Drover wrote:Anyone remember the Wag's diner chain operated by Walgreen's?

Otoh I miss the Howard Johnson's diners. Who remembers when Steve Dahl renamed Wednesday "HoJo's Batter-Fried Clam Strip Day?"

JoelF wrote:

Drover wrote:Anyone remember the Wag's diner chain operated by Walgreen's?

Otoh I miss the Howard Johnson's diners. Who remembers when Steve Dahl renamed Wednesday "HoJo's Batter-Fried Clam Strip Day?"

I grew up just north of Milwaukee Wisconsin, we would pile in the Rambler and drive to Chicago often stopping at Howard Johnson for ice cream (28-flavors) and clam strips. I felt like a young epicurean, even if I had no idea what that meant.

G Wiv wrote:I grew up just north of Milwaukee Wisconsin, we would pile in the Rambler and drive to Chicago

Driving in style!

Double pizza closure update:
1.

polster wrote:Marcello’s Father And Son Restaurant, Logan Square Staple For 72 Years, To Close.

LOGAN SQUARE — Marcello’s Father and Son Restaurant, a staple in Logan Square for 72 years, will serve its final customers on Sunday, a manager said Tuesday.

Per Louisa Chu's update (http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct-father-and-son-pizza-reopening-20190717-pewr3tlvz5a6plkqekpc72jq7e-story.html), ownership received such an outpouring of support post-announcement, the money is there to stay open as carry-out and delivery only with a trimmed down menu (though not indefinitely as the property remains for sale). More material for the cynics who think the best and only way to sometimes stay in business, is to announce you're going out of business.

2.

bweiny wrote:I might be one of the only people on LTH to like them, but I'll spread the word nevertheless, that Piero's Pizza Wilmette will be closing in approximately 2 months. ... I'll be going to Piero's til the end, but will then need to search.

This won't take as long as I wished. When picking up Sunday night, the owner clarified they will be closing by the end of the month. Possibly my last from them was one of the best (I added my own mushroom, sweet pepper, onion)

Drover wrote:

nsxtasy wrote:

spinynorman99 wrote:In a weird bit of vertical integration Crate & Barrel is now in the restaurant business.

Not a first, not even in the Chicago area. Abt owns Jolane's Cafe next door.

Anyone remember the Wag's diner chain operated by Walgreen's?

Yes.

When we first moved to Chicago we had a young child, only I was working yet, and we had like no money.

Wags was one of our few escapes. It was sort of like a Denny's or Big Boy. Basic chow, but Wags at the time had $.99 glasses of wine. They were in those BIG glasses and our regular service would fill them to the brim. There must have been at least 4-5 regular wine servings in those glasses. No wonder they went out of business!

The food was unmemorable at best, but it got the job done when you were broke, hungry and desperate for a night out.

Silver Plate has opened in the old Noodles & Co near Roscoe Village. It's a Chinese restaurant with one of those pan-Asian (think Joy Yee) type menus. Went there for dinner earlier this week and it was tasty.

Silver Plate Asian Cuisine
3336A North Western Avenue
Chicago,IL 60618
(773) 871-8888
https://www.silverplaterestaurant.com/

Wally's Market a polish grocery store in Mount Prospect is now called Montrose Market. I am not sure if its new owners or the same owners as before and just a new name. Google search of Wally's Market shows as permanently closed.

Montrose Market
1731 W Golf Rd,
Mt Prospect, IL 60056

Wally's Market started on Milwaukee Avenue a bit north of Belmont, added a second location at 6601 W. Irving Park Road, and then opened a third location in Mount Prospect. The first two locations closed several years ago. Montrose Deli acquired the Irving Park Road location, which is now called Montrose Food Mart and Deli. Wally's had a wholesale operation called Belmont Sausage, which started out to supply the supermarkets, and still exists.

Belmont Sausage roots

Montrose Deli and Food Mart combined web site. Note that as of today this web site does not say anything about a Mount Prospect location.

The Wally's Market web site is still live, but the last weekly ad is from April.

When I Googled Wally's Market I saw the permanently closed reference to the Irving Park Road location, which was replaced by Montrose Food Mart and Deli in 2012.

Montrose Deli, etc. is definitely run by different people than Wally's Market was. It would not surprise me if they took over another Wally's Market location as they have a fairly Polish orientation.

Thank you ekreider for providing the historical background info on Wally's and Montrose Market. I have to admit I did not go into the new Montrose Market on Golf Road as I was just driving by and noticed the Wally's sign was no longer there. So a quick google search showed up the Wally's in Mt Prospect as permanently closed.

