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Tag: coming-attractions

  • Foxtrot Will Rise Again — Sort of: Here’s What You Need to Know

    Foxtrot Will Rise Again — Sort of: Here’s What You Need to Know

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    It’s official: the co-founder of Foxtrot on Wednesday, June 5 announced plans to reopen select stores in Chicago, Dallas, and Austin, Texas, this summer. Rumors have swirled for weeks that Mike LaVitola was plotting a comeback. Some former Foxtrot workers, the same employees who weren’t given any warning when parent company Outfox Hospitality suddenly ceased operations on April 23, have been asked by managers about their interest in coming back.

    When Foxtrot’s assets went up for auction on May 10, speculation mounted that the $2.2 million winning bid was from a firm connected with LaVitola. Observers who attended the online auction pointed out that only one party, Further Point Enterprises, made a bid. Little is known about Further Point. Since the auction, the firm’s website has since gone private. But before that, it had already listed Foxtrot as part of its portfolio. Likewise, an email account linked to the site didn’t respond to a message requesting a comment.

    After weeks without comment, other than a statement posted to social media and Foxtrot’s website, a news release sent Wednesday morning confirmed the speculation: “Reopened stores will maintain the same layout and merchandising, focusing on small and local makers.” LaVitola tells Crain’s that the venture is a totally new company, as they’ve secured the original intellectual property and new/renewed several leases.

    But conspicuously absent from the statement was any mention of the Washington, D.C. area, where Foxtrot had seven stores scattered across the District proper, Virginia, and Maryland. There were 33 Foxtrot stores in Chicago and eight in Texas. A list of which stores would reopen wasn’t immediately available. Additionally, last month’s auction didn’t include the properties’ leases with inventory still on the shelves.

    But this doesn’t mean there’s a cohesive plan for all of the former locations. A Foxtrot in Lincoln Park along Armitage Avenue, which shared space with Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, is a special case. Jeni’s has vacated, and there have been rumblings about angry former employees who may have taken a few souvenirs as parting gifts after losing their jobs.

    LaVitola, a University of Chicago graduate, co-founded Foxtrot in 2014 with a focus on delivering snacks to customers via an app; the properties the company owned were more or less mini-warehouses. The company evolved toward a shoppy-shop corner-store model, carrying upscale goods from local vendors. It built a chic brand and drew the attention of customers who regularly spent money at trendy restaurants — Bang Bang Pie & Biscuits, Tortello, and Mindy’s Bakery were among the vendors who sold products at Foxtrot. Eventually, the brand opened locations in prestigious spaces like Fulton Market, Wrigley Field, and inside Willis Tower. Just before the closure, they inked a deal with La Colombe Coffee Roasters for its cafes.

    The company combined with Dom’s Kitchen & Market in late 2023 and formed Outfox Hospitality. Previously the two companies weren’t direct competitors, but they shared space in the retail world. Dom’s, with locations in Lincoln Park and Old Town, positioned itself as a challenger to shops like Whole Foods, an upscale traditional grocery store with a modest food court and a cafe. No bids were placed on Dom’s assets during the May 10 auction. That leaves the two existing locations, plus a planned River North entry, in limbo. Dom’s, like Foxtrot, sought to continue extending reach and influence. Foxtrot pushed aggressive expansion, with LaVitola and company securing nearly $194 million in funding.

    Though the new Foxtrot aims to supply customers with what seems to be largely the same coffees, ice creams, chips, and condiments from local vendors, it may take time to rebuild trust. Eater spoke with several former Foxtrot vendors; none of those interviewed were contacted by the company at the time of publication. They saw the reopening news through a post on Foxtrot’s Instagram shared Wednesday morning, which reads, “a new Foxtrot with some old friends. Coming soon.”

    The account disabled comments on the post, likely to avoid becoming a soapbox for frustrated workers and vendors, as formerly employed workers had on previous social media announcements. Foxtrot remains the defendant in several lawsuits alleging the company violated the state WARN Act, which mandates companies to notify workers if they plan mass layoffs.

    There are still unanswered questions about the future of the company’s product inventory and unpaid invoices. There are also ethical questions about Foxtrot, a company that offered no severance to workers and took away their jobs without warning. Some vendors worry that working with the new Foxtrot will damage their brands.

    This post will be updated later Wednesday with more information.

