At Old Orchard in Skokie, Johnny Rockets has blasted off into the stratosphere, and in its place a Roti Mediterranean will soon appear.

Reps for esteemed Italian pizza maker Gabriele Bonci have applied for a liquor license for 161 N. Sangamon St., the northwest corner of Randolph and Sangamon. That’s where America’s first Bonci pizzeria will serve Roman-style slices.

https://chicago.eater.com/2017/5/2/1552 ... t-us-store

Grant Park Packing, Lake & Halsted, of Uncle John's/Barbara Ann's hot links production fame, coming down today. Bullshit. Too soon after Isaacson's. Make way for more Nobu hotels, Fortune 100, and Meatpacking Districtfication.

JeffB wrote:Grant Park Packing, Lake & Halsted, of Uncle John's/Barbara Ann's hot links production fame, coming down today. Bullshit. Too soon after Isaacson's. Make way for more Nobu hotels, Fortune 100, and Meatpacking Districtfication.

Ouch. That one really hurts.

stevez wrote:

JeffB wrote:Grant Park Packing, Lake & Halsted, of Uncle John's/Barbara Ann's hot links production fame, coming down today. Bullshit. Too soon after Isaacson's. Make way for more Nobu hotels, Fortune 100, and Meatpacking Districtfication.

Ouch. That one really hurts.

Looks like they're operating out of Franklin Park.
http://www.grantparkpacking.com/contact-us/

Dave148 wrote:

stevez wrote:

JeffB wrote:Grant Park Packing, Lake & Halsted, of Uncle John's/Barbara Ann's hot links production fame, coming down today. Bullshit. Too soon after Isaacson's. Make way for more Nobu hotels, Fortune 100, and Meatpacking Districtfication.

Ouch. That one really hurts.

Looks like they're operating out of Franklin Park.
http://www.grantparkpacking.com/contact-us/

Moving is much different than closing.

JeffB wrote:Grant Park Packing, Lake & Halsted, of Uncle John's/Barbara Ann's hot links production fame, coming down today. Bullshit. Too soon after Isaacson's. Make way for more Nobu hotels, Fortune 100, and Meatpacking Districtfication.

I've been following the disappearance of Park Packing with sadness. Honestly, I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did. No room for The Pork King of Chicago in Googleville.

December 2016

February 2017


Grant Park Packing
"Always on the go"
"The Pork King of Chicago"
842 W Lake St (closed)
3434 Runge St (new location)
Franklin Park IL
312-421-4096
http://www.grantparkpacking.com/

Update for Rte 59 in Naperville.

The Carrabba Grill at Rte 59 & Ogden closed back in February. Apparently it was an "underperforming location". It always seemed crowded to me. I will miss the fried zucchini and minestrone. Plus it was one of the few places to get a decent drink in the area!

Jimmy's Charhouse is coming to the late lamented Boston Blackie's. That location (across the parking lot from the Carrabba Grill that just closed) has been snakebit since Boston Blackie's vacated way back when. Hope this incarnation is more successful.

And just north in the same sprawling strip mall area, Raising Cane has opened, and today the drive-through was a scene. There was someone directing traffic. Raising Cane specializes in chicken fingers, to the delight of picky-eating children everywhere. Could be good. The website says they limit the menu to focus on chicken fingers, french fries, and cole slaw.

tcdup wrote:And just north in the same sprawling strip mall area, Raising Cane's has opened, and today the drive-through was a scene. There was someone directing traffic. Raising Cane's specializes in chicken fingers, to the delight of picky-eating children everywhere. Could be good. The website says they limit the menu to focus on chicken fingers, french fries, and cole slaw.

I really like Raising Cane's, I've had it all over the country and it's consistent for what it is. The chicken is cooked to order, but the big hook is their dipping sauce which is a ketchup/mayo hybrid with Worcestershire, pepper, garlic, and a little more. The fries are exactly like Brown's Chicken's - smaller crinkle cut, no big deal. In actuality there are numerous chicken finger chains like Cane's that all have the same menu and sauce including Guthrie's, Zaxby's, and ChickeNow (which is located in Rosemont). They've all been around for decades now (not sure about ChickeNow but it's way overpriced by comparison - located in Fashion Outlet Mall).

There's a vinyl sign on the wall where the Cotton Duck used to be (near Damen/Augusta) for Sabroso Mexican Grill, and next to it is a sign for Diners Drive Ins and Dives. Looks like the original, and only other location is in California and must have been featured on the show. I haven't found any Chicago location information online, but here's the website that's on the sign. http://sabrosomexgrill.com/

As per Eater, Joe Boston's in Humboldt Park will close after service on Saturday the 13th.

https://chicago.eater.com/2017/5/10/156 ... boldt-park

Ram4 wrote:

tcdup wrote:And just north in the same sprawling strip mall area, Raising Cane's has opened, and today the drive-through was a scene. There was someone directing traffic. Raising Cane's specializes in chicken fingers, to the delight of picky-eating children everywhere. Could be good. The website says they limit the menu to focus on chicken fingers, french fries, and cole slaw.

I really like Raising Cane's, I've had it all over the country and it's consistent for what it is. The chicken is cooked to order, but the big hook is their dipping sauce which is a ketchup/mayo hybrid with Worcestershire, pepper, garlic, and a little more. The fries are exactly like Brown's Chicken's - smaller crinkle cut, no big deal. In actuality there are numerous chicken finger chains like Cane's that all have the same menu and sauce including Guthrie's, Zaxby's, and ChickeNow (which is located in Rosemont). They've all been around for decades now (not sure about ChickeNow but it's way overpriced by comparison - located in Fashion Outlet Mall).