Ino's Tacos is coming to 31rst St. in LaGrange Park, just west of Brookfield, according to the sign on the papered glass of the strip mall.

I couldn't find a dedicated page to Ino's in the forum - what can I anticipate moving into the neighborhood?

Northside Kitchen is open in the old Danny's Egghead Diner space (near Lincoln, Damen and Irving). Haven't eaten there yet, but looking through the windows furniture and layout look familiar. Menu on website is typical diner fare. Hope it lives up to its predecessor.

Northside Kitchen
2012 W Irving Park Rd
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 697-3736
https://northsidekitchen.business.site/ ... m=referral

Lauded Chef Behind Brindille and Naha to Open New Restaurant in October. Carrie Nahabedian’s latest to debut inside the Gwen hotel off the Mag Mile

https://chicago.eater.com/2019/7/25/893 ... ening-date

A new Mexican (NOT New Mexican) restaurant called La Catrina opened a couple months ago on the fringes of Avondale. Looks like any other casual taqueria/burrito joint. Initial customer reviews are quite positive. No apparent connection to La Catrina Cafe in Pilsen.

La Catrina
3924 W. Diversey
773-772-9566
https://la-catrina-restaurant-mexican-r ... ocio.site/

D Cuisine, a tasty dim sum and more restaurant, opened at Clark and Diversey:

http://www.dcuisinechicago.com

Hope it stays. Very long opening hours, though the 7AM opening time has already moved to 8 AM.

Marija wrote:D Cuisine, a tasty dim sum and more restaurant, opened at Clark and Diversey:

http://www.dcuisinechicago.com

Hope it stays. Very long opening hours, though the 7AM opening time has already moved to 8 AM.

I laughed as I walked by the other day, they have a big sign on the window that says open at 7am, and then had the operating hours below it where they had placed a sticker over the 7am & made it 8am

While not open yet, saw signs for a ramen house shinchan in Vernon Hills, next to tj Maxx in the rivertree (still called that?) shopping center.

This will be a nice surprise addition to the lackluster Vernon Hills restaurant offerings

nsxtasy wrote:

spinynorman99 wrote:In a weird bit of vertical integration Crate & Barrel is now in the restaurant business.

Not a first, not even in the Chicago area. Abt owns Jolane's Cafe next door.

Restoration Hardware I believe has around 9 restaurants including the rooftop
3 Arts Club Café at their Chicago flagship location

Maybe Ikea could open a chain of meatball stands?

Ram4 wrote:

abe_froeman wrote:

Ram4 wrote:On the fast food front: Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers is coming to Morton Grove (Dempster and Waukegan in new mixed use development which would include a Cooper's Hawk), Arlington Heights, and Schaumburg by next year. Still no update on them in Vernon Hills.

Is that what's being built at Golf & Roosevelt, kitty-corner from Kuma's?

The address is going to be 1205 East Higgins Rd near Meacham Rd.

I drove by today, and we have an answer. Shake Shack!

bweiny wrote:I might be one of the only people on LTH to like them, but I'll spread the word nevertheless, that Piero's Pizza Wilmette will be closing in approximately 2 months. It should be a surprise to no one that the Wil-Ridge Plaza strip mall would be coming down. The village had approved a plan for a retirement/nursing facility run by Artis Senior Living about a year and a half ago. The property sale was later though.

I talked to the owner when picking up a few days ago. They tried to move across the street to the long vacant former 7/11 spot, but the Domino's pizza in the strip mall had a right to reject, which they obviously invoked.

I'll be going to Piero's til the end, but will then need to search. I plan to give Marco Roma in Winnetka a try, which ironically has coupons on the back of my latest Jewel receipt. If anybody has a firm opinion of them, chime in please.

Our family loved Piero's. Since I do the pick-up, I always enjoyed the old-world feel to the place and the women who took my money. Their lasagna was sublime. But I have to admit, i have not been back to Piero's since Lefty's opened in Wilmette. I hungered I(!) for so long for a fine pizza in Wilmette, I simply can not give my biz to anyone else.

jilter wrote:

bweiny wrote:I might be one of the only people on LTH to like them, but I'll spread the word nevertheless, that Piero's Pizza Wilmette will be closing in approximately 2 months. It should be a surprise to no one that the Wil-Ridge Plaza strip mall would be coming down. The village had approved a plan for a retirement/nursing facility run by Artis Senior Living about a year and a half ago. The property sale was later though.

