Great coffee. Excellent local charcuterie. Obscure cheese. Craft beer. Good sandwiches. If this sounds like a checklist for your perfect day, you’ll want to keep an eye on Brothers and Sisters (2119 W. Chicago Ave.), a gourmet retail and bottle shop and all-day eatery that’s coming to the Ukrainian Village next month.
The project is a partnership between Erin Weber (Girl and the Goat, Formaggio Kitchen) and Derek Herbster (Portsmith, Stumptown Coffee Roasters). They’ve also brought in chef Jonny Hunter, co-founder of the Underground Food Collective, to lead the culinary program. The Wisconsin-based collective is known for its meat processing facility Underground Meats, whose delicious charcuterie has become something of a cult favorite around town (it’s also a regular fixture at Chicago farmers’ markets).
“We view ourselves as a Midwestern company,” says Hunter. “Chicago has played a big role in how we’ve done our marketing. It was just a matter of time until we did something in Chicago.”
The restaurant is inspired by the '70s and features plenty of wood paneling, stucco accents, and funky colors. The name itself comes from an Allman Brothers album.
“It’s a really engaging space that is going to feel unique to the area,” says Hunter, who helped connect Weber with the storefront. The two have known each other since college, when they both worked at the same coffee house.
Brothers and Sisters's retail offerings will run the gamut of quality craft foods and beverages, including coffee, beer, wine, cheese, charcuterie, premade salads, and other grab-and-go products. Keeping with trends, the store will also focus on natural wines, as well as hard-to-find cheeses from Midwestern producers. “Because Erin and I both have a long career with retail, we have a good relationship with specialty producers that others aren’t able to buy from,” says Hunter.
On the restaurant side, the 30-seat space will offer all-day dining, headed daily by chef Abigail Zielke (Next, Kitsune). During breakfast and lunch, expect dishes like breakfast sandwiches, flatbreads with strained yogurt, and creamed eggs with greens. “I want food that makes me feel good at the end of the day,” says Hunter. “You’re not going to get a huge slab of ham with greasy eggs and fried potatoes.” The nighttime menu will focus on bar snacks to pair with wine, as well as three main entrees, including a steak, a poached whitefish, and a roasted chicken.
For Hunter, pairing retail and culinary projects is a great way to expose people to new products in different forms. “It’s an awesome opportunity to say, we have this cheese that’s only available for a few months to buy, and then, see what the kitchen does with it.”
The team is in its final stages to prepare the restaurant for its opening, which is scheduled to happen in early December.