Turophiles, rejoice: When Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread, & Wine (5212 N. Clark St., Andersonville, no phone yet) opens its fifth location this fall, it'll bring with it a full-service restaurant and wine bar—basically a bonafide cheese slashie.
Named Appellation and helmed by Chef Jesse Williams (formerly of Birchwood Kitchen), Pastoral's 75-seat dining room in the former Urban Orchard space will focus on seasonal dishes, a hefty wine list, and, of course, cheese: "It could be the subtle finish to a dish or the star of a dish," says Williams, who previously worked as a cheesemonger for Pastoral owners Ken Miller and Greg O'Neill. "We'll do a pretty big weekend brunch too.”
When the party's over, Pastoral will turn back into a bistro by day, slinging counter-service salads and sandwiches to Andersonvillers on the fly—an untapped market given the neighborhood's increasingly heavy foot traffic. "Andersonville doesn’t have that many places for grab and go," says Miller. "We look at it as underserved in that area." Throw in a kids' menu and they'll have the neighborhood on lock.