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Rebuilding Paris, North Shore Style

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Jacky’s Back
In January, Jacky Pluton, who flirted with four stars at Pluton a couple of years back, plans to open a traditional brasserie called Haussmann in the space that once housed MK North and Brasserie T (305 S. Happ Rd.; Northfield). “It will be a Chicago brasserie with Parisian flair,” says Pluton. “Some very rustic dishes, but some dishes will have more of a 2008 feel. We will do a lot of tableside, from rib eye for two to Dover sole to roasted chicken for two. And every day, we will have a baked fish in clay.” The restaurant, named for Baron Haussmann (a 19th-century French legend who rebuilt Paris under Napoleon III), is the latest attempt to succeed in a familiar address. “I think it is one of the best spaces in the North Shore,” says Pluton. “No one took advantage of it before. And I will be honest: I think…

Dish FLASH—Trotting Out the Legends

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Trotter to the Moon
By now, you’ve probably read about the $5,000 all-star chef blowout dinner at Charlie Trotter’s (816 W. Armitage Ave.; 773-248-6228) on October 7th to raise funds for Trotter’s Cullinary Education Foundation and to celebrate the restaurant’s 20th anniversary. Pollack attended the event, in deep disguise, and like everyone else, she was blown away by the food and the passion contained within the walls of the restaurant, courtesy of world-class chefs Ferran Adrià, Heston Blumenthal, Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, Tetsuya Wakuda, Pierre Hermé, David Myers, and Trotter himself. (Thank God no culinary terrorist decided to target Lincoln Park that night.) She also recorded every chef’s speech, which included the obligatory…

Dish FLASH—Goodbye, Schwa

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You may have heard by now, but allow us to verify: After two meteoric years of business, Schwa (1466 N. Ashland Ave.; 773-252-1466) has closed. Aaron McKay, the sad-sounding guy who answered the phone when we called, hemmed and hawed before saying that Schwa was closing “indefinitely.” Chef-owner Michael Carlson’s cell phone has a perpetual … Read more

It Ain’t Easy Being Pink and Green

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“I’m trying to prolong the summer,” Jerry Kleiner said, only half-joking, when I asked him why he chose pink and green as this year’s theme for his annual color-coded bash for beautiful people, held last Friday. “And look: It’s working,” he added, referring to the record-breaking 85-degree weather.

Anyone who knows Kleiner—probably one of the city’s most recognizable restaurateurs, whose holdings include…

15 Minutes with … Kelli Zink

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Who: Kelli Zink, 27, Chicago by way of Detroit
Job: Host and reporter, CelebTV.com
Status: Super single—”typical young professional girl who doesn’t have time for a guy, blah, blah, blah.”
Neighborhood: Gold Coast

After attending Michigan State University, where she was a Spartan cheerleader for two years, Kelli Zink started anchoring in South Bend, Indiana, covering local and national sports. In 2003 she moved to L.A. to help launch the NFL Network as a producer. “It was the kind of job that people automatically assume you’re cool and you’re into sports…

Have Smoker, Will Travel

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7 Questions for Willie Wagner, the self-taught pitmaster/owner at Pilsen’s new 60-seat BYO, Honky Tonk Barbeque (1213 W. 18th St.; 312-226-7427)

D: How did you get into barbecue?
WW: I was a salesman for 18 years and got tired of it. Always had fun throwing parties and cooking for my friends, so I started a mobile barbecue business, and did some catering, too. Got a really good response, and it just grew into this spot…