Openings, Closings, Comings & Goings - July - September 2012

Please post all related news on this thread.

For last quarter's Openings and Closings, please this thread:

Openings, Closings, Comings & Goings - April - June 2012

Please, remember, that per our Posting Guidelines, posts pertaining to health code-related issues are not permitted here unless they include a link to a credible, third-party source.

Thanks,

=R=
for the moderators

Sweet Table by Feliz, 4708 W. Touhy in Lincolnwood, is now closed. It's not often that I wake up and go "hmmm...I sure could go for Filipino" but today was the day.

Well, seems as though today is the day that Trencherman is finally open for business, albeit in soft mode.

Reservations now available on OpenTable

Sweet Table by Feliz was a nice two-fer with New York Bagels and Bialy. They were in the same strip mall on Touhy.

Also, the outpost of Falafel Bistro in Wilmette (1154 Central Avenue) is closed. The other one in Rolling Meadows is still open.

Sam's Chicken & Ribs, in the ominous strip mall at the corner of Howard & Hoyne in West Rogers Park, on the Evanston border, has closed. This is at least the 4th failed restaurant in this location in the 10 years I have lived in the 'hood.

Also, the outpost of Falafel Bistro in Wilmette (1154 Central Avenue) is closed. The other one in Rolling Meadows is still open.

That location seems to have a hex on it. In the 10 years I've lived in the area, I've seen 2 different coffee places (names escape me...something something Beans) and now 2 Mediterranean places (Olive Oil, then Falafel Bistro). No theories on why other than a lot of choices in downtown Wilmette.

Franabanana wrote:

Also, the outpost of Falafel Bistro in Wilmette (1154 Central Avenue) is closed. The other one in Rolling Meadows is still open.

That location seems to have a hex on it. In the 10 years I've lived in the area, I've seen 2 different coffee places (names escape me...something something Beans) and now 2 Mediterranean places (Olive Oil, then Falafel Bistro). No theories on why other than a lot of choices in downtown Wilmette.

Also, there is relatively low volume of office space / workers in the area, and there are some great lunch choices in Evanston that are just a quick drive away.

A new Naf Naf "coming soon" at the corner of Washington and Franklin in the Loop.

Andy's Frozen Custard in the Loop's Block 37 mall is closing the company announced Tuesday.
The shop, located on the lower level, will shutter indefinitely on Saturday July 7, the company said in a statement.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012 ... free-cones

Perhaps it's little mourned, but the Toro Sushi Express in the depressing food court on Lake & Clark in the Loop has been shuttered for a while. I found the premade fare passable in a pinch and some of the soba and udon dishes not bad. As a chronic late luncher I liked the after 2 pm BOGO deals.

Not sure if this was posted last month: Sabor Saveur on Division has closed.

I never noticed this somehow, but apparently Sucre et Sales has been open for quite a while in Morton Grove. If they're still around in February 2013, that's where I'll be getting my paczkis. Chocolate Mousse & Bananas...yum! http://www.sucreetsales.com/home

pielady wrote:Steers, 5777 N. Milwaukee, is closed.

A cafe is coming soon to the space formerly owned by a Russian deli at about 6251 N. Milwaukee.

Steers is becoming Brandy's, even though there's another Brandy's at Harlem & Avondale.

The café is now The Bungalow and looks very cute from the photos.
https://www.facebook.com/TheBungalowCafe

RIP RIA

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/ ... 8885.story

A new literal farm-to-table restaurant, Homestead, will open to the public at 5pm on Wednesday, July 11. (Disclaimer: I'm the publicist for Homestead)

Food, cocktail, beer, and wine menus at http://www.scribd.com/doc/99609839/Homestead-Menus

You can read more about Homestead in the Professional Forum right here

Homestead
1924 W Chicago Ave, Second Floor
(must enter through Roots Handmade Pizza)

I'm sure that it is all perfectly legitimate, but a "literal farm-to-table" restaurant with a Chef named John Wayne Formica could easily be imagined by the staff of the Onion. Apparently the tables are reclaimed wood, not reclaimed formica.

But best success to the Homestead!

daveandrews3 wrote:A new literal farm-to-table restaurant, Homestead, will open to the public at 5pm on Wednesday, July 11. (Disclaimer: I'm the publicist for Homestead)

Food, cocktail, beer, and wine menus at http://www.scribd.com/doc/99609839/Homestead-Menus

You can read more about Homestead in the Professional Forum right here

Homestead
1924 W Chicago Ave, Second Floor
(must enter through Roots Handmade Pizza)

GAF wrote:I'm sure that it is all perfectly legitimate, but a "literal farm-to-table" restaurant with a Chef named John Wayne Formica could easily be imagined by the staff of the Onion. Apparently the tables are reclaimed wood, not reclaimed formica.

But best success to the Homestead!

This Formica is one of a kind and cannot be repurposed! (And thanks!)

Looks like some action on Hubbard between State & Dearborn:

EATT Chicago is closed and reopening as Bar Umbragio.
6 W. Hubbard
http://www.barumbriago.com/

Lao 18 also looks closer to opening. I will be so delighted to have decent Chinese close to the Loop!

Tailgators in Edison Park is papered over.

GINO’s EAST pizza group is branching out into sports bars and today they are opening the” Gino’s East Sports Bar in the South Loop at 521 S Dearborn and to promote the grand opening, they are giving away free slices from 11 AM until 1 PM.

Gino’s East Sports Bar, 521 S. Dearborn, 312-939-1818

My guess is it will be nearly impossible to actually get any of the free pizza.

