bopNgrill has just posted on their facebook that the Evanston location is now closed. Loyola remains open. Odd.

edit: also here:

The Evanston location will be closed due to the overwhelming number of customers. We also will not be taking any phone orders. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Thank you to all who’ve supported us through the years at the original bopNgrill! Make sure to come by our Chicago location.

That sucks. It's going to be odd when people watch the Food Network tonight or the 24th and that location doesn't even exist. According to the blog, they closed due to an overwhelming number of customers. Who closes because they're making too much money?

Pie Lady wrote:Who closes because they're making too much money?

Eberon and I are questioning whether or not this is just poor wording. Are they saying their location is closed for the day due to food demands?

I doubt it...the blog says "Thank you to all who’ve supported us through the years at the original bopNgrill! Make sure to come by our Chicago location." That sounds permanent. Weird, but permanent. And Twitter is NO help.

LAZ wrote:Yelp reports that the DelMonico in Illinois Center has been closed since July 3. Anyone know? I'd call, but they aren't ever open on weekends. If it's still open, how is it?

Any relation to the ones in NY? (i.e. An upscale MacKelly's?)

incite wrote:

Pie Lady wrote:Who closes because they're making too much money?

Eberon and I are questioning whether or not this is just poor wording. Are they saying their location is closed for the day due to food demands?

I'll bet that they simply want to focus on their Loyola location, which has many more customers than their Evanston one. The Evanston store was not in the best location, especially in the summer when there are few high school students around.

TomInSkokie wrote:

incite wrote:

Pie Lady wrote:Who closes because they're making too much money?

Eberon and I are questioning whether or not this is just poor wording. Are they saying their location is closed for the day due to food demands?

I'll bet that they simply want to focus on their Loyola location, which has many more customers than their Evanston one. The Evanston store was not in the best location, especially in the summer when there are few high school students around.

Exactly. I'm assuming that was a typo and they meant a lack of customers. I assume that the one on Sheridan gets a lot more foot traffic, from Loyola, the El, and more.

Though I certainly wish they had been around in my Wildkit days!

AaronSinger wrote:I'm assuming that was a typo and they meant a lack of customers.

A lack of customers in Evanston definitely seems to have been the problem, but it doesn't seem like a typo. (I mean, how do you type the entire word "overwhelming" by mistake?) My two theories are, 1) they actually don't know the meaning of the word "overwhelming," or 2) they mean that an overwhelming number of customers at their Loyola location has necessitated focusing all their efforts on that location. (Which has the sound of spin, but at least makes sense within the world of spin.)

Austin's Tacos on Davis in downtown Evanston is closed. That didn't take long.... about 8 months?

Also in Evanston, Kevin Pang (in his 8/16/12 Trib review of the original Chicago's Home of Chicken and Waffles) mentioned that the Evanston location is expected to open "this winter." The sign announcing that CHoCaW is "coming soon" has been up in the windows at 2424 Dempster for almost a year....

I may be mistaken, but I think Zebda is gone. It was dark at 6:45 tonight.

sujormik wrote:Townhouse, on Deerfield/Waukegan in the old Red Star Tavern space, served its last meal tonight. Too bad, I liked their burgers.

A sign is now up in that space that says "Coming soon: Bobby's Deerfield"

jlodoglvr wrote:

sujormik wrote:Townhouse, on Deerfield/Waukegan in the old Red Star Tavern space, served its last meal tonight. Too bad, I liked their burgers.

A sign is now up in that space that says "Coming soon: Bobby's Deerfield"

http://deerfield.patch.com/articles/dee ... ocal-taste

abe_froeman wrote:There's a sign on the side of Bacchus Nibbles that they're moving soon to Rand (Rt. 12) and Rt. 22- I'm guessing the former location of Omega? Looks like the for sale sign that was in front of it has been taken down.


Bacchus Nibbles
20817 N Quentin Rd
Lake Zurich IL 60047
(847) 438-3212

[Former] Omega Restaurant & Pancake House
449 S Rand Rd
Lake Zurich, IL 60047

I was incorrect- they're moving into a storefront in the strip mall behind the former Omega location- that corner spot across from the Bank of America. Papered windows and a "Coming Soon" sign.

Just Turkey is coming soon to 1132 W. Bryn Mawr.

I don't know when this happened, but sometime between last November and yesterday The Growling Rabbit replaced Café Ennui at 6981 N. Sheridan.

Sadly, Angin Mamiri at 2739 W. Touhy is closed.

Pie Lady wrote:Just Turkey is coming soon to 1132 W. Bryn Mawr.

We visit the one at ...

6606 W North Ave

... from time to time. My Bride loves the Turkey Burger.

Pie Lady wrote:.... Sadly, Angin Mamiri at 2739 W. Touhy is closed.

