Yes Family Fruit Market is like Harvest Time. It's been my refrigerator since the early 90's. It has been across the street from the Six Corners Jewel on Cicero Ave.

Turn your sound all the way up and then click on this:

http://www.familyfruitmarket.net

Same family members also own A&G Market on Belmont at Central Ave.

I've recently been trying Tony's Finer Foods that's in the newer built Dominicks at Broadway and Foster cause it's in my normal travels on the Northside. I should start a new Tony's thread for this store….

kenji wrote:
I've recently been trying Tony's Finer Foods that's in the newer built Dominicks at Broadway and Foster cause it's in my normal travels on the Northside. I should start a new Tony's thread for this store….

I'll miss Family Fruit Market, too.

If you're switching over to Tony's, don't forget, there's one much closer than Broadway located on Elston south of Montrose, and another one in the former Dominick's on Lincoln just north of Foster.

Sorry…I meant Lincoln and Foster, yes.

The Tony's on Elston near Irving seems to be a totally different store compared to the Lincoln Ave store to me.

kenji wrote:The Tony's on Elston near Irving seems to be a totally different store compared to the Lincoln Ave store to me.

Yes, I agree. Comparing one of the old time original Tony's (like the one on Elston), with their primarily Mexican influence, to the newer purpose-built or Dominick-takeover stores is kind of like comparing the original Fresh Farms on Devon to the one on Touhy in Niles.

I'm looking around LTH and I'm not finding a Tony's thread about the Lincoln/Foster store.

kenji wrote:Yes Family Fruit Market is like Harvest Time. It's been my refrigerator since the early 90's. It has been across the street from the Six Corners Jewel on Cicero Ave.

Thanks. As a clueless NU undergrad, I always bemoaned the grocery store options. Now, as a Harvestime neighbor/zealot, I wonder what Evanston residents do without a store like it within a short drive (Morse market?). Guess they'll have one now.

Hi- Some people in Evanston go to Marketplace on Oakton in Skokie. When the Evanston outdoor farmer's market is open, I buy next to no produce in any of the stores.

We get most of our produce from Village Market Place, which is a little closer than Marketplace on Oakton. It's kind of a Marketplace on Oakton-Lite. (As a completely off-topic aside, there was recent a television show featuring the inimitable Burt of Burt's Place buying his produce for his pizza early in the morning at Village Market Place, which apparently he does every day Burt's Place is open.)

I'm looking forward to Valli opening. It's even closer and looks like it'll be quite a bit larger than Village Market Place.

Village Market Place
4034 Dempster St
Skokie, IL 60076

rtb178 wrote:As a clueless NU undergrad, I always bemoaned the grocery store options. Now, as a Harvestime neighbor/zealot, I wonder what Evanston residents do without a store like it within a short drive (Morse market?). Guess they'll have one now.

As in much of Chicagoland, different stores offer better selection/quality/value in some things than in others. Up till now, for produce, we've used a combination of the Evanston Farmers Market (in season) and Village Market Place on Dempster in Skokie, and to a lesser extent, Produce World on Skokie Blvd in Skokie and on Dempster in Morton Grove, and Market Place on Oakton in Skokie. All of these are good options for produce, as well as certain other items including international foods and deli meats. For packaged goods, fresh seafood, and most other items, our go-to place is now Heinen's in Glenview, and for specific items we supplement that with Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Jewel, Foodstuffs, and Sam's Club, all in Evanston, and for fresh meats, Zier's in Wilmette. We look forward to adding Valli Produce to the list of places we shop; for us, it will almost certainly replace those produce markets (other than the farmers market) and will probably reduce the amount we buy at the other places as well. Anyone bemoaning the grocery store options in and around Evanston just isn't looking very hard!

Incidentally, for those who are not familiar with Valli Produce, they already have stores in Arlington Heights, Hoffman Estates, Glendale Heights, and two in Rockford. The company is privately owned by one family, with a family member on-site at each location as the owner-manager. You can read more about them on their website here. Feel free to visit their other stores to get an idea of what they're like. Based on what's been presented at Alderman Braithwaite's Second Ward meetings, I expect the one in Evanston to be even better than the pretty darn nice stores they already own.

It looks like a Blaze Pizza is opening up next to the Naf Naf on Touhy in Niles. Yesterday at lunch I saw a sign on the door and some Blaze paper on the windows. The door was open and the oven is in, but there is still a lot of work to do before open. That parking lot should be even more fun during the lunch rush when this opens.

Blaze Pizza
5712 W. Touhy Ave.
Niles, IL 60714

Jose Garces' wood fired Argentinian steakhouse, Rural Society, opened earlier this month in the Loews Hotel in Streeterville.

Rural Society
455 N. Park
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 840-6605

The former JJ Twigs/mini-golf on Rand Rd in Lake Zurich is apparently becoming a combination sushi/Japanese restaurant and coffeehouse. Interesting. The Japanese part will be called Ai Hana Japan and the coffee half will be Cafe Ron. If it's good, it will be a nice place to have close to my job.

