The Oak Tree, in the 900 N. Michigan building, is closing at the end of the month. After a 3-month revamp, it will open (under the same ownership) as Jacque's, a French restaurant, for lunch and dinner. (This all came from our waiter this afternoon.)

riddlemay said:

The Oak Tree, in the 900 N. Michigan building, is closing at the end of the month. After a 3-month revamp, it will open (under the same ownership) as Jacque's, a French restaurant, for lunch and dinner. (This all came from our waiter this afternoon.)

Oh NO!!!! This one hurts me. Big time. I used to love to go here for lunch (i miss working up in that part of town -- the West side of the Loop is an eating desert.) It always felt so lovely and airy with their garden atmosphere and their mix n match chairs and while the food was never cheap, I always thought it was delicious and well prepared. I always felt very "ladies who lunch" when I went to the OaK Tree. I"m going to have to come up and have one last Chef's Salad....

riddlemay wrote:The Oak Tree, in the 900 N. Michigan building, is closing at the end of the month. After a 3-month revamp, it will open (under the same ownership) as Jacque's, a French restaurant, for lunch and dinner. (This all came from our waiter this afternoon.)

Wasn't there a well-known French restaurant--also named Jacque's--at that same address in the 1960s and 1970s? I remember going there on a date with my future husband.

gleam wrote:

leek wrote:What happened to the Milk and Honey outpost under the Damen Blue Line stop? I couldn't read the sign from the bus...

They're remodeling.

M&H has reopened as Cippolina, which appears to be an Italian deli. Not sure if it's the same owners or not. I saw various meats in the cooler yesterday but will check it out tonight after work.

Same owner, quoting from Dish:

Carol Watson recently shuttered her Milk & Honey Bake Shop (1543 N. Damen Ave.; 773-227-1167) with plans to spin it into Cipollina, an Italian deli. “Business was fine, but I screwed up, quite frankly,” says Watson. “We don’t have a kitchen on site, so we were dragging everything over from Milk & Honey Café [1920 W. Division St.; 773-395-9434], and it was driving me nuts.” Watson is now working with John Manion (Mas) on a menu of “straightforward, superfresh” gourmet sandwiches ($6 to $8), plus a display case full of meats and cheeses, pastries, and Italian sodas with homemade syrups. Manion has apparently enjoyed the process. “I’ve been stuffing my face with cured meats and Italian cheeses, olives, preserved vegetables, and Italian sodas,” he says. “My life is hard.” ETA: Late June.

LOL, Gleam beat me to it.

Here's a link to the piece, which appeared on June 11: Italian Kicks, Cheap Tricks.

=R=

maybe I can talk them into carrying guanciale.

I noticed at the Taste of Randolph this weekend (I was there for the Drive By Truckers, certainly not for the food) that the Indianapolis-based Yat's is opening a store at 955 W Randolph. I think this is their first venture outside of Indiana. Basically, this is a Cajun/Creole joint that offers about 8-10 menu items a day (various etouffees, jambalaya, chilis, pozole, etc) from a revolving list of 30 or so - $5 for a single item, bread and rice, or $6 for a half-and-half. I cannot vouch for the authenticity, but I loved the downtown Indy location for a cheap, tasty, quick lunch.

mcg wrote:I noticed at the Taste of Randolph this weekend (I was there for the Drive By Truckers, certainly not for the food) that the Indianapolis-based Yat's is opening a store at 955 W Randolph. I think this is their first venture outside of Indiana. Basically, this is a Cajun/Creole joint that offers about 8-10 menu items a day (various etouffees, jambalaya, chilis, pozole, etc) from a revolving list of 30 or so - $5 for a single item, bread and rice, or $6 for a half-and-half. I cannot vouch for the authenticity, but I loved the downtown Indy location for a cheap, tasty, quick lunch.

This place may be a winner. Based on the picture and description on the Yat's website, Joe appearrs to have a Doug Sohn type vibe, who by the way will be on vacation 6/30 thru 7/6.

http://www.yatscajuncreole.com/about.htm?myURL=spices

mcg wrote:I noticed at the Taste of Randolph this weekend (I was there for the Drive By Truckers, certainly not for the food) that the Indianapolis-based Yat's is opening a store at 955 W Randolph. I think this is their first venture outside of Indiana. Basically, this is a Cajun/Creole joint that offers about 8-10 menu items a day (various etouffees, jambalaya, chilis, pozole, etc) from a revolving list of 30 or so - $5 for a single item, bread and rice, or $6 for a half-and-half. I cannot vouch for the authenticity, but I loved the downtown Indy location for a cheap, tasty, quick lunch.

