Openings

There aren’t a lot of new restaurants opening this week, but additional branches of a few existing spots have hit the map. First, if you’re a fan of the boozy late-night sadness that is Taco Bell Cantina, another one opened in Lincoln Park at 2407 N. Clark St.

A fourth location for Roost Carolina Kitchen in Wrigleyville is also open, which means you can get some very awesome chicken before and after games this summer.

Finally, County Barbeque has reopened in University Village after a two-year hiatus initially caused by a nasty fire in 2016.

Morsels

The first big closure of the New Year is Boltwood in Evanston. The intimate restaurant, helmed by chef Brian Huston, announced the news on social media on January 3 with a goodbye video. It wasn’t the only spot to close last week: Seven Lions, the restaurant across from the Art Institute that was once part-owned by Alpana Singh, has finally closed after being sued over unpaid rent last year.

One of my favorite Chicago food media alums (and former Time Out Chicago dining critic) David Tamarkin has published a new book. A combination diet plan, cookbook, and lifestyle guide, Cook90 has a simple premise: spend a month cooking every single meal (30 days = 90 meals = the title). Tamarkin is currently the editor of cooking site Epicurious, so of course there’s a ton of great simple recipes for you to try, too.

I covered Steve Dolinsky’s pizza tours (and the accompanying pizza book) last year, and now he’s going even deeper into the pizza rabbit hole with a new podcast. Pizza City will run every other week, and the first episode features Pizzana in Los Angeles.

A new, kind of cool experience from Aba (302 N. Green St.) in Fulton Market: outdoor dining igloos. Guests can experience the Mediterranean restaurant’s gorgeous rooftop patio throughout winter inside these “semi-heated” transparent domes, where the full menu is available. It’s slightly bad luck that this idea has been muted by the fact that we’re weirdly experiencing spring in January, but it’ll be cold again soon enough.