No other info, just passed by and saw the sign.

405 N Rand Rd
Lake Zurich, Illinois 60047

I believe the JJ Twigs moved to where the Gino's East was on Rand & 22, but don't quote me on that.

Quesadilla la Reina del Sur is opening up a second location in Rogers Park on Howard just off Sheridan.

According to the restaurant's Facebook page, the new owners of Sola are keeping it open past the projected closing date of April - through the end of the summer and possibly to early 2016.

LaurenL wrote:According to the restaurant's Facebook page, the new owners of Sola are keeping it open past the projected closing date of April - through the end of the summer and possibly to early 2016.

At which point they will be doing a "reconcept", which is not exactly the same thing as closing it. Here's the full text of their e-mail:

Sola wrote:We're NOT Closing!

Greetings loyal Sola guest,

Recently some misinformation was printed about our restaurant closing down in April of this year - this is factually incorrect.

At some point the restaurant will shut down for a re-concept, but this will not be until the fall of 2015 or possibly even early 2016 - the specific timeline is simply impossible to predict at this point. When that timeline becomes clearer we will be sure to let you know.

Until then we would like everyone to know that the same service and kitchen staff that have made Sola the phenomenal restaurant it is today are all still here.

Patio season is right around the corner. Our guests should expect some new improvements to the restaurant and patio itself as well as some fantastic new additions to the spring menu as well as our cocktail, beer, and wine lists (don't worry, your favorites are still on the menu).

Please feel free to call the restaurant (773-327-3868) if you would like any additional information.

We hope to see you at Sola many more times this year!!!

They have opened up a small bites restaurant and bar at the Landmark Century Theaters on Clark. Has the makings for a very nice evening of food/drinks/movie.

cleanplateclub wrote:They have opened up a small bites restaurant and bar at the Landmark Century Theaters on Clark. Has the makings for a very nice evening of food/drinks/movie.

Interesting! Is it in the theater lobby, or down at the bottom of the atrium where Eatzi used to be? (Or somewhere else?) I'm trying to picture it in the theater lobby, and I can't imagine how they'd find the space for something like that.

Hi all,

Just wanted to post a note that we're going to keep this thread going and not start a new one for the 2nd quarter. In fact, we'll probably just keep it going for the rest of the year.

Thanks,

=R=
for the Moderators

To answer Riddlemay regarding the Landmark Theater, they moved the box office over into the concession area and then they blew out the area behind where the box office used to be. Its pretty big. I don't know what used to be there, possibly a store or a couple of offices. I love that they have parking there too.

Also, I dont know if its already been mentioned here but the Breakroom Brewery offically opens on Tuesday.

BreakRoom Brewery
2925 W Montrose Ave

Thanks, cleanplateclub. I wish the Landmark Century great success with it. I worry for all movie theaters in this day and age of super-convenient HD streaming, so if the restaurant/bar helps them, I'm all for it.

Another reason I'm all for it is if it helps revivify that mall in general. Imagine if the restaurant turns out to be so good that it brings people in who aren't even going to a movie! Imagine if it becomes a destination restaurant, a GNR! I hope that's what they're shooting for.

riddlemay wrote:Thanks, cleanplateclub. I wish the Landmark Century great success with it. I worry for all movie theaters in this day and age of super-convenient HD streaming, so if the restaurant/bar helps them, I'm all for it.

Another reason I'm all for it is if it helps revivify that mall in general. Imagine if the restaurant turns out to be so good that it brings people in who aren't even going to a movie! Imagine if it becomes a destination restaurant, a GNR! I hope that's what they're shooting for.

i love the landmark theater, but i do NOT like the idea of walking into a dark theater and sitting in a seat that someone might have spilled food on. nor do i want to smell someone else's food and listen to them chewing. nor am i crazy about drunken theater goers as companions... i believe restaurants and theaters are not compatible.

justjoan wrote:

riddlemay wrote:Thanks, cleanplateclub. I wish the Landmark Century great success with it. I worry for all movie theaters in this day and age of super-convenient HD streaming, so if the restaurant/bar helps them, I'm all for it.

Another reason I'm all for it is if it helps revivify that mall in general. Imagine if the restaurant turns out to be so good that it brings people in who aren't even going to a movie! Imagine if it becomes a destination restaurant, a GNR! I hope that's what they're shooting for.

i love the landmark theater, but i do NOT like the idea of walking into a dark theater and sitting in a seat that someone might have spilled food on. nor do i want to smell someone else's food and listen to them chewing. nor am i crazy about drunken theater goers as companions... i believe restaurants and theaters are not compatible.