I knew Joe back in Lexington, KY when he owned a mini Cajun/Creole chain called Jozo's. He sold those restaurants and moved to Indianapolis to open Yat's which sounds like the same concept. Jozo's was my hands down favorite restaurant when I was in college, can't wait to visit Yat's!

a new mexican restaurant (or fast food joint?) will be opening soon on milwaukee at wabansia in wicker park. (that's about 1800 north). the owners have gutted the space that was the unsuccessful Lobo al Fresco. it is still a shell, but there is a big generic looking sign on a pole announcing the name, "cafe con leche". justjoan

edited to add: i stopped by this morning and talked to one of the construction guys. the disappointing news (to me anyway) is the owner also owns the very mediocre flash taco and the so-so underdog at the corner of damen and north. the front of the building is being replaced with doors that will open to the patio (which was already there). he was vague about the food but says it'll be breakfast and onward. i asked if is would be cuban or mexican or? and he said probably all the above, just 'spanish'. as he isnt part of the restaurant, there isn't any reason for him to know much about the food. i don't have high hopes, frankly.

justjoan wrote:a new mexican restaurant (or fast food joint?) will be opening soon on milwaukee at wabansia in wicker park. (that's about 1800 north). the owners have gutted the space that was the unsuccessful Lobo al Fresco. it is still a shell, but there is a big generic looking sign on a pole announcing the name, "cafe con leche". justjoan

Sounds like a coffee shop. Thanks for the heads-up; hope you're feeling better.

I'm looking forward to Cafe Con Leche. It's a lot closer to my work than Starbucks, and it's a lot less corporate. I think.

Poor Lobo al Fresco. Shortly after it shut down I peered one of the windows that wasn't boarded up and saw a half-eaten plate of food and a half-drunk bottle of Jarritos (mango flavor) on one of the tables. It looked like they had abandoned ship in an awful hurry. Strange.

A bit southier on Milwaukee is iScream, an ice cream joint (you don't say!) that also promises frozen yogurt and a June opening date. I am hoping for sooner rather than later - I've been feeling nostalgic for froyo - but it doesn't seem like anything is happening behind the kraft papered windows.

I drive by the Frosted Mug in Alsip regularly and noticed that they were "Closed for Remodeling" a couple of months ago. I peeked in and saw that there was some work going on inside. Yesterday as I drove by there was a "For Sale or Lease" sign on the marquee with a bare bones interior left. Any word on what happened?

A little further south at 120th and Pulaski a rehabbed Wendy's was turned into a Pappy's. The original Pappy's at 95th and Kedzie is a beef and hot dog stand with ice cream. The new Pappy's had the same menu and it looks like a considerable amount of money went into the rehab and it opened up in 6/07. It was boarded up when I drove by yesterday.

tem wrote:M&H has reopened as Cippolina.

Luckily, they still sell their Granola and still have the frequent cupper cards at the register

Lobo al Fresco

"Fresh wolf"??? Eeek!

sundevilpeg wrote:

Lobo al Fresco

"Fresh wolf"??? Eeek!

I preferred to think of it as "Porch Wolves".

thanks, leek! i was just wondering if Cippolina would carry the granola. after trying out the 5 buck brunch at Juicy Wine Bar, i'm now obsessed with the M&H granola & have a bag on hand at all times.

The Oak Tree, in the 900 N. Michigan building, is closing at the end of the month. After a 3-month revamp, it will open (under the same ownership) as Jacque's, a French restaurant, for lunch and dinner. (This all came from our waiter this afternoon.)

This is the biggest bummer. I have been going here with friends for years, way before I moved here last summer. I called and their last day is this coming up Monday. What will I do without the onion loaf and banana pecan pancakes and potatoes? AHHHHHH!!!!

I drove by this afternoon and while waiting out the backup to turn left from Elston onto Irving saw flashy new sign and awning saying Rapa Nui as well as the House of the Empanadas in both English and Spanish. I don't know if this is new management or some degree of reconcepting.

Edited to correct spelling of new name.

leek wrote:

tem wrote:M&H has reopened as Cippolina.

Luckily, they still sell their Granola and still have the frequent cupper cards at the register

Yep, but now they also have a great selection of salumi, some olives, their unbelievably awesome pickles from the cafe, some nice hunks of bread, and some Italian pastry.

The really friendly and enthusiastic guy making the sandwiches helped me whip up a variant of the Will Special that was excellent, and I look forward to refining it over the coming weeks. Olivia's also has a good selection of cured meats, but I think Cippolina's is a little more interesting, and they seem much more ready to work with you to make an ideal sandwich.

I'm very excited to have this place nearby for lunch. I wouldn't travel for it (I'd go to the Riv), but I'll probably be there a lot this summer.