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    Ashok Selvam

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  • Celeste Teams Up With Rockit Cofounder in River North

    Celeste Teams Up With Rockit Cofounder in River North

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    The owners of Celeste, the celebrated River North nightclub, have teamed up with the co-founder of another neighborhood lynchpin (Rockit Bar & Grill, which closed in 2019), to open a new restaurant and bar with upscale Mexican food later this summer.

    It’s called Vela — it’s replacing Hogsalt’s 3 Greens Market at 352 W. Hubbard Street, in the shadow of East Bank Club — and will feature dishes like pork belly with mole, a pibil made with Iberican pork collar, and a tlacoyo stuffed with mushrooms and salsa. Tortillas will be made with corn imported from Mexico, according to a news release. A rep says Vela’s menu will showcase Mexico City’s street food and more classic elegant dishes with creative regional dishes.

    The space has room for 120 and has been redecorated with lime wash and stucco walls, plus natural wood herringbone flooring. Customers will see handmade Venetian chandeliers near the entrance and glass-beaded chandeliers in the private dining room. Celeste has a particular decadent style for its bar program. There’s a marble-topped bar shaped like an oval with an illuminated carousel displaying bottles of agave.

    Arturo Gomez, who co-founded (along with Billy Dec and Brad Young) of Rockit Ranch Productions, joined brothers Nader, Fadi, and Rafid Hindo in July 2023 and formed Celeste Group. Their venues are Whiskey Bar, Deco Supper Club, and DISCO (and the rooftop Garden). A rep says more concepts are upcoming. They’ve brought on chef Jorge Angulo as executive chef of the new company.

    They’re hoping for a summer opening. Check back for more details.

    Vela, 352 W. Hubbard Street, planned for a July opening

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    Ashok Selvam

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  • Khmai Will School Loyola and Rogers Park in the Ways of Cambodian Brunch

    Khmai Will School Loyola and Rogers Park in the Ways of Cambodian Brunch

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    Loyola University students at the school’s Rogers Park campus are about to be schooled in the ways of Cambodian cuisine. Their lesson will be taught by Mona Sang, the chef behind Khmai Fine Dining. It’s been nearly six months since Sang closed the original location of her decorated restaurant. The Cambodian refugee is poised to double down on the neighborhood that supported her, pushing Khmai to one of the 2022’s Best New Restaurants in America.

    Sang’s opening a pair of restaurants on Loyola’s campus. Beyond a supercharged return of Khmai, adorned with a black and gold color palette and Bridgerton-inspired Regency-style table settings, Sang will unveil the more casual Kaun Khmai — “child of Khmai” in Khmer — an all-day affair with fun cocktails and Cambodian street food. Sang says she created the new addition to better serve the neighborhood, and not depend on the university community. But it wouldn’t be a surprise if a cheaper option would attract more students and faculty. Sang will also launch the city’s only Cambodian brunch services at both restaurants alongside dinner. Sang hopes to reveal breakfast and lunch service in August.

    “It’s a lot,” Sang admits. “When you’re opening a restaurant, one thing gets fixed and then five other things break. We have two restaurants with two different menus coming from one kitchen, so we’re trying to perfect that [process].”

    Khmai’s egg rolls have earned a devoted following.
    Jack X. Li/Eater Chicago

    The new Khmai stands inside a Loyola University-owned space at 6580 N. Sheridan Road on the ground floor of the Hampton Inn. Hotel guests generally expect daytime options, and Sang is eager to deliver a menu with unique items like fresh croissants filled with lychee or kumquat cream, congee with blood sausage, and num por peay — glutinous rice flour stuffed with yellow mung bean and topped with coconut cream.

    Kaun Khmai’s weekend brunch menu will also include doughnuts from suburban bakery Gurnee Donuts, owned by Sang’s friend and fellow first-generation Cambodian American Kevin Lee. Cambodians have played a significant role in the U.S. doughnut industry, particularly in California — a story detailed at length in the 2020 documentary The Donut King.

    Sarom Sieng — Sang’s mother and source of culinary inspiration — and Lee’s parents are survivors of the Cambodian genocide, an era from 1975 to 1979 when the totalitarian Khmer Rouge regime murdered between 1.5 and 2 million people. Fellow Cambodian American chef Ethan Lim of Hermosa has also shared parts of his family’s story of survival in interviews and the award-winning PBS documentary short Cambodian Futures.

