08/26/09
From Powerhouse to Prairie
It’s been a good month for Prairie Grass Cafe (601 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook; 847-205-4433). On the heels of its burger being anointed Chicago’s best, now PGC has announced it will spawn Prairie Fire, another all-American outpost in the old Powerhouse space in the West Loop (215 N. Clinton St.) “We’re going to do some of our signature stuff like...
|
08/20/09
Nothing’s Stronger than Plutonium
Jacky’s on Prairie (2545 Prairie Ave., Evanston; 847-733-0899), slated to open in the old Jacky’s Bistro space on October 12th, is an homage to Jacky Pluton’s popular French spot. “It will reflect what Jacky was at the beginning,” says Jonadab Silva, the executive chef. “There is such recognition of...
|
08/12/09
The Timeless Allure of the Bistro
Joseph Calabrese (owner of Zia’s Trattoria and veteran of Ambria and Spiaggia) has gone French at Café Touché (6731 N. Northwest Hwy.; 773-775-0909), a block from Zia’s. Calabrese describes the 80-seat spot—designed by his wife—as “a cross between a café in Paris and a French Quarter look in New Orleans.” The menu is straight-up...
|
08/06/09
Quince Adopts a New Motto
Quince at the Homestead (1625 Hinman Ave; Evanston; 847-570-8400), which loses chef Pete Balodimas at the end of the month, has named a pretty darn good replacement: Andy Motto. Motto, 33, was a big shot at Old Town Brasserie and Le Lan, and a smaller shot at The French Laundry, Les Nomades, and Le Français. “I think it will be...
|
08/05/09
Aqua Man and His Wife
Pelago Ristorante (Raffaello Hotel, 201 E. Delaware Pl.; 312-280-0700), a 60-seat spot slated for a Streeterville boutique hotel, sounds like quite an upscale production. Italian porcelain chandeliers, white leather chairs, a mother-of-pearl fireplace, an aqua vestibule, aqua blue damask banquettes, and three meals a day from Mauro Mafrici (Manhattan’s Lo Scalco), a Trieste native plucked from obscurity by...
|