Chicago Area Reastaurant News – March 2019
Posted by estiator at 10 March, at 09 : 28 AM Print
By PETER J. POULOPOULOS
Personal Thoughts and Comments
There are two areas of importance to us that we need to address in this month’s column: Should Greeks living away from Greece be able to vote in Greek elections? How do we report restaurant news in the Chicago area?
FIRST, let us remember Greek politics in the U.S. in the ’70s; if you can’t remember or you weren’t around then, allow us to ask you to take our word for it. During that time we observed the creation of Greek political organizations in the U.S. that were based on Greek political party affiliation. Those organizations operated like any other organization, with regular meetings, elections, dinner dances, and other social activities. Many Greeks living in the U.S. didn’t belong to any of these organizations because we didn’t wish to label our friends based on what their Greek political party affiliation was. We simply wished to know our friends as fellow Greeks who arrived in this country with the same purpose as ours: the betterment of our lives. Therefore, we did not see a need to participate in Greek political elections while living abroad in the U.S. Our publisher and editor, Mr. Peter S. Makrias, recently expressed similar sentiments on this matter, so we called him and expressed our agreement with his position. Alternatively, one may argue otherwise. In fact, there may be certain circumstances that justify the ability of Greeks living abroad to participate in Greek elections. If it is determined by the majority of Greeks living in the U.S. that they should be able to participate in Greek political elections while living abroad, then the Greek
political establishment should come up with a way to facilitate their participation in Greek elections. One possibility could be to design an electronic system to allow these people to vote remotely by signing into a computer with an electronic voting system. This system would of course need to be equipped with the proper controls to avoid fraudulent entries. The second point we would like to address is how we collect our Chicago area restaurant news. If we are the source, we simply state the facts. If, on the other hand, we are not the source, please note that we always identify the source. In fact, most, if not all, of our restaurant news come from other sources. A couple days ago we received a call from a friend who’s owned a well-known Greek restaurant for almost 40 years, at the same location, with great following and fine reputation. Our friend didn’t appreciate some of the news and believed that it was our reporting responsible for it. Thankfully, we visited our friend, provided a proper explanation, and we are still friends. We would like to thank him for it and also for picking up the tab!
(Note: Should you wish to comment on this column, have any questions, or would like to share news about your business, please call 773-743-2100, or email peterjp@realpoul.com.)
OF INTEREST
Chicago’s Most Acclaimed Barbecue Restaurant Closes Temporarily After Fire No one was hurt in a fire that shut down Smoque BBQ, one of the city’s best barbecue spots and member of the Eater Chicago 38, said owner Barry Sorkin. During the incident, customers began to smell smoke one Saturday night. Firefighters were called around 7:30 p.m. at 3800 N. Pulaski Road. and knocked down a five-foot-wide piece of a wall to find the source of the fire. Sorkin explained there was a small gap between the wall and a stainless-steel panel used to protect the wall near the stove.
CBD Cookies Are Coming to Lincoln Park and West Loop Bakeries Chicagoans will be able to buy CBD-infused chocolate chip cookies at a bakery with locations in Lincoln Park and West Loop. It appears Warm Belly Bakery will be the first bakery with its own retail space to sell cookies infused with CBD. CBD, a substance that is already legal, is produced with hemp that supposedly carries health benefits. CBD lacks the intoxicating substance in marijuana, THC.
Barbecue from a Chef with Fine-Dining Pedigree Comes to Logan Square Logan Square welcomes a restaurant that blends Central Texas barbecue and fine-dining techniques in a casual setting. Flat & Point is by Brian Bruns, a chef who’s worked the line at famous Chicago restaurants like Spiaggia and the sinceclosed Tru. Bruns hopes to open the restaurant this month at 3524 W. Fullerton Avenue. “It shouldn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg to go to a restaurant where you’re paying for insane amounts of service or incredibly expensive plates and glasses,” Bruns said.
Iconic Chicago Italian Chain Closes Its Two-Year-Old River North Restaurant Rosebud, the popular local chain of Italian restaurants, has closed its River North restaurant Mama’s Boy, without warning. The restaurant has been removed from the chain’s website and its social media pages have vanished only one day after promoting Valentine’s Day dinner reservations. Rosebud’s corporate office confirmed the restaurant has “ceased operations.” Mama’s Boy lasted less than two-and-a-half years in business on a prime corner in River North, at 445 N. Dearborn Street at Illinois Street.
New Hyde Park Speakeasy Doesn’t Want Cubs Fans or Trump Supporters News has spread that The Hyde, the new speakeasy-style bar that officially opened in Hyde Park, has a specific set of rules including limiting cellphone use. But that’s not the only rule, as there’s a list of regulations posted inside the bar that some may not like. Some fall under basic bar etiquette like tip servers and respect bartenders when they cut customers off from booze. But others like “no Cubs fans” and “no Trump supporters” aim to give the space at 5121 S. Harper Avenue some character on the South Side.
