It's sad, yes, but what's 'happening to them' seems to be of their own choice. They're lucky they apparently own the property and got a good enough offer that they can bail comfortably.

Apparently Naf Naf will be opening a Chicago location. From Facebook:
Look for our new Chicago location this summer as we spread the pita love to Chitown!

According to the neighborhood chatter, Marigold will be moving its Uptown location to the former Sushi Luxe location at Foster and Clark. I haven't been able to confirm, though—no biz licenses have popped up on EveryBlock. I hope it's true, though, cos that Sushi Luxe is now a terrible eyesore on that corner and for all the ethnic restaurants we have in Andersonville, we don't have Indian one.

Marigold Indian Restaurant
4832 N Broadway
Chicago, IL
http://www.marigoldrestaurant.com

Good Morgan's is now closed and is now Marsala Grill.

2948 W. Devon

Good Morgan's is now closed and is now Marsala Grill. 2948 W. Devon

Masala Grill, not 'Marsala.'

Oh yeah. Thanks!

je_suis_ici wrote:According to the neighborhood chatter, Marigold will be moving its Uptown location to the former Sushi Luxe location at Foster and Clark. I haven't been able to confirm, though—no biz licenses have popped up on EveryBlock. I hope it's true, though, cos that Sushi Luxe is now a terrible eyesore on that corner and for all the ethnic restaurants we have in Andersonville, we don't have Indian one.

Marigold Indian Restaurant
4832 N Broadway
Chicago, IL
http://www.marigoldrestaurant.com

That would definitely be a nice addition to the neighborhood and fill up one of the numerous empty storefronts (although it's worse north of Balmoral - where it appears the Jerry's project has been significantly delayed due to not having proper work orders). Premise is an exciting addition, but the Yelpers appear to be dismayed that it's no longer a place to grab a glass of wine as in its previous IFS incarnation so it's getting slammed.

Pie Lady wrote:Apparently Naf Naf will be opening a Chicago location. From Facebook:
Look for our new Chicago location this summer as we spread the pita love to Chitown!

And Nesh is opening a Loop location soon, making it the 400th Middle-Eastern/falafel take-out place within a half-mile radius of my office. This trend is starting to make me nostalgic for cupcake shops.

Pie Lady wrote:Good Morgan's is now closed and is now Marsala Grill.

2948 W. Devon

I think this happened sometime during the winter. My parents live around the corner and I now I saw a name change around Christmas but I would drive by and couldn't read what it said.

Across from Whole Foods on Cicero just north of Peterson. Third, maybe fourth, restaurant in less than two years. Last was Thai/Chinese/Japanese, maybe the next will be Scottish/Algerian/Turkish

G Wiv wrote:Across from Whole Foods on Cicero just north of Peterson. Third, maybe fourth, restaurant in less than two years. Last was Thai/Chinese/Japanese, maybe the next will be Scottish/Algerian/Turkish

The Pakora Parmesan is to die for...and then be reincarnated.

G Wiv wrote:Across from Whole Foods on Cicero just north of Peterson. Third, maybe fourth, restaurant in less than two years. Last was Thai/Chinese/Japanese, maybe the next will be Scottish/Algerian/Turkish

Pie Lady wrote:Noodle Rice Roll, 6031 N. Cicero, formerly Frida's and Peking Palace, is now an Indian/Italian/Nepali place. The name escapes me, even though I repeated it all the way back to work. Him...something.

Yeah, that's the one!

wjb302 wrote: .... I also dropped in to Fraiche just down the road this afternoon, and there are a bunch of changes in the works. They just got a new chef and are transitioning to a "fancier" menu and experience. Instead of ordering at a counter and serving yourself water, grabbing utensils, etc., I was told that they are starting full table service. Their new spring menu is up, and notable items include Shrimp and grits (breakfast) and a whole slew of new sandwiches for lunch, such as a Veggie Bahn Mi and a Buffalo Mozzarella. Lastly, they are starting to source as many ingredients locally as possible (such as a side of various potatoes from a local farmer) and are pickling their own vegetables for several of the dishes. On a side note, while scoping out the changes at Fraiche, I ordered the chocolate bread pudding as a snack and it was delightful!

815 Noyes St
(at Sherman Ave)
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 475-5467
http://fraicheevanston.com/

Not sure how this is related to the "new chef" situation, but ABC7 and the Trib are reporting this story:

"If a chef creates recipes, does it belong to the restaurant where they were created? That's the basis of a lawsuit involving Evanston's Fraiche bakery, home of the Cinnamon Bomb where the chef quit two weeks ago, then returned to take the binders containing the recipes. According to the owners, the chef signed a non-disclosure agreement and the recipes were "developed, assembled, tested and honed over the course of 3 1⁄2 years. That work cannot be readily reproduced. The damage to Fraiche’s goodwill from the inability to offer these items would be irreparable because it cannot be measured in money damages.”

For the time being, no Cinnamon Bombs, according to ABC7.

Sounds like "work for hire to me". The restaurant probably owns the recipes if they were created while the chef was an employee, unless there was something wacky in his contract (contract? what contract?). Of course, there's nothing to stop the chef from creating a new dish using basically the same ingredients and techniques in the future if he wishes.

Hmm...interesting stuff! I was planning on going there for lunch today, but decided against it when I saw a film crew clogging up space. I guess this explains why they were filming. I dropped by Soulwich for the first time instead, which turned out to be a good decision.