The Alamo Drafthouse chain that started in Texas provides the best movie theater experience I've ever had, and second place isn't even close. The food and alcohol that they make available is very much a part of that experience. Never encountered any overly drunk movie goers, and they had their seating arranged such that the meal choices of those around me and the way they ate their food was never even a minor concern.

Restaurants and theaters are so compatible that I truly don't understand why more theaters don't do it, especially given how dependent they are on concession sales to actually make any money.

justjoan wrote:

riddlemay wrote:Thanks, cleanplateclub. I wish the Landmark Century great success with it. I worry for all movie theaters in this day and age of super-convenient HD streaming, so if the restaurant/bar helps them, I'm all for it.

Another reason I'm all for it is if it helps revivify that mall in general. Imagine if the restaurant turns out to be so good that it brings people in who aren't even going to a movie! Imagine if it becomes a destination restaurant, a GNR! I hope that's what they're shooting for.

i love the landmark theater, but i do NOT like the idea of walking into a dark theater and sitting in a seat that someone might have spilled food on. nor do i want to smell someone else's food and listen to them chewing. nor am i crazy about drunken theater goers as companions... i believe restaurants and theaters are not compatible.

I didn't interpret cleanplateclub's post to mean that the restaurant/bar would be for "takeout" (i.e., bringing food and drink into the theater). I assumed it meant a regular restaurant to go for food and drink before or after the movie. (To capture some of the crowd that currently goes across the street to La Creperie before or after a film, for example.) I suppose it could be what you say.

riddlemay wrote:

justjoan wrote:

riddlemay wrote:Thanks, cleanplateclub. I wish the Landmark Century great success with it. I worry for all movie theaters in this day and age of super-convenient HD streaming, so if the restaurant/bar helps them, I'm all for it.

Another reason I'm all for it is if it helps revivify that mall in general. Imagine if the restaurant turns out to be so good that it brings people in who aren't even going to a movie! Imagine if it becomes a destination restaurant, a GNR! I hope that's what they're shooting for.

i love the landmark theater, but i do NOT like the idea of walking into a dark theater and sitting in a seat that someone might have spilled food on. nor do i want to smell someone else's food and listen to them chewing. nor am i crazy about drunken theater goers as companions... i believe restaurants and theaters are not compatible.

I didn't interpret cleanplateclub's post to mean that the restaurant/bar would be for "takeout" (i.e., bringing food and drink into the theater). I assumed it meant a regular restaurant to go for food and drink before or after the movie. (To capture some of the crowd that currently goes across the street to La Creperie before or after a film, for example.) I suppose it could be what you say.

actually, the 'century landmark bar', is advertising itself as a place to eat and drink before, after and during the show. the menu (which i don't know how to link here, as the URL is just landmark theater) is full of small bites, like beef wellington and other messy foods. and they say you can only buy 1 drink at a time, which makes it even more annoying for the moviegoing experience of the rest of us, as this means people will leave the theater to get that 2d or 3rd beer or cocktail. people usually are content with 1 coke or pepsi...you can check it out on their Facebook page.

justjoan wrote:actually, the 'century landmark bar', is advertising itself as a place to eat and drink before, after and during the show.

"During the show" could mean (a) that you would temporarily exit the movie to go eat in a separate area (basically riddlemay's interpretation), or it could mean (b) that it's a "dinner theater" type setup in which they serve you at your seats where the movie is being shown (basically ucjames's description of the chain in Texas), presumably and hopefully with a surface upon which to put your food while eating other than your lap. It's not clear which.

As for spilling food or smelling or hearing others eating, I'm not sure how that's any different from most theaters, which serve popcorn and hot dogs that many people take into their seats at the movie.

Folks, please remember that this food is for basic information about openings and closings.

As posted at the top of every OCCG thread:

ronnie_suburban wrote:Please post all applicable, basic news on this thread.

If you have something substantive to post about a place, please start a new thread (or search for an exising one and post there), as important details will almost certainly get lost and forgotten in this thread.

If you'd like to have a discussion about the Century Landmark Bar, Eating in theaters, etc., please start a thread or build on an existing one.

Just found out that Mississipi Rick's and Mama Lou's in Bronzeville are closed.

Almawal on Harlem had a fire and is closed. Ended up at Fattoush for lunch where my server said the former owner sold it a few months ago and, according to him, it went downhill quickly, so a double whammy. Sorry I never got to try it.

Scofflaw group's new endeavor, Sink / Swim, opens tonight.
http://chicago.eater.com/2015/3/30/8314 ... flaw-group

Ted Brunson,former host of "Chicago's Best" tv show on WGN has opened "Teddy B's" in Roselle.

Located in the heart of downtown Roselle, Teddy B's is dedicated to providing the best brews, bites & beats.
The menu is inspired by some of Ted Brunson's favorite eateries that he's encountered filming his various food segments.

101 East Irving Park Rd, Roselle, IL
HOURS: Sun-Th 11AM-1AM Fri/Sat 11AM-2AM
http://www.teddybs.com/