    At the restaurants, Sang has opted to home in on serving her neighbors in Rogers Park rather than purely devoting her efforts to luring Loyola students — an inconsistent presence in the area thanks to the churn of the school year. But Sang is also the mother of an incoming Loyola freshman and spent recent weeks testing recipes on her student employees. She’s noticed that many of them miss eating home-cooked meals and hopes to eventually create low-cost meal kits that students can purchase and make themselves.

    At the outset, staff will seat diners for both restaurants in the 40-seat Kaun Khmai space or on a 30-seat patio. Stay tuned for news of an opening date.

    Khmai and Kaun Khmai, 6580 N. Sheridan Road, Scheduled to open in June.

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    Naomi Waxman

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  • 96-Year-Old Calumet Fisheries Nears Return Six Months After Devastating Electrical Fire

    96-Year-Old Calumet Fisheries Nears Return Six Months After Devastating Electrical Fire

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    Calumet Fisheries, the famed smoked fish shop on Chicago’s far South Side, is nearing a triumphant return about six months since a ravaging electrical fire forced its closure.

    The iconic red-roofed shack should reopen in early June at 3259 E. 95th Street, much to the relief of its fans who stop in to check on the proceedings beside the 95th Street Bridge. Calumet was founded in 1928 and purchased by its current owners two decades later.

    “Every day we get a new set of people coming in [to ask], ‘Are you still closed?’” says GM Javier Magallanes. “I’m excited — I know we’re going to get rushed with a lot of eager customers… but the nerves are coming. I don’t want to run out of anything, I want to get them well situated.”

    Despite the initial shock of the fire, which extensively damaged the roof just days before Thanksgiving in 2023, co-owner Mark Kotlick contended a comeback would happen. Sid Kotlick and Leonard Toll — Kotlick’s late father and uncle respectively — bought the business in 1948 and rapidly earned a reputation for some of the most delectable smoked seafood in town, from delicate and flaky sable to snappy shrimp and zesty pepper and garlic trout.

    Along the way, Calumet managed to rise from local fame to national notoriety, a trajectory set in motion by the shack’s immortal 1980 cameo in The Blues Brothers, visible just as Jake and Elwood prepare for their gravity-defying bridge jump. The shack returned to the national stage thanks to the late Anthony Bourdain, who paid a visit in a 2009 episode of No Reservations, and the James Beard Foundation dubbed it an America’s Classic the following year.

    Though Kotlick now oversees operations from Florida, he and Magallanes attest that he remains deeply involved in the business and will fly into Chicago for the reopening. “We’re going to keep things the same,” says Kotlick, eager to assuage the fears of anxious devotees. “The signs all look the same, the employees will pretty much be the same — the store’s just got a nice, clean coat of paint, new floors, and new refrigeration.”

    There is, however, a noteworthy change on the horizon. When it returns, Calumet will resume cash-only business, but “it’s a credit card world,” Kotlick observes. He acknowledges that at some point, he’ll have to make the shift.

    In the meantime, stay tuned for more Calumet Fisheries’ eagerly anticipated reopening.

    Calumet Fisheries, 3259 E. 95th Street, scheduled to open in early June.

    3259 E 59th Street, Chicago, IL 60617
    773 933 9855

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    Naomi Waxman

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  • Hub 51 Will Close in June After 16 Years

    Hub 51 Will Close in June After 16 Years

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    Hub 51 will close next month after 16 years in River North, according to a news release. The two-level, part restaurant, and part bar, marked a new chapter for Chicago’s largest hospitality company, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, as it symbolized a passing of the torch from co-founder Rich Melman to his sons, Jerrod and R.J. Hub 51 was a canvas for the brothers in establishing their own venture.

    The space also featured a bar, called Sub 51, and plenty of rooms for private events. Hub 51’s menu was, eclectic to say the least, covering a tremendous amount of ground from fish tacos, to chili, to chicken tenders. While the restaurant debuted with a roar, busy on weekends, and where visitors would see the occasional celebrity, at the end it felt like a garden variety chain. And even as a LEYE restaurant, that was never ownership’s original intention.

    In closing Hub 51 at 51 W. Hubbard Street — its final day is scheduled for Saturday, June 8 — LEYE is turning the page again and introducing a pair of new venues. They’ve recruited HaiSous’s Thai Dang and the Vietnamese-born chef will debut a Southeast Asian restaurant, Crying Tiger, in 2025. Crying Tiger is a reference to the marinated beef dish often served as an appetizer at Thai restaurants. The “tears” are from the juicy fat dripping from the meat during cooking and hitting the flames of the grill.