In Buffalo Grove at the SW corner of Weiland Road and Deerfield Pkwy, the space that used to be occupied by Diora now sports a sign that says, "Swad of India - Coming May 2012"

In other Evanston resto news, Delbe's Corner has opened on the corner of Davis St. & Oak Avenue, where a place called the Panini Cafe (I think) used to be. Wifi and steamed sandwiches. No, I don't know what they are, either, other than that they seem to be a big deal in Florida.

Delbe's Corner
1100 Davis St.
Evanston
847-424-1006

According to Thrillist, City Farms Grill has opened in Lakeview serving farm to table breakfast and lunch.

City Farms
1467 W Irving Park Rd
Chicago
http://www.cityfarmsgrill.com
773.883.2767

In other downtown Evanston opening soon news:
Taco Diablo
1029 Davis St.
Evanston
http://tacodiabloevanston.com/

Same owners as LuLu's.

Tried to go to Zacatacos on Wabash yesterday, only to find that it has been replaced by Wabash Tacos. I had a torta, which I never had at Zaca, so I can't directly compare. But it sure wasn't anything that would draw me back. The service was comically bad, I stood there thinking, wow, not ready for prime time! Even an experienced home cook would have been faster and more efficient in their movements. I hope they are still new and working out the kinks; with three orders ahead of me, it took 15 minutes to get my sandwich, they had to ask what I had ordered three times, and ended up putting my salsa in someone else's bag, so I got none. This is very sad because Zacatacos was both quick and delicious. The new people were pleasant and friendly, and I'll go back and try a taco someday when I'm not in a rush, and hope they've figured out the speed thing and that the tacos are better than the torta (which wasn't bad, it just wasn't great).

Sign on the old Casteel Coffee (2922 Central, Evanston) space: coming soon, Curt's Café. Didn't I read somewhere that Casteel wasn't closing after all? Has me scratching my head, it does.

Pie Lady wrote:Sign on the old Casteel Coffee (2922 Central, Evanston) space: coming soon, Curt's Café. Didn't I read somewhere that Casteel wasn't closing after all? Has me scratching my head, it does.

You posted in January that you received an e-mail from them saying that they were relocating.

stevez wrote:Sounds like "work for hire to me". The restaurant probably owns the recipes if they were created while the chef was an employee, unless there was something wacky in his contract (contract? what contract?). Of course, there's nothing to stop the chef from creating a new dish using basically the same ingredients and techniques in the future if he wishes.

Re: Fraiche, according to the Tribune, the bakery has dropped the lawsuit. Also posted is an interesting video interview with the former pastry chef. She basically says that the recipes weren't secret or proprietary at all. They were from published cookbooks that she bought with her own money.

at ChicagoTribune.com, Lolly Bowean wrote:But Huppert said she brought the recipes from her home. She said they were all taken from cookbooks and websites and could easily be executed by any competent pastry chef.

Bakery drops lawsuit against former chef over recipes

=R=

PortPkPaul wrote:

Pie Lady wrote:Sign on the old Casteel Coffee (2922 Central, Evanston) space: coming soon, Curt's Café. Didn't I read somewhere that Casteel wasn't closing after all? Has me scratching my head, it does.

You posted in January that you received an e-mail from them saying that they were relocating.

Then I heard from another source that they were staying open at that location.

ronnie_suburban wrote:

stevez wrote:Sounds like "work for hire to me". The restaurant probably owns the recipes if they were created while the chef was an employee, unless there was something wacky in his contract (contract? what contract?). Of course, there's nothing to stop the chef from creating a new dish using basically the same ingredients and techniques in the future if he wishes.

Re: Fraiche, according to the Tribune, the bakery has dropped the lawsuit. Also posted is an interesting video interview with the former pastry chef. She basically says that the recipes weren't secret or proprietary at all. They were from published cookbooks that she bought with her own money.

at ChicagoTribune.com, Lolly Bowean wrote:But Huppert said she brought the recipes from her home. She said they were all taken from cookbooks and websites and could easily be executed by any competent pastry chef.

Bakery drops lawsuit against former chef over recipes

=R=

I wonder how many bakeries and restaurants get their recipes from cookbooks or the web.

PortPkPaul wrote:I wonder how many bakeries and restaurants get their recipes from cookbooks or the web.

Lots of them, at least to start with. Then they tweak them to their own tastes and kitchen requirements, just the way home cooks do.

The Billy Goat II at 309 W. Washington is closing, due to an exorbitant rent hike. They're supposedly looking for another Loop space. Naf Naf Grill will take over the current spot.

sundevilpeg wrote:Delbe's Corner has opened on the corner of Davis St. & Oak Avenue, where a place called the Panini Cafe (I think) used to be. Wifi and steamed sandwiches.

In keeping with other restaurants offering hybrid cuisines, why don't they just offer streamed sandwiches?

LAZ wrote:The Billy Goat II at 309 W. Washington is closing, due to an exorbitant rent hike. They're supposedly looking for another Loop space. Naf Naf Grill will take over the current spot.

So rent's too high for the Billy Goat, which is also a bar, but not too high for Naf Naf? Something's not adding up.

spinynorman99 wrote:

LAZ wrote:The Billy Goat II at 309 W. Washington is closing, due to an exorbitant rent hike. They're supposedly looking for another Loop space. Naf Naf Grill will take over the current spot.

So rent's too high for the Billy Goat, which is also a bar, but not too high for Naf Naf? Something's not adding up.

Have you seen Naf Naf's prices?