A Valentine's Day (a-)muse(-ment)

It began with NOLA, the New Orleans restaurant that cleverly took its name from the initial letters of its home, New Orleans and the two-letter abbreviation for its home state, LA.

Chicago, not to be outdone, has its own home-grown batch of four-letter places: NoMI (North Michigan), Sola, Boka, and Naha (admittedly the first four letters of the chef’s last name). And we even have our own NOLA (for No[b]rth [b]Lawndale). And Sola (though apparently unrelated to South Lawndale).

We’ve also got a fairly substantial and far-ranging bunch of four letter, two-syllable places whose names, so far as I know, do not owe their existence to acronymic invention: Volo, Sopa, Mapo, Su-Ra, Maza, Kaze, and, of course, those particular well-loved LTH spots, Deta, Avec, and Moto.

But all this alphabetic combination and permutation got me thinking. There’s a whole slew of restaurant names out there, ripe for the taking. First and foremost, what about the highly logical CHIL (Chicago, Illinois)? Or RINO (River North)?

And let’s not forget about the large, if geographically diverse, “Park” family: Ropa, Nopa, Lipa (as in –suction), Hypa, Wapa, Irpa, Popa, Edpa, Hupa, Gapa, the onomatopeic Brpa (probably not a wise choice for a restaurant), and even McPa and Fupa!

(Your key: Rogers Park, North Park, Lincoln Park, Hyde Park, Washington Park, Irving Park, Portage Park, Edison Park, Humboldt Park, Garfield Park, Brighton Park, McKinley Park, Fuller Park).

Let’s not forget their suburban outliers, either: Hipa, Oapa (hmm, sounds…Greek), Fopa, Capa, Evpa, Scpa, Frpa, Elpa and the cousins, Mepa and Bepa.

(Highland Park, Oak Park, Forest Park, Calumet Park, Evergreen Park, Schiller, Franklin, Elmwood, Merrionette (or Melrose) Park and Bedford Park)

Now all we need are some restaurateurs!

I'll be your first restauranteur...I want to open my own ice cream parlor. Mind if I use CHIL?
(And will you forward me a few grand?)

How about TriBeChi (Triangle Below Chicago (Ave) -- for any restaurant in the triangle bounded by Milwaukee, Halsted and Chicago)?

http://www.rinolounge.com/

[cue thumping bass music]

"CAN I GET A HEINEKEN?"

"THAT'LL BE 12 DOLLARS!"

Guess that proves I don't get out much anymore.