    Dang’s Pilsen restaurant, which he runs with his wife Danielle Dang, won’t be impacted. HaiSous will remain independent as LEYE has also made him a partner in the endeavor. Lettuce has selected David Collins Studio — the same interior architecture firm that designed Tre Dita, its lavish restaurant inside the St Regis Chicago — to design Crying Tiger.

    For Dang, who moved to Chicago from Virginia to follow the career of French chef Laurent Gras, partnering with LEYE is a full-circle moment. Gras was working at Michelin-starred L20. At the time of his arrival, Dang says he didn’t know that L20, which was open from 2008 to 2014, was a Lettuce Entertain You restaurant.

    But before Crying Tiger opens, Lettuce will unveil a cocktail bar later this year. It’s called the Dip Inn and will feature “expertly crafted iconic drinks.” LEYE is calling it a “classic American cocktail bar.” The drinks are from Kevin Beary, the beverage director at the company’s tropical-themed bars in River North, Three Dots and a Dash, and the Bamboo Room.

    Details are scarce but look for more information in the coming days. In the meantime, Chicagoans have less than a month to say goodbye to Hub 51.

    Crying Tiger, 51 W. Hubbard Steet, planned for a 2025 opening

    The Dip Inn, 51 W. Hubbard Steet, planned for a late 2024 opening

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    Ashok Selvam

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  • South Side Icon Rainbow Cone Opening Next Week in Wicker Park

    South Side Icon Rainbow Cone Opening Next Week in Wicker Park

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    A South Side icon is taking up residence a few doors west from a shuttered Foxtrot in Wicker Park. The Original Rainbow Cone, the parlor known for sliced — not scooped — ice cream is opening a North Side location.

    The opening date is Tuesday, May 21 at 1750 W. Division Street. Rainbow Cone displaced Wicker Park’s coffee shop Caffe Streets, which had been in operation for 13 years. The interiors have been painted over pink and the sidewalk patio has been revamped. With Kurimu and VinnyD’s (the latter could reopen in June), there are plenty of options for frosty treats in the area.

    The South Side’s iconic Rainbow Cone is opening in Wicker Park.
    Ashok Selvam/Eater Chicago

    The thought of the South Side staple, one that’s been around for 98 years, opening on the North Side was unthinkable until 2019 when Rainbow Cone partnered with Buona, the famous Chicago street food chain that specializes in Italian beef. The goal was to expand throughout Chicago and the country. The company opened a few locations in the suburbs after teasing customers by having an ice cream truck parked and ready to serve outside selected Buona locations. Long lines formed and ownership saw there was a demand.

    A second location opened in 2016 at Navy Pier. In March, the partnership announced plans to open 10 locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. There are also plans for Michigan, Florida, and California.

    The Rainbow is not only extending throughout the country, but it’s adding new flavors. For the first time in the parlor’s nearly 100 years, ownership is added to the menu. Look for four new options, according to a news release: Chocolate Obsession, Cosmic Birthday, Minty City, and Orange Dream. These flavors join the core orange sherbet, pistachio, Palmer House, strawberry, and chocolate. Together, like the glow from the Care Bear Stare or the rings from Captain Planet’s Planeteers, these five flavors form a rainbow.

    The Original Rainbow Cone Wicker Park, opening Tuesday, May 21, 1750 W. Division Street

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    Ashok Selvam

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  • A Scottish Pub Known For Premier Fish and Chips Is Moving After 35 Years

    A Scottish Pub Known For Premier Fish and Chips Is Moving After 35 Years

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    The Duke of Perth, home of one of the city’s best plates of fish and chips and a rare Chicago pub that highlights Scottish cuisine, is moving from its original home where it has stood since 1989. Later this month, they’ll wrap up a 35-year stint at 2913 N. Clark Street. Work has already begun at their new home, 2827 N. Broadway, the former Renaldi’s Pizza. It’s about a five-minute walk southeast.

    Coincidentally, the Renaldi’s space has sentimental value for the Duke’s co-owner John Crombie. When he first emigrated to America from Dundee, Scotland, he met the woman who would become his wife. After a visit to Scotland, he flew back to Chicago where she picked him up from O’Hare International Airport and they drove directly to Renaldi’s: “It’s always been a soft spot for us,” Crombie says.

