years, always empty, etc.

Turns out Saturday was their last day open, it's going to become a korean restaurant.

sujormik wrote:Not sure anyone's heard of Crab & Things, it's on Rte 83 in Mt. Prospect or something (about 2 miles north of I-90) and my family's been going there for years.

Been there once or twice in the last 20 years, never seemed like a real need to go back, but it's always a kick to call it Crab and Thing, it's much funnier. So I'll lose a joke... I'll have to go back to asking people why they put fences around cemetaries.

JoelF wrote:

sujormik wrote:Not sure anyone's heard of Crab & Things, it's on Rte 83 in Mt. Prospect or something (about 2 miles north of I-90) and my family's been going there for years.

Been there once or twice in the last 20 years, never seemed like a real need to go back, but it's always a kick to call it Crab and Thing, it's much funnier. So I'll lose a joke... I'll have to go back to asking people why they put fences around cemetaries.

You mean you don't know?

My parents always liked C&T...thought the fish was as good as chinn's for much less money, and then there were the entertainment book years....

Looks like I missed their last plate of spaghetti and meatballs!

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?sectio ... id=5189817

Cinners post on the Reader's Food Chain.

You heard it here first!

Opening:

Old Town Brasserie

1209 Wells

Any info out there?