Slightly OT but here in the southern 'burbs of Denver there are two Raising Cane's going up about 5 miles away from each other.

The world's first cafe devoted to the hazelnut spread known as Nutella is opening in the Loop on May 31. Ferrero, the owners of Nutella announced in a news release it will open the two story Nutella Cafe at 151 N. Michigan Ave., on the southeast corner with Lake Street.

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2017051 ... cafe-opens

Dave148 wrote:

The world's first cafe devoted to the hazelnut spread known as Nutella is opening in the Loop on May 31. Ferrero, the owners of Nutella announced in a news release it will open the two story Nutella Cafe at 151 N. Michigan Ave., on the southeast corner with Lake Street.

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2017051 ... cafe-opens

Ferrero also (very) recently purchased Fannie May. I sense a tie in.

Seems like a tie-in with the upcoming Marshmallow Cafe is also a natural.

Food halls are so hot right now, and the company behind Furious Spoon ramen and FireFin Poke Shop have now announced their own plans to open a fancy food court. Taking cues from Revival Food Hall, where Furious Spoon has a location, Lakeview Market should open in summer 2018 with 19 to 20 vendors at 3833 N. Broadway Ave.

https://chicago.eater.com/2017/5/17/156 ... en-budlong

The Lakeview food hall news makes me wonder why nothing has ever gone into the atrium-basement level of The Century since the January 1 2008 (!) closing of Eatzi. Would seem to be a good location for such a thing--or for something! Anything?

Looks like Opart Thai's original location in Lincoln Square is temporarily closed for not the best of reasons:

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2017051 ... -city-says

Busghetti wrote:Opart Thai's original location in Lincoln Square is temporarily closed for not the best of reasons

From the DNA post:

A separate note from management said the restaurant was closed for maintenance and would reopen Friday. Patrons were encouraged to visit Opart's South Loop and West Town locations in the interim.

Even being a general fan of Opart that is pretty hilarious. "Since we've been temporarily shut down by regulators, we suggest you double-down on your inconvenience and look beyond the 5 or so good-to-great Thai places within a half-mile and go through 30+ minutes of traffic each way and still spend your money with us." Gotta love America!

Dang...... Via Lima has closed. So unfortunate as they were cranking out some great dishes. From the web site:

Phew, it’s been a long and wonderful journey though we are closing our doors as of Sunday May 21st, 2017.

Thank you everyone who has helped us get this far. Thank you to all the staff, the cooks, our vendors and especially thank you our guests.

It’s been a real pleasure having shared this experience with you.

— Eni Cadena
— Concept Creator Via Lima

Via Lima
4024 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60618

rmtraut wrote:Dang...... Via Lima has closed. So unfortunate as they were cranking out some great dishes. From the web site:

Phew, it’s been a long and wonderful journey though we are closing our doors as of Sunday May 21st, 2017.

Thank you everyone who has helped us get this far. Thank you to all the staff, the cooks, our vendors and especially thank you our guests.

It’s been a real pleasure having shared this experience with you.

— Eni Cadena
— Concept Creator Via Lima

Via Lima
4024 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60618

I'm sorry to see them go. I never made it there. That's a tough location. I imagine they had pretty heavy overhead. It looks like a good sized space. I work right by there and none of the restaurants are all that exciting. We could really use a good lunch place.

The media group that publishes Time Out entertainment magazines and websites plans to open a gourmet food hall in Chicago's Fulton Market district, after the concept drew more than 3 million visitors in Portugal last year.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ ... l#nws=true

Sal's Trattoria will be opening at Southport and Wolfram soon, per dnainfo

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2017060 ... eys-tavern

Signage has gone up at 2241 N. Western (the former site of Honey 1) for a place name Whistle Pig. The only information I can find on it is an Every Block post about their first inspection. Looks like it will be a BBQ place based on the inspection report. Anybody have the inside track on this?

[I'll reserve my comments about the dynamics of them opening in the Honey 1 space until I get more information/see how opening goes]

As mentioned by Gonzo70 in this thread, 42 grams closed unexpectedly last night after 3.5 years and 2 Michelin stars.

viewtopic.php?p=521290#p521290

Confirmed on their website here: http://www.42gramschicago.com/

Detroit-style pizza is coming soon to Uptown, as Longacre Pizza Squared plans to open June 14. The project is the latest from Andy Kalish, who operates the vegan restaurant Kal'ish (1313 W. Wilson Ave.).

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/re ... story.html

The Hotel Lincoln is getting a replacement for its Perennial Virant restaurant: The Kennison. Ryan See and Dan Warren partnered with the Boka Restaurant Group on the new venture, announced after Perennial Virant closed immediately after New Year's Eve. They've placed chef Bill Walker in charge, coming over from Green Zebra.

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2017060 ... rant-group

Cooper’s Eatery, a beacon of quality barbecue and craft beer in the no-man’s land in western Lakeview, has closed.

https://chicago.eater.com/2017/6/7/1575 ... aylor-made

The Lady Gregory's outpost at 1525 N. Wells has opened.

http://www.ladygregorys.com/restaurant/lgot

Signage is up for Nick's Pizza Pub in the space formerly occupied by Grand Tour with opening in fall, 2017. Web site refers to an outfit that has restaurants in Crystal Lake and Elgin. They appear to be gutting the place and not just redoing the kitchen.

The owner is also a motivational speaker.

Entrepreneur, Speaker & Author of "A Slice of the Pie: How to Build a Big Little Business"

I am not waiting for this with bated breath. How somebody plans to put a high-volume pizza restaurant in that space with no parking is beyond me.

Nick's Pizza and Pub
coming to 2434 W. Montrose
Chicago, IL 60618
http://www.nickspizzapub.com/