Pie Lady wrote:I never noticed this somehow, but apparently Sucre et Sales has been open for quite a while in Morton Grove. If they're still around in February 2013, that's where I'll be getting my paczkis. Chocolate Mousse & Bananas...yum! http://www.sucreetsales.com/home

I attempted to stop by Sucre et Sales last week to get candy for my kids' birthday party and it looked pretty closed to me. No display shelves up any longer inside the store or in the windows, and dark inside even though it was 2 hours past posted opening time.

Anyone else able to confirm the store's status?

Rhapsody has closed and will reopen in September as Tesori. Penny Pollack had tweeted about the closing around the end of May.
From Phil Vettel's item in The Stew:

Tonight will be the final dinner service for Rhapsody (65 E. Adams St., 312-786-9911), the fine-dining room in the Loop's Symphony Center. The restaurant will close for a few weeks of light renovation, and will emerge, sometime in September, as Tesori.

"We're going to take (the restaurant) to where we think the market is," said Jim Horan, owner/CEO of Blue Plate Catering, which operates Rhapsody. "The Loop is a much different downtown from when we opened Rhapsody in 1995."

Given that Tesori is Italian for "treasure," the concept change makes it all the more curious that chef Dean Zanella, an Italian specialist who has done very good work at Rhapsody, won't be part of the new concept.

"It kinda caught me by surprise," said Zanella, whose last day at Rhapsody was July 3. "Sales were up, customers were extremely happy and we were making money. This is the first time I've been let go from a job."

A chef for Tesori has not been decided, Horan confirmed. Meantime, here's hoping Zanella, a talented chef, catches on somewhere else soon.

Grub Street reported that Tesori will be a more casual and mid-priced restaurant.

I did not care for the menu when Doran Payne (sp?) was chef, so we rarely ate there. Later the menu took more of an Italian twist and became our most frequent choice for pre-CSO dining. Dean Zanella took the food interest and quality up further IMO.

SMT wrote:

Pie Lady wrote:I never noticed this somehow, but apparently Sucre et Sales has been open for quite a while in Morton Grove. If they're still around in February 2013, that's where I'll be getting my paczkis. Chocolate Mousse & Bananas...yum! http://www.sucreetsales.com/home

I attempted to stop by Sucre et Sales last week to get candy for my kids' birthday party and it looked pretty closed to me. No display shelves up any longer inside the store or in the windows, and dark inside even though it was 2 hours past posted opening time.

Anyone else able to confirm the store's status?

Sucre et Sales is kaput.

Rewster's Cafe on Diversey/Kedzie is papered over.

Also closing in Logan Square is Ciao, they are doing a farewell to frequent customers.

miss ellen

Not sure what's going on here, but Morrie O'Malley's at 35th & Union hasn't been open all week. As far as I can tell, there's no notice on the door or anything (haven't looked closely though). I will be sad if they close, I just discovered they have soft serve, making it a very pleasant mid-walk stop with the kids.

The Alcove officially opened tonight.
More here.
The Alcove
512 Main St.
Evanston, IL 60202

Taste of Morocco opened around July 1 in a strip mall at Montgomery Road & Route 34 in Aurora. It is just east of Copley Hospital and a couple of miles west of Rte 59.

The restaurant is small -- it used to be a take-out Chinese place. There are about 6 tables. It is a mom & pop operation. Everything is cooked fresh, and they use halal meats. I tried the maakouda (mashed potato patties with garlic, onion and fresh herbs. They were delicious, nice subtle spices. I also had a chicken kebab sandwich, which comes with a vinegary dressing along with lettuce, tomato, onion and black olives on a piece of baguette. It was very tasty, too.

On Fridays they have a special coucous, again, cooked from scratch. The menu also has a couple of tagines. The owner recommended that you call ahead 30-40 minutes for eat-in tagine so that there won't be too much of a wait once you get there.

Taste of Morocco
2202 Ogden Avenue
Aurora, IL
630-851-4888

TK's Smoke Pit is now open in Glenview. Corner of Pfingsten and Willow on the northeast corner.

http://glenview.suntimes.com/news/13684 ... -meat.html

Orsi's Italian Ice opened last week in Highwood. It's a truck parked in front of The Alley, right where you enter Highwood coming from the south. When the weather is good, they are usually open about 4-10 PM (a little later on Fri/Sat). There's some outdoor seating and plenty of street parking.

Flavors last night were Lemon, Mango, Lemon Lime, Black Cherry, Cantaloupe, Watermelon, Strawberry Lemonade, Red Raspberry, Black Raspberry, Chocolate, and Banana Chocolate Chip.

This is a new family business and some of you may remember that the Orsi family had a restaurant in Highwood before.

grits wrote:Flavors last night were Lemon, Mango, Lemon Lime, Black Cherry, Cantaloupe, Watermelon, Strawberry Lemonade, Red Raspberry, Black Raspberry, Chocolate, and Banana Chocolate Chip.

Thanks for this heads-up. I am looking forward to checking out Orsi's Italian Ice. In fact--high of 99 degrees here in Mundelein today--I wish I could go over to Highwood right now and try one of each of those fruit flavors.

By the way, your mention of "as you enter Highwood from the south" made me think you meant coming in from past the high school (but you meant coming in via Green Bay). Does anyone else remember the ice cream place called "The Scoop" that was at that south end of Highwood? I have happy memories of once in a while on a hot summer night my dad piling all (9) of us into the station wagon and taking us up to The Scoop for double-scoop cones. Baskin-Robbins in downtown HP was closer, but not the same.