Chicago’s Alinea Invites Clemson Players to Dinner After Trump’s Fast-Food Feast The co-owner of Alinea, Chicago’s highest-rated fine-dining restaurant and a city pioneer for molecular gastronomy, has invited the members of the National Championship-winning Clemson Tigers for a celebration dinner. The invitation came a day after the football team visited the White House, where President Donald Trump feted them with a fast-food feast of Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Burger King, and Domino’s. Nick Kokonas wrote that he wants the team to “experience what an actual celebration should be” in lieu of the fast food and that he was “not joking.” He proposed to Eater that he’d arrange a tour of his company’s restaurants; the Office, Next, Roister, and finish at Alinea.
Portillo’s Defends Itself from Cockroach Accusations from Ex-Employee Portillo’s, the iconic Chicago street-food chain, is defending itself after a former employee at its flagship downtown location claimed the restaurant was infested with roaches. The worker also shared a video with WGN TV showing bugs inside. A spokesperson said health department officials visited Portillo’s, 100 W. Ontario Street, and that it passed its most recent health department inspection. The worker, Antwoine Johnson, told WGN that he saw insects three to four times a day in food preparation areas and “crawling into food.” He claimed supervisors ignored his requests for something to be done. A spokesperson for Portillo’s said they take pest control seriously, and that pest control crews visit at least twice a month. Johnson said he was fired during the holidays for excessive absences after his mother and brother died. Portillo’s said police escorted him off premises after he flipped over a table during a meeting and caused a “disturbance” at the restaurant. The chain, known for its hot dogs, Italian beefs, and chocolate cake shakes, has been around since 1963.
Nashville Hot Chicken Is Returning to Lincoln Square When Budlong Hot Chicken owner Jared Leonard teased he wanted to open a fried-chicken restaurant back in 2015, his intention was to debut it in Lincoln Square. However, The Budlong instead unveiled its first location in 2016 in Lakeview and the Lincoln Square location didn’t open until April 2017. But the neighborhood’s joy was shortlived as the Lincoln Square restaurant closed after 15 months in September 2018 at 4619 N. Western Avenue. Now, four months later, Leonard will reopen the Western Avenue location.
White Oak Tavern Owner to Close Restaurant After 25 Years in Lincoln Park After 25 years in Lincoln Park, the owner of White Oak Tavern & Inn is closing his restaurant to pursue other interests. Another location of John’s Place in Roscoe Village remains open.
Chicago’s First Wahlburgers Is Now Slated to Open in March The Wahlberg family is getting closer to unveiling their first restaurant in the city of Chicago. The franchisee for the River North location of the Wahlburgers chain at 2 E. Ontario Street is now hoping to open it in March, a rep says. It has been slightly delayed since the company predicted it would open in late 2018, but progress has been made as franchisee Pradeep Patel recently applied for its liquor license and is starting to hire staff. A suburban St. Charles location is also slated to open early this year.
RESTAURANT CLOSURES
THE LOOP There’s one fewer place for fancy hot dogs downtown. America’s Dog & Burger, at 22 E. Randolph Street, is no more. A Facebook page post read after 12 years it will head to the suburbs in Evergreen park to open there. Navy Pier and O’Hare locations remain open.
MAG MILE After nearly three decades, The Oak Tree will reportedly close, but could relocate. The restaurant was located at the 900 North Michigan Shops but the owner is looking for a new space, according to Crain’s.
WEST LOOP After a decade of DJ-fueled dance parties, popular nightclub The Mid officially closed on February 4—the same weekend Studio Paris had its last hurrah before closing to reconcept—at 306 N. Halsted Street. The Mid ownership announced the pending closure back in October with a statement blaming “recent expansion in the West Loop and Fulton Market District.”
OAK BROOK After 26 years, Phil Stefani has decided to shutter the Oak Brook location of Tuscany, according to the Oak Brook Doings. March 30 is its last day of business at 1415 22nd Street.
WINNETKA Restaurant Michael, the acclaimed 14-year-old suburban French restaurant, will hold its last service on March 3. Chef/owner Michael Lachowicz released a short, ambiguous statement that makes it sound like a reconcept: “My team and I aren’t going anywhere… stay tuned for details.” George Trois, the Jean Banchet Award-winning fine-dining operation inside Restaurant Michael, will go on hiatus on March 3 and reopen on May 2.
Artists Cafe, a Downtown Chicago Landmark for Nearly Six Decades, Has Closed Artists Cafe, the Michigan Avenue restaurant inside the historic Fine Arts Building, announced it is closed, bringing down the curtain on nearly six decades of memories in Downtown Chicago. The owners broke the news via Twitter. The restaurant at 412 S. Michigan Avenue opened in 1961.
Detroit-Style Pizza Icon Buddy’s Inches Closer to Chicago Expansion The popularity of Detroit-style pan pizza, a cousin of Sicilian-squared pies, continues to grow outside of the Motor City. That includes Chicago where local pizza makers including Paulie Gee’s (Logan Square), Union Squared (Evanston, Wrigleyville, the Loop), and Fat Chris’s Pizza and Such (Andersonville) have already introduced the city to the caramelized edges and melted Wisconsin brick cheese that help define the pizzas.
