In the first breeze of fall 2012, Nathan Sears of Vie announced his plans for two German-inspired restaurants, a large one with simple seasonal dishes and a small one with a luxe tasting menu. Now, as the weather turns the other direction (please), Radler and D.A.S. (2375 N. Milwaukee Ave., no phone yet) have been fixed to a location in Logan Square.

Radler, the big one, will have a 3,200-square-foot dining room and bar, with a menu of German flavors in seasonal foods. “Sauerkraut—you’re not going to eat that in summer,” Sears says.

D.A.S., the small one, will serve maybe six courses for $100 or so to a few customers a week. “One ten-top table—that’s it,” Sears says. “Two [seatings], three nights a week, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.” D.A.S. will likely lose money, Sears said in September, but it’s the yin to Radler’s yang.

“Radler will carry D.A.S. [financially] and D.A.S. will carry Radler’s reputation,” he said at the time.

D.A.S. stands for “ding an sich,” Immanuel Kant’s concept of the “thing in itself,” the object of philosophical consideration separate from human perceptions of it. The name and the restaurant concepts conjure a beer-hall-meets-lecture-hall philosophy—a Weltanschauung of Gemütlichkeit, with emphasis on Nietzsche’s concept of the Überschnitzel.