Albert's Cafe

One of my favorite breakfast/lunch/brunch spots in the city is Albert's Cafe (52 W Elm, 312-751-0666). A couple months ago I discovered they were closed for remodeling, and a recording on their answering machine a few weeks ago indicated they'd be reopening at the end of February. When I called again today to see if they had, the number had been disconnected. Anyone know what happened? Searching the online restaurant guides (Chicago Reader, Citysearch, Metromix) yields no notice of closing, though I discovered they don't have a listing at all on Metromix. I'm going to be seriously sad if I don't get to taste that quiche again.

Remodeling seems to be the leading cause of restaurant death....

More often, "remodeling" is a euphemism. Certainly, in this case, I doubt any remodeling was actually going on.

In its last incarnation, Albert's was owned by the same group who owned Biggs Steakhouse, now Il Mulino. There was a falling out among the partners when they were evicted for not paying the rent on the two buildings.

The answering-machine message seemed to be from the partner who sided with the landlord in the dispute (he owns Maki Sushi in Park Ridge), but perhaps he wasn't able to work out a deal.

I'm confused -- the eviction you're talking about, according to the article you linked, happened in June 2004. This most recent closing started around December last year. Is it the same dispute?

I don't have any more information than this, but it seems likely.