No idea who or what, but there seems to be work going on inside Los Rosales on Damen - the on-again/off-again Mexicanish place on Damen just N. of Armitage.

Los Rosales
2032 N Damen Ave

leek wrote:No idea who or what, but there seems to be work going on inside Los Rosales on Damen - the on-again/off-again Mexicanish place on Damen just N. of Armitage.

Los Rosales
2032 N Damen Ave

Ugh ... they need to just knock that place down and start over.

I did stop in Cippolina yesterday and spoke w/ the guy from Mas. He said that they would have pancetta in today. I asked about guanciale and he said that he'd made it for years but, IIRC, his suppliers didn't have it. I said that if he had it, I'd buy it as there are only two places in the city that ever seem to have it -- Fox & Obel (where i've seen it once) and that deli on south state, which is too far for me to get to very often.

sometimes, the south loop binny's has guanciale.

Buffalo Wings & Rings
100 McHenry Road
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
http://www.bwrbuffalogrove.com/

Website says opening in July
Appears to be a franchise based mainly on the east coast.

Below is an e-mail I received from Masala Yangu management. I met Calvin and his daughter. I wish the Young family the best in future endeavors.

June 20th 2008


It is with deep regret that I inform you Masala Yangu has closed doors at 43 E. Jefferson Ave in downtown Naperville.

Thank you for your support and patronage of Masala Yangu.

All is not bad news though, our catering service is very much active! We are also in the process of scouting a new location in the Chicago area.

Please don't hesistate to contact us at masalayangu@gmail.com for your catering events.

Again, thank you very much for your support!

Kind Regards,

Masala Yangu Management Team.

janeyb wrote:Below is an e-mail I received from Masala Yangu management. I met Calvin and his daughter. I wish the Young family the best in future endeavors.

June 20th 2008


It is with deep regret that I inform you Masala Yangu has closed doors at 43 E. Jefferson Ave in downtown Naperville.

Thank you for your support and patronage of Masala Yangu.

All is not bad news though, our catering service is very much active! We are also in the process of scouting a new location in the Chicago area.

Please don't hesistate to contact us at masalayangu@gmail.com for your catering events.

Again, thank you very much for your support!

Kind Regards,

Masala Yangu Management Team.

That's too bad, but I can't say that I'm too terribly surprised. It seems like downtown Naperville can't seem to support any independently-owned high end or fine dining restaurant for very long. If an Italian restaurant owned by Clara's and a relatively good French bistro couldn't make it, I had a sense that an East African place - no matter how good - was destined to fail. In all seriousness, perhaps someone will reopen Jefferson Hill Tea Room -- it was a convenient location for wedding showers, etc.

Driving past the former Samuel's Deli on Broadway today (3463 N. Broadway in Chicago), I noticed the a temporary sign has gone up advertising "Rock's" or "Rock." I couldn't read and drive at the same time, but I think the sign said something about serving lunch and dinner. Next time I drive or walk past, I promise to pay more attention.

I wonder if it's an outpost of the bar-with-back-patio called Rocks on Schubert and Lakewood. I had a burger there once that wasn't too bad.

Crain's Web Site has a little different story from the owner than what Riddlemay got from the waiter. Some parts of the story follow.

Fans of Oak Tree restaurant may want to head over for breakfast this weekend, as a $1.2-million renovation will require the popular Gold Coast eatery to shut down until October.

The 7,000-square-foot restaurant on the sixth floor of 900 N. Michigan Ave. is closing temporarily after Monday, said founder and owner Hale DeMar. When it reopens some three months later, Oak Tree is to have updated its decor and added a retail bakery selling breads, pastries and other baked items.

"The facility is 18 years old," says Mr. DeMar, who employs about 50 people. "The neighborhood has changed. People's tastes have changed. And we need to change with them."

To make room for the bakery, Mr. DeMar says the restaurant must shrink by 50 seats.

In a neighborhood where most rents are priced way beyond what artisan or mom-and-pop retailers can afford, Mr. DeMar thinks he'll find an audience among people wanting fresh-baked bread and other goodies that are tough to find in their upscale, touristy neighborhood.

"This is the opportune time to renovate," Mr. DeMar says. "It's the slowest season for us because the outdoor cafes do all the business."

Jacque's was in the old 900 North Michigan building, which was torn down for the current version. It was part of the Edison Dick-Ray Castro group, which was mostly meat and potatoes Continental food with French overtones and restaurant names in the Near North Side. Service was generally pretty good. These conspicuous restaurants were a big part of why Chicago had a poor reputation for French food in the 1960s. Also part of the group but with different themes were Biggs and Sea Gull.