Just as a point of reference, Angin Mamiri has been closed for more than a year. I posted this back on August 19, 2011--exactly a year ago ! I have been unable to find anything about them re-opening anywhere.

tarte tatin wrote:Post subject: Re: Angin Mamiri: Indonesia for the Windycitians!
Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 4:31 pm 
The Evanston Lunch Group dined here back in October 2009. I enjoyed the food and always intended to make a return visit, but their location (at California and Touhy) never seemed to be on my route to or from anywhere.
Now there's a "For Rent" sign in the window, and their phone has been "temporarily" disconnected.
A message on Facebook says, in part, "Angin Mamiri's lease at our current location has expired and we will be closed for business for the time being. Our new location and re-opening has yet to be decided."

The construction took so long I'd given up hope, but according to a sign in the window the Dinkel's Bakery Cafe expansion is opening tomorrow. They'll serve sandwiches and I'm not sure what else.

Dinkel's Bakery Cafe
3329 North Lincoln Avenue
(773) 281-7300

tarte tatin wrote:

Pie Lady wrote:.... Sadly, Angin Mamiri at 2739 W. Touhy is closed.

Just as a point of reference, Angin Mamiri has been closed for more than a year. I posted this back on August 19, 2011--exactly a year ago ! I have been unable to find anything about them re-opening anywhere.

Wow! I'm out of date on two OCCGs. That's a shame about this place, I thought they were pretty tasty.

Work on the brasa roja at Addison and Pulaski has finally started up again, and things seem to be progressing quickly. A sign is up, a new rotisserie is in the window, and they're starting to get light fixtures installed.

They've been working on this location for nearly a year, I think. Glad to see it's finally nearing the finish line.

Balkan Restaurant (aka Balkan Cafe) in Lincoln Square has closed. There's a for lease sign in the window and we hadn't been able to raise them on the phone for a few weeks before I saw that appear. It's a shame; the place had been there for years and was really freakin' delicious but gradually went downhill after new management took it over about a year (or longer?) ago. We're going to try out Restaurant Sarajevo down the street (2701 W Lawrence Ave) next time we get a cevapi craving.

Balkan Restaurant
2321 W Lawrence Ave
(773) 878-7764
http://www.thebalkancafe.com

If you're looking for cevaps, the ones at Pizza Art Cafe are my regular order. I barely ever even get actual pizzas from there any more. House-baked bread in the wood-fired oven, soft farmers cheese, chopped onion, awesome.

http://www.pizzaartcafe.info/our-food.html

Senza, an all-gluten-free restaurant in Lakeview, is soft opening on Wednesday.

http://senzachicago.com/
2873 N. Broadway
(773)770-3527

Pie Lady wrote:I may be mistaken, but I think Zebda is gone. It was dark at 6:45 tonight.

I guess they're not gone. Odd.
https://www.google.com/offers/home?utm_ ... HDZKTTJZM8

Other good news—Canady is also not gone, but opened at a new location:
2136 West Fulton Street
Chicago, IL 60612
(312) 208-5094

LAZ wrote:Yelp reports that the DelMonico in Illinois Center has been closed since July 3. Anyone know? I'd call, but they aren't ever open on weekends. If it's still open, how is it?

Yikes, you had me scared there, I have lunch here on a fairly regular basis. The sign on the window says closed until October for a family holiday, so I expect they'll be back. As to how it is, I'm a big fan of it for something a little more interesting then you might otherwise find in the area. While they have your typical hot/cold buffets, sandwich stations, etc., the Korean food is the big draw, in particular, the made to order bi-bim-baps (Dolsot as well), but the stuff on the hot/cold lines as well. It's not the greatest Korean food in the world, but it certainly does the trick. Looking forward to their return.

It appears that Bill Kim's new venture, BellyQ, is opening this Wednesday in the former one sixtyblue space. There will also be a take-out service BQ2GO opening on Thursday.

BellyQ
1400 W Randolph
(312) 455-8626
http://www.bellyqchicago.com/

Epic Burger, Lettuce lease in River North

Epic Burger Inc. plans to open its seventh Chicago-area restaurant in River North, signing a lease in a building where the Melman family is opening a new steakhouse with former Trump Apprentice Bill Rancic.

http://www.chicagorealestatedaily.com/article/20120821/CRED03/120829956/epic-burger-lettuce-lease-in-river-north

Noticed a sign this week in the old Hoanh Long space that said Coming Soon...Homestead...American Comfort Food at it's best.

6144 N Lincoln
Chicago, IL

Dave148 wrote:Epic Burger, Lettuce lease in River North

Epic Burger Inc. plans to open its seventh Chicago-area restaurant in River North, signing a lease in a building where the Melman family is opening a new steakhouse with former Trump Apprentice Bill Rancic.

http://www.chicagorealestatedaily.com/article/20120821/CRED03/120829956/epic-burger-lettuce-lease-in-river-north

Gotta give that place (and David Friedman) props. I started going there when it first opened down the street from my office and it was a fully realized concept from day one, from menus to decor. Whether you're a fan or not, it's been an impressive model.

RobK wrote:Noticed a sign this week in the old Hoanh Long space that said Coming Soon...Homestead...American Comfort Food at it's best.

6144 N Lincoln
Chicago, IL

I'm confused . . . because Hoanh Long is still open.