New Restaurants
| Name |
Address |
City |
Phone |
| Aigre Doux |
230 W. Kinzie St. |
Chicago |
312-329-9400 |
| Bistro Monet |
462 Park Blvd. |
Glen Ellyn |
630-469-4002 |
| Sapore di Napoli |
1406 W. Belmont Ave. |
Chicago |
773-935-1212 |
| Simply It |
2269 N. Lincoln Ave. |
Chicago |
773-248-0884 |
| Smoque BBQ |
3800 N. Pulaski Rd. |
Chicago |
773-545-7427 |
| Tepatulco |
2558 N. Halsted St. |
Chicago |
773-472-7419 |
| Xel-Há |
710 N. Wells St. |
Chicago |
312-274-9500 |
New Nightspots
Coming Soon
Zed 451
River North's Sal & Carvao (739 N. Clark St.) has closed for renovation, and will reopen this summer with a new name and an expanded menu with international culinary influences; it will still serve meat on skewers, but now with more global preparations – same goes for the sides and salad bar.
He's been quiet for a while since opening Carnivale, but prolific restaurateur/designer/idea guy Jerry Kleiner (Marché, Opera, Red Light, etc.) is planning to open an Italian trattoria in posh Hinsdale sometime in '07.
Good Deals and Other News
Is Robuchon On?
Rumors are swirling that much-lauded Parisian chef Joël Robuchon is planning to open a Chicago restaurant. Robuchon recently debuted outposts of L'Atelier, his New French cafe, in Las Vegas, London and NYC, where early visitors have been giving it rave reviews. Stay tuned...
Through March 31st, this River North steakhouse will offer a special three-course prix fixe lunch menu sired by David Burke's private bull, whose name is Prime. The "207L lunch menu" is named and priced in honor of the bull's tag, 207L (weekdays from 11:30 AM–3 PM; $20.71 per person; 312-660-6000).
This pricey Italian Gold Coaster offers a relative bargain for early birds with a daily three-course pre-theater menu including several choices for each course and complimentary valet parking (5–6:30 PM; $40 per person; 312-440-8888).
Has appointed a new chef, Bill Kim, trained by Susanna Foo and veteran of Charlie Trotter's, Bouley Bakery and Ben Pao.
Red Star Tavern
The Geneva Commons location of this chain has reconcepted into a "sports grill" for suburban fans, with framed jerseys and sports memorabilia, 15 TVs, arcade games and bar faves like darts and billiards. The menu of wings and sliders is in keeping with the theme, and there's a DJ and dancing on Friday and Saturday nights.
Sadly, the once top-rated, formal Ritz-Carlton Dining Room has closed for public dining, but the more casual cafe is now offering a new, upscale menu of hand-cut pastas, wild fish, grass-fed beef, shellfish, organic produce, artisanal cheeses and breads, dessert samplings and a 300-bottle wine list. The Greenhouse, which serves high tea, will inherit the Sunday brunch.
Stephanie Izard's Mediterranean sea monster makes a shift toward a broader menu that includes more landlubber fare and lower prices (with entrees under $20).
- Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton
- Narra
- Rioja,
- Sal & Carvao (River North location only)