    That nostalgia didn’t fuel the move. Operating a restaurant is tough, and Crombie and his partners thought they were stuck in a rut at the original space. They weren’t making money and their lease was about to expire. Crombie feared if they renewed their lease, say for three years, they’d find themselves in the same predicament in three years. The choice was either to close or take a chance and move. Meanwhile, Renaldi’s was caught in limbo after 50 years. Though closed since September, cryptic signs left in the window left hope that a reopening was possible. That never happened and Crombie says he made an offer around Thanksgiving in November.

    The new location won’t have a lot of new bells and whistles or a new menu: “Good whisky, good beer — wonderful [all-you-can-eat] fish and chips,” Crombie reiterates. The Duke is a place for conversation and there are no TVs; that philosophy will carry over as they’re trying to recreate the Clark Street space on Broadway. Crombie says started the process of “heavy redecorating.” Out went Renadli’s old pizza oven. The Duke’s history dates back to the ‘80s when Crombie and company owned a store, International Antiques, at 2909 N. Clark Street, across from the Century Shopping Center. They purchased the building and decided to open a pub.

    Renaldi’s is closed as Duke of Perth is moving inside.
    Ashok Selvam/Eater Chicago

    But in the early years, they struggled and as the market for antiques sagged, they decided to sell the building. Crombie says two months after the sale, Chicago magazine published a story praising the Duke’s fish and chips. The positive press ignited business and the Duke was saved. The ownership also is behind another Lakeview icon, Le Creperie, having purchased the French restaurant in 2014. The original idea was to move the Duke into Le Creperie’s space, but after their landlord lowered the rent and hearing the community outcry to save Le Creperie, John and Jack Crombie changed directions.

    The plan is to close around May 25 on Clark Street, to give some of the musicians who frequently performed over the years a chance to say goodbye and to open on Broadway in early June. As Crombie and his partners, including Colin Cameron, get older, operating a bar continues to be a daunting task. Despite the temptations to close, Crombie was matter-of-fact in their reasoning to keep going.

    “Just because the Duke is the Duke and everybody likes it,” he says.

    Crombie is also amused as they purchased Renaldi’s old liquor license. The name of the license? “Shorty O’Toole’s.”

    “It’s a Scottish place buying an Italian place with an Irish name,” Crombie adds.

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    Ashok Selvam

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  • Castaways Hasn’t Been Forgotten as the North Avenue Beach’s Icon Preps to Reopen

    Castaways Hasn’t Been Forgotten as the North Avenue Beach’s Icon Preps to Reopen

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    Chicago’s famed boat-shaped restaurant and bar on North Avenue Beach will reopen on Memorial Day Weekend for the first time since 2022. Castaways Beach Club, an unmistakable symbol of summer along Lake Michigan, is returning after a $3 million renovation and new menu items.

    After spending last summer in stasis, the beachside staple (formerly called Castaways Bar & Grill) is poised to unveil its freshly revamped two-floor, 22,000-square-foot space with dining decks, bar sections, patio areas, and cabanas with bottle service available for rental and private events, according to a rep.

    The renovation increased Castaways’ footprint to 22,000 square feet.
    Castaways Beach Club

    Castaways 2.0 will aim for a more polished approach than its previous sandy sports bar vibe. Workers have replaced its distressed paint with a more contemporary ocean blue and cream color scheme to evoke the breezy style of beach clubs in Miami or the Mediterranean, Stefani Restaurant Group managing partner Anthony Stefani tells the Sun-Times.

    Castaways has added a tented structure on the north end of the venue that on weekends will become a 21-and-older section aptly dubbed the North End Club that will also host live music and DJ sets. To capitalize on the location’s sweeping views of the Chicago skyline, the team has installed a new bar section for happy hours and corporate events on the south end of the second floor.

    The family-friendly upstairs restaurant also saw upgrades like new tile, paint, and furniture, and will reopen with a new, as-yet-unreleased food menu of “global beach fare” and cocktails for lunch and dinner, per a rep. Downstairs, two walk-up concession windows will channel sticky summer nostalgia. One will sling street food favorites like burgers, tacos, and wraps; the other, run by local mini-chain JoJo’s Shake Bar, will sell ice cream, according to Crain’s.

    Castaways hasn’t missed many summers in its more than two-decade-long tenure under Stefani Restaurant Group, which contracts the space from the Chicago Park District. The group, founded by prolific Chicago restaurateur (and Anthony Stefani’s father) Phil Stefani, operates 10 Chicago area restaurants including Bar Cargo pizzeria in River North, Tuscany Taylor in Little Italy, and Stefani Prime steakhouse in Lincolnwood. Phil Stefani is due for a busy season, as he’s also on the cusp of relaunching downtown stalwart Tavern on Rush around the corner from its original home in Gold Coast.

