At a homecoming time of year, 4-Star Restaurant Group (Dunlay’s, Frasca, Crosby’s Kitchen, et al.) announced that Todd Stein will return to Chicago to serve as the group’s corporate chef, adding an ostrich plume to their collective cap.

Stein’s Chicago fame arose from Italian restaurants—The Florentine, Piccolo Sogno Due, and the bygone Cibo Matto. At 4-Star, Stein oversees seven existing restaurants and two in development, all carving off some slice of American cuisine. “I haven’t cooked Italian food for two years,” he says. “But we have Frasca, so I will get to pizza.”

Stein will create the inaugural menus at both new spots:

• Remington’s (20 N. Michigan Ave., no phone yet) will turn a rotisserie with chicken, pork, duck, and even root vegetables such as carrots, turnips, and beets. “Cook them till they caramelize,” Stein says. The 200-seater also features prime steaks and is scheduled to open in April.
• The Windsor (160 E. Huron St., no phone yet), planned for June or July, will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and will evince the same vibe as its 4-Star sister, Crosby’s Kitchen, with food like wood-roasted meats and pot pies. “If we make a pot pie, it will be the best one [around],” Stein says.

Stein officially takes over in early December. Or maybe we should say that’s when 4-Star will toast its new era by raising a stein.