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. 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.

Having lived/worked in the area for years, anything will be better than Crab & Things. I hope.

On my way to work today, I noticed the Guatemalan restaurant on Western just north of Lincoln/Ainslie is apparently gone. The sign is down, lights are off, and there's a sign in Spanish on the front door.

I am saddened. We weren't that close (can't remember its name, after all) but they did have damn fine loroco pupusas.

Cafe Las Delilcias

Guatemalan restaurant at 4755 North Rockwell closed a few months ago and has been replaced after remodeling by Luna de Xelaju, also Guatemalan. Menu looks interesting but haven't tried yet. This is in same building as Tagine.

Also near the Rockwell Lawrence intersection, Ilidzanka closed in late 2006. After remodeling, Gurman Restoran opened in the space. Bosnian but a lot more cheerful than Ilidzanka. I had lunch there in February, but their menus were delayed at the printer and haven't been back since. Great home-made yogurt.

Azur Meat Market changed hands a new months ago but is still Bosnian. New owners remodeled and changed formula for cevapcici. My flavor memory is that the new formula uses less garlic and more black pepper, but several weeks passed between grilling the last batch made by the old owners from the freezer and buying the new. They have added some other sausages of the same general type, one of which was described as hot.

Luna de Xelaju
4755 N Rockwell Street

Gurman Restoran
2547A W Lawrence Ave.

Azur Meat
2547 W Lawrence Ave.

All Chicago 60625


Side note: La Oaxaquena's 6113 Diversey location has been converted to catering and banquets only under a different name. The Milwaukee Ave. location was still open when I drove past a couple of weeks ago.

Reported on Chicago Chowhound, confirmed by Metromix: Xel-Ha has closed.

Truly shocking.

Sweet Alice on Milwaukee closed...

And now has reopened, apparently the owner was trying to sell the building, and it fell through.

I believe the very new Cosmospolitan (california/augusta) has closed. It's been closed for a few days and I noticed some chairs missing this morning... too soon I say.

germuska wrote: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".

On my way out of SM Chapala tonight, I noticed Gyros Sabroso was now open. So naturally, I stopped in. When I had first seen the name, I was not sure what to expect. I was hoping the meat cone pictured on the awning represented al Pastor. However, it turns out that Gyros Sabroso is exactly what it sounds like, a Mexican Gyros and Hot Dog stand. At first I was disappointed, since I had been keeping an eye on the space since 7 Mares closed almost 2 years ago.

However, the place was pretty packed with Mexican families, although it was its first day open. When I saw the menu (written entirely in english), I realized why. You could get a hot dog, fries and a can of pop for 2.49. Besides hot dogs and hamburgers, the menu consisted of standard Chicago fast food fare, Italian Beef, Italian Sausage, Char Grilled Polish, as well as breakfast sandwiches, french toast and pancakes. Everything seemed really inexpensive, like pancakes for $1.85.

At those prices, I was a little leary of the quality, so I went with a cheeseburger, fries and a can of 7up for 3.49. I have to tell you, it was the best under $3.50 meal I have had in a while. The fries were fresh cut and crispy with a nice toasty potato flavor, and the burger was surprisingly good for a fastfood type burger, especially considering the price. The hotdogs I saw looked like proper Chicago dogs with tomato slices and glow-in-the dark relish. Obviously, the staff had cooked this kind of food before. And as a plus, they give you packets of Red-Gold catsup for the fries. Tomorrow, I might investigate the Char Polish. As I sat there watching los ninos locos do their show, I thought this is exactly the kind of restaurant this neighborhood needs, a place where a family of 4 can eat for $12.

Guatemalan restaurant at 4755 North Rockwell closed a few months ago and has been replaced after remodeling by Luna de Xelaju, also Guatemalan. Menu looks interesting but haven't tried yet. This is in same building as Tagine.

I went to an earlier incarnation of Luna de Xelaju here, initially back in the LTH list-serve days:

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=807

Worth checking out, certainly.

A new taqueria has opened in the space immediately south, next door, to Tamales Lo Mejor de Guerrero on N. Clark St., just north of Lunt Ave. I haven't gone inside the restaurant, yet.

Taqueria La Choza

Bill wrote:A new taqueria has opened in the space immediately south, next door, to Tamales Lo Mejor de Guerrero on N. Clark St., just north of Lunt Ave.

This is the new location of Taqueria Mexico that used to be in a much smaller location directly across the street. The menu hasn't changed yet, but I imagine it will because they are promoting themselves as a "Mexican grill." The new location is easily triple the size of the old location. Taqueria Mexico used to be our "go-to" for a fast dinner. We really liked their chicken sopes. The new space is less intimate and the chicken sope was not as good as before.