I talked to the owner when picking up a few days ago. They tried to move across the street to the long vacant former 7/11 spot, but the Domino's pizza in the strip mall had a right to reject, which they obviously invoked.

I'll be going to Piero's til the end, but will then need to search. I plan to give Marco Roma in Winnetka a try, which ironically has coupons on the back of my latest Jewel receipt. If anybody has a firm opinion of them, chime in please.

Our family loved Piero's. Since I do the pick-up, I always enjoyed the old-world feel to the place and the women who took my money. Their lasagna was sublime. But I have to admit, i have not been back to Piero's since Lefty's opened in Wilmette. I hungered I(!) for so long for a fine pizza in Wilmette, I simply can not give my biz to anyone else.

I am really going to miss Piero's. It was our go to place to stop on our way from out of town, and really any time we wanted a stuffed mushroom and spinach pizza. There is nothing like their crust. I am so sad.

I am really going to miss Piero's. It was our go to place to stop on our way from out of town, and really any time we wanted a stuffed mushroom and spinach pizza. There is nothing like their crust. I am so sad.

Is there still the Piero's in Ravinia (Highland Park)? That was our go-to when I was a kid...

blipsman wrote:

I am really going to miss Piero's. It was our go to place to stop on our way from out of town, and really any time we wanted a stuffed mushroom and spinach pizza. There is nothing like their crust. I am so sad.

Is there still the Piero's in Ravinia (Highland Park)? That was our go-to when I was a kid...

Yup
Piero's Pizza
647 Roger Williams Ave.

jilter wrote:

bweiny wrote:I might be one of the only people on LTH to like them, but I'll spread the word nevertheless, that Piero's Pizza Wilmette will be closing in approximately 2 months.

Our family loved Piero's. Since I do the pick-up, I always enjoyed the old-world feel to the place and the women who took my money. Their lasagna was sublime. But I have to admit, i have not been back to Piero's since Lefty's opened in Wilmette. I hungered I(!) for so long for a fine pizza in Wilmette, I simply can not give my biz to anyone else.

Agree completely that it was such an unpretentious operation. I've yet to try Lefty's thin crust (another place that doesn't offer my preferred topping Canadian bacon), but it's inevitable now.

Diane wrote:I am really going to miss Piero's. ... There is nothing like their crust. I am so sad.

Agree. That intersection was a nice little set of retail small businesses.

Dip and Sip Donuts is open in Roscoe Village. Based on Yelp reviews, they've been open for just over a month. Looks like all cake donuts. $2.75 apiece. They were sold out by 2:00 yesterday when I rode by.

7:00 AM - 3:00 PM weekdays
8:00 AM - 1:00 PM weekends

2256 W Roscoe St
(773) 661-1464
dipandsipdonut.com

More donuts! Spotted in Albany Park: Somethin' Sweet Donuts "Coming Soon" to 4456 N. Kedzie Avenue (at Sunnyside between Montrose and Wilson.) Windows are still papered over, but there are signs/treatments featuring the same logo as their website https://somethinsweetdonuts.com/, along with promises of beverages such as coffee, smoothies, and boba teas to pair with your donuts. Not sure if the original in Belmont Cragin is moving or this is to be a second location. [I'm also posting this in Somethin' Sweet Donuts thread.]

Avli River North, the follow up to Avli Taverna in Lincoln Park and Avli Estiatorio in suburban Winnetka, is finally slated to open sometime in September in the former Sumi Robata Bar space at 702 N. Wells Street

https://chicago.eater.com/2019/8/8/2079 ... er-opening

Eater reports:
Little Bucharest Bistro will shutter in October to make way for new American restaurant Gurst

A nearly 50-year-old Eastern European bistro will close its doors in Avondale this fall to make way for a new American restaurant from a San Francisco native. Gurst, named for a simultaneous gust and burst of wind, will open before Christmas at 3661 N. Elston Avenue, according to new chef and owner Phillip Martinez. The space currently houses Little Bucharest Bistro, which will hold its last service October 31.

I "Like" a lot of restaurants on Facebook that I hear about here, or through various media sources (Check Please!, Chicago's Best, Hungry Hound, etc.), mostly to remind myself that they exist if I ever want to try them...I'm not sure where I heard about Legit Dogs & Ice in Elgin, but I guess they're closing because of some pretty nasty problems with their property manager, which they detail in their post today. Sounds like they're hoping to find a new location.

Acclaimed Mexican restaurant Quiote closes in Logan Square, citing ‘personal reasons’