    Castaways Beach Club, 1603 Lake Shore Drive, Scheduled to open Memorial Day weekend (Friday, May 24 through Monday, May 27).

    1600 N Lake Shore Dr, , IL 60614

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    Naomi Waxman

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  • Cava’s Mediterranean Bowls Arrive in Chicago This Week

    Cava’s Mediterranean Bowls Arrive in Chicago This Week

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    Quick-serve Mediterranean restaurant chain Cava, a budding force in bowl-centric dining, will launch its first foray into the Midwest market this week in Wicker Park. The company, which is already teasing a second outpost in the suburbs, will make its Chicago debut on Friday, April 26 at 1484 N. Milwaukee Avenue.

    Adored by fans for its wallet-friendly menu laden with nutritious and meat-free options, Cava seems an apt replacement for the location’s previous tenant, local vegetarian chain Native Foods. Its menu applies a familiar mix-and-match approach to its Eater Bowl Bowl-winning grain and vegetable bowls, weaving in Mediterranean-style ingredients like tzatziki, falafel, and spicy lamb meatballs. Cava also features pita wraps with options like Greek chicken with olives and feta.

    Fast-casual restaurants have a reputation for fluorescent sterility, a quality that Cava seems intent on bucking with a design style it’s dubbed “Project Soul,” the Sun-Times reports. The company tapped Chicago artist Alyssa Low to create a colorful mural featuring local elements like the city’s flag and Lake Michigan inside the 30-seat Wicker Park restaurant, where customers can also expect cushioned booths and soft lighting.

    Cava insists that bowls don’t have to be boring.
    Cava

    Cava’s second Illinois outpost is slated for a summer debut in Vernon Hills (coincidentally, also on a Milwaukee Avenue — at 890 N. Milwaukee Avenue in the suburb), co-founder Ted Xenohristos tells reporters. The short timeline between openings may signal that a cascade of Cava locations is headed to the Chicago area, as the brand is in the midst of a nationwide expansion, opening 72 locations last year. If all goes according to plan, it hopes to secure 1,000 restaurants by 2032.

    Xenohristos, along with partners and childhood friends Ike Grigoropoulos and chef Dimitri Moshovitis, opened the first Cava nearly 20 years ago in Maryland. In the intervening years, Mediterranean food has gained significant prominence in the U.S. It seems that trajectory has served Cava well, as the company went public in 2023 and touts more than $700 million in annual revenue.

    Cava Wicker Park, 1484 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Scheduled to open Friday, April 26. Cava Vernon Hills, 890 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Vernon Hills, scheduled to open this summer.

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    Naomi Waxman

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  • Pequod’s Partners With a Charity Pop-Up Dynamo on Its First-Ever White Deep-Dish Pizza

    Pequod’s Partners With a Charity Pop-Up Dynamo on Its First-Ever White Deep-Dish Pizza

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    In the 54-year history of Pequod’s Pizza, a white pie has allegedly never appeared on the menu. The deep-dish pizzeria, with locations in Lincoln Park and suburban Morton Grove, is known for its savory caramelized rings of crust that surround the pie. The sausage and pepperoni are the top sellers, but no matter personal preference — even pineapple — the popular pizzeria has never regularly offered a pie without tomato sauce, according to Pequod’s management.

    Home cook Billy Zureikat is about to change that, offering a deep-dish version of his Tripping Billy pizza every Wednesday in May at Pequod’s in Lincoln Park. Zureikat, known in Chicago’s culinary circles as “Billy Z,” has raised $50,000 to support the Muscular Dystrophy Association through various Tripping Billy pop-ups at Chicago restaurants like Paulie Gee’s, Bang Bang Pie, and Pizza Matta. Those he’s deviated from pizza — he’s sold sandwiches at Tempesta Market, for example — he incorporates a creamy shishito pepper sauce, corn, mozzarella, cheddar, and pickled jalapeños into a special with proceeds going to MDA.

    Billy Zureikat (right) and Pequod’s assistant general manager Brian Kaminski.

    Tripping Billy is a kind of alter ego for Zureikat. It took doctors eight years to provide a proper reason for why he would trip and fall while playing basketball. Healthcare professionals would later diagnose him with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. A rabid sports fan unable to play basketball due to the rare disease, Zureikat poured his passion into baking. The idea for the pizza came after a few summer visits to farmers markets where he came away with a horde of shishitos. He turned them into a cream sauce which serves as a base for his pizza. He held a pop-up at Paulie Gee’s Pizza in Logan Square in 2021 and has been rolling since, tapping into his contacts from his former gig working radio for ESPN Chicago, WMVP 1000.

    Customers wanting to taste the Tripping Billy at Pequod’s can stop by or call the pizzeria on Wednesdays starting on May 1 to make a carryout order. The two parties are hopeful of expanding their partnership on other days, but that depends on the demand. Check Zureikat’s Instagram page for more updates.

    Pequod’s x Billy Z pop-up for carryout, every Wednesday through May.

    A shishito cream sauce, corn, and cheddar power the pizza.

    A person putting pizza into the oven.

    A pizza takes about 25 minutes to bake.

    This is the second deep-dish pie on the Tripping Billy tour; Millie’s Pizza in the Pan was the first.

    The pizza is garnished with green onions and a pepper.

    There aren’t a lot of white deep-dish pizzas.

    Billy Zureikat wants to use his platform to help those with accesibility issues.

    The pizza is available for carryout every Wednesday through May.

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    Ashok Selvam

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  • Khmai Cambodian Surprises by Revealing a Second More Casual Restaurant

    Khmai Cambodian Surprises by Revealing a Second More Casual Restaurant

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    Chef Mona Sang is deep into preparations ahead of the hotly anticipated return of her lauded Cambodian restaurant, Khmai, in a larger and more modern space. Quietly, she’s been working on a complementary concept, adding to the fervor around Khamai’s May reopening. Kaun Khmai, a casual sister restaurant that specializes in Cambodian street food will share the Rogers Park location near Loyola University’s campus.

    Since its founding in 2022 on a quiet street in Rogers Park, Khmai has rocketed to local and national fame when it was hailed that year as one of the 15 Best New Restaurants in America.

    Sang’s new restaurant within a restaurant — Kaun Khmai, or “child of Khmai” in Khmer — will offer a livelier atmosphere, cocktails with mixers like mango and lychee juice, and a street food menu that reflects staples from roadside vendors found throughout the Southeast Asian country.

    The menu will feature skewers — like grilled beef, chicken, or squid — plus smoked chicken wings, and frog legs stuffed with ground chicken or pork, vermicelli, wood ear mushrooms, and lemongrass. Frogs are a popular and versatile street food favorite in Cambodia, often transformed into sausage or barbecued whole. Sang also teases options like Cambodian rib tips marinated in lemongrass, shallots, and palm sugar; a smash burger made with twa ko (spicy and sour Cambodian sausage); and Cambodian desserts like noum kon (a relative of the doughnut made with rice flour and caramelized brown sugar).

    Khmai owner and chef Mona Sang.
    Jack X. Li/Eater Chicago

    Kaun Khmai provides an on-ramp for younger Loyola students and locals unfamiliar with Khmer cuisine — potential customers who may be reluctant to invest in an upscale dinner at Khmai. She’s noticed her children and their peers sometimes shy away from the unapologetically funky flavors. She’s hopeful that without Americanizing anything, that Kaun Khmai’s fun street food will serve as a gateway toward traditional Khmer flavors. “For newer generations wanting to know what Cambodian food and culture is all about, we want to introduce it slowly,” says Sang.

    The restaurant will seat around 40 inside and another 30 on an outdoor patio, is scheduled to open simultaneously with Khmai in May at 6580 N. Sheridan Road on the ground floor of the Hampton Inn. The space, previously home to Onward Chicago from ex-Grace and Yugen owner Michael Olszewski, is divided into discrete bar and dining room sections, thus lending itself to Sang’s dual-restaurant strategy.

    Sang’s source of inspiration is her mother, Sarom Sieng, 80, a survivor of the Cambodian genocide — the totalitarian Khmer Rouge’s systematic murder of between 1.5 and 2 million people between 1975 to 1979. In 2023, Khmai earned a semifinalist nod from the James Beard Foundation. When the restaurants open, Sang’s daughter will join the two and work in her spare time ahead of her freshman year at Loyola in the fall.

    Kaun Khmai, 6580 N. Sheridan Road, scheduled to open in May.

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    Naomi Waxman

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  • A Filipino Bakery Will Bring More Than Ube and Calamansi to Lincoln Square