I can't remember if I heard about Fresh City in Warrenville, Il. here or some place else. We were excited to try since they were vegetarian friendly, my partner had the day off yesterday and we drove over only to find that they had closed. Granted there are probably 15 restaurants in this small area off Winfield and Diehl Road but this is also in the heart of a very large high tech office corridor, a I-88 interchange, the Cantera 30 movie complex and the huge LifeTime Fitness Center. There seemed to be enough traffic around noon yesterday to support all the places. In checking Fresh City's website, Warrenville was their first venture out of New England. We're sorry we didn't try it a month ago when we first noticed it.

http://www.freshcity.com/

HBTV - a new restaurant from the Hearty Boys will be opening at some point soon, apparently. Around East Lakeview.

http://www.heartyboys.com/documents/res ... thome.html

the concept? your dining experience is the making of a food show, where the restaurant patrons help them operate everything... i guess sort of like improv meets cooking meets eating?

The Hearty Boys rented the space formerly owned and occupied by The Flower Cart for many years, on the east side of Broadway between Sheridan Road and Grace Street - almost next door to Zea Salon . . . maybe 6 months ago, but they haven't done much with it yet; maybe this is what's being referred to. I was told by someone who owns a business in that block that the space would be used for kitchen/preparation/logisitcal support for the group's catering business, though.

Bill wrote:The Hearty Boys rented the space formerly owned and occupied by The Flower Cart for many years, on the east side of Broadway between Sheridan Road and Grace Street

someone who knows them mentioned elsewhere near grace and broadway, which sounds like the same spot.

Two new places are opening soon on the stretch of Central Avenue in Evanston just east of Central Park Avenue. In the old Daruma space will be a new gluten-free restaurant/bakery, and in the old New Day Cafe space a sign announces "Taylor Street - Coming Soon."

Anyone have the scoop on what's going into the space formerly occupied by Soiree (?) and SheShe (Lincoln Ave, just north of Bad Dog Tavern)? Noticed the paper off the windows and building permits posted on the door.

Josephine wrote:Two new places are opening soon on the stretch of Central Avenue in Evanston just east of Central Park Avenue. In the old Daruma space will be a new gluten-free restaurant/bakery, and in the old New Day Cafe space a sign announces "Taylor Street - Coming Soon."

Interesting... I wonder what type of place/food "Taylor Street" will be.

EvanstonFoodGuy wrote:

Josephine wrote:Two new places are opening soon on the stretch of Central Avenue in Evanston just east of Central Park Avenue. In the old Daruma space will be a new gluten-free restaurant/bakery, and in the old New Day Cafe space a sign announces "Taylor Street - Coming Soon."

Interesting... I wonder what type of place/food "Taylor Street" will be.

Would a Taylor St. Pizza be out of place there?

My curiousity has been piqued for months so I am VERY excited to report what is going into the HUGE space on Division that is next to-ish Jerry's Sandwiches and Via Carducci La Sorella---The Boundary.

It appears to be an ordinary sports-type bar and grille, but I am thrilled to finally know because they have been busily working on the space for months now.

http://www.boundarychicago.com/

Thanks for the info, I too have been watching the space for a while wondering what was going in. Could be good, could be bad, but at this point it doesn't seem all that interesting.....

SSDD

i'd say underwhelming @ best.

Agreed completely, but I am still very glad to finally know what it is.
I had high hopes that it was going to be something fabulous. Bummer.

a friend of mine who read the sign wrong insisted it was going to be a boarders. i could @ least have some enthusiasm for that. but for a sports bar? none.

anniee8m wrote:Rumor has it that the Charlie's on Leavitt spot is going to be the new home of the Tiny Lounge which closed down about a year ago because the CTA was expanding the addison brown line station that it was next to. Although Lincoln Square really doesn't need another bar, I sorely miss their martini's. Hope the rumor turns out to be true.

Looks like it is true. The zoning change must have gone through as there is now a sign naming Tiny Lounge as going into the former Charlie's on Leavitt location. However, there still is a giant building for sale sign in the window as well.

a new korean restaurant has just opened at 2257 w. north ave. in wicker park. someone else will have to check it out as i'm not a big fan of korean food. i looked at the menu posted in the window. its short and simple. about 7 apps. including scallion pancake. about 8 kinds of bi-bim-bop ranging in price from $10-13 and then about the same number of entrees, including bulgogi. 1 fruit plate constitutes dessert. the phone is: (773)276-9450
below is a link to their menu
http://chicago.menupages.com/restaurant ... ntid=44289

[Mod edit: The link posted previously won't take you direct to the Su-ra menu, for some reason, and it was stretching out the page. The link above has a link to the menu. --Aaron]

andy's deli on division is no longer. a shame. they had a great steam table.

In the 4700 block of Lawrence, the awnings are up for "The Couscous House- Mediteranean and American Cuisine" across the street from James and Joy Filipino Fried Chicken. The windows are still papered.

germuska wrote:Perhaps unsurprisingly, Sugar and Brown's, the gourmet food store and restaurant on Ontario in River North has closed.

It seemed doomed from the start.