Damen/Elston/Fullerton [Dixie Que]

Good morning,

This is my first post, so please be gentle with me. This is Ashok Selvam, associate editor with Eater Chicago. I'm a native Chicagoan and worked for the Daily Herald for years before this. Had a question that's been bothering me, and perhaps you fine folks can help.

On Thursday, they're starting construction at Damen/Fullerton/Elston, one of the worst intersections in Chicago. Work will cause bad traffic delays, and construction won't be completed until late 2016: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-damen-elston-fullerton-redesign-met-0527-20150526-story.html

What I'm wondering, is if anyone remembers in the late 80s/early 90s, there was a restaurant on the southwest corner of Damen and Fullerton. It was BBQ, if memory serves me right, and it was open for only a brief time. That parcel's been vacant for more than a decade.

If anyone has recollection of this, I'd love for you to share. It's bugging me a lot. I also believe it was a Lettuce Entertain You spot. But not sure.

I've read this site for years, but only as a lurker. Thanks!

Ashok

Ashok

I actually had thought it was called Dixie Kitchen and Bait Shop but a quick Google and I found out it was called Dixie Que. It was one of Mel Markon's spots.

Here's Vettel's old review:

Dixie Que

aselvam wrote:What I'm wondering, is if anyone remembers in the late 80s/early 90s, there was a restaurant on the southwest corner of Damen and Fullerton. It was BBQ, if memory serves me right, and it was open for only a brief time. That parcel's been vacant for more than a decade.

If anyone has recollection of this, I'd love for you to share. It's bugging me a lot. I also believe it was a Lettuce Entertain You spot. But not sure.

Welcome! That would be Dixie Que, Mel Markon's Southern concept. I don't think it was related at all to Lettuce Entertain You, but I can see how people might think that. It was sort of the Ed Debevic's of barbecue. Indeed, Markon employed the same firm who created Debevic's to design Dixie Que.

You guys rock. Thank you so much.

I loved Dixie Que. May be the best mashed potatoes I ever had.

I still have fond sense memories of Mel Markon's cabbage soup.

Wow, I haven't thought about this place in years. When I moved to Bucktown a hundred years ago, I used to hit up Dixie Que frequently in the days before the Bucktown Restaurant Rush of the mid-90s. It was right up the street. But that's always been a crummy location, even before gentrification.

It was the first place where I had sweet potato fries. They had a basket of finely cut fries -- more like frites that standard french fries.

riddlemay wrote:I still have fond sense memories of Mel Markon's cabbage soup.

Yes. That, or a bowl of french onion soup and a moonrise salad ended many a drunken evening for me back in the day. I never really got into Dixie Q, though. I much preferred Edith's on Clybourn Back then.

Edith's ?? With the extruded instant mashed potato fries? I liked that too!

Wasn't there a brew-your-own beer place at that intersection at one time? Lasted about a minute.

kuhdo wrote:Edith's ?? With the extruded instant mashed potato fries? I liked that too!

Yes. Extruded fries and an aquarium smoker.

Looks like the Frispo extruded french fry machine ( was at Edith's) patent was granted in 1971 and expired in 1993 if anyone is interested:

http://www.inovia.com/products/director ... to-company

adipocere wrote:Wasn't there a brew-your-own beer place at that intersection at one time? Lasted about a minute.

That was a little further East.
Brewing Company No. 9, 2350 N Clybourn Ave.

(edited to change direction and add name of place I was thinking of)

leek wrote:

adipocere wrote:Wasn't there a brew-your-own beer place at that intersection at one time? Lasted about a minute.

That was a little further south.

Brew & Grow was located on Armitage just west of where Elston & Ashland come together, if that's the one you're thinking of. They relocated to 3625 N Kedzie and are still in business.

stevez wrote:

leek wrote:

adipocere wrote:Wasn't there a brew-your-own beer place at that intersection at one time? Lasted about a minute.

That was a little further south.

Brew & Grow was located on Armitage just west of where Elston & Ashland come together, if that's the one you're thinking of. They relocated to 3625 N Kedzie and are still in business.

I think adipocere may mean Brewing Company No 9, a brew-on-premises operation that opened in the late '90s and didn't stay in business long. But that was half a mile east—on Clybourn just south of Fullerton.

Traffic question rather than food question: Did work begin on Thursday (so that the intersection is to be avoided at all costs), or have we been granted a short reprieve?

riddlemay wrote:Traffic question rather than food question: Did work begin on Thursday (so that the intersection is to be avoided at all costs), or have we been granted a short reprieve?

My understanding is that it started last Thursday but that they're already on break.

=R=

riddlemay wrote:Traffic question rather than food question: Did work begin on Thursday (so that the intersection is to be avoided at all costs), or have we been granted a short reprieve?

As of Sunday morning, there was no sign of any construction at all.
Ideally, I'd have them build the Elston bypass through the Vienna lot first... but then I'm not the project manager.
Full city plans available here.

riddlemay wrote:Traffic question rather than food question: Did work begin on Thursday (so that the intersection is to be avoided at all costs), or have we been granted a short reprieve?

I was going west on Fullerton to the Kennedy on Thursday around noon and thought damn, work starts today I'm screwed. There was nothing going on and it was the fastest I've ever gone through that intersection.

I think adipocere may mean Brewing Company No 9, a brew-on-premises operation that opened in the late '90s and didn't stay in business long. But that was half a mile east—on Clybourn just south of Fullerton.

Yeah! Brewing Company no 9, that's the one. Thanks.

I was going South last Friday on Damen towards the Fullerton/Elston intersection and the right lane as you make your way over the Damen bridge past Costco was barricaded off with only one lane open all the way thru past Fullerton. Definitely cant hang in the right lane now and merge over if continuing South on Damen and if having to wait for people to turn right onto Fullerton (and god forbid a semi) from just the one lane, this is going to cause major traffic delays in and of itself.

From looking at the plans, when it's all finished there's going to be a block or so of Elston south of the intersection that will become like a "side street" coming off the re-directed new main Elston Ave. (Maybe they'll call this block of formerly-Elston "Elston Lane" or something, who knows.) Anyway, I can't picture if there are restaurants or other retail businesses currently along that stretch, but if there are, they can't be happy that all the traffic will be directed elsewhere. That stretch will become like a mini-"old Rt. 66" or something.

smokinjoe wrote:I was going South last Friday on Damen towards the Fullerton/Elston intersection and the right lane as you make your way over the Damen bridge past Costco was barricaded off with only one lane open all the way thru past Fullerton. Definitely cant hang in the right lane now and merge over if continuing South on Damen and if having to wait for people to turn right onto Fullerton (and god forbid a semi) from just the one lane, this is going to cause major traffic delays in and of itself.

Along with this lane closure SB on Damen, Midtown's second (smaller) building was being razed yesterday. Cars start queuing up sooner, before getting off the bridge but it hasn't seemed too bad yet.

Nothing is being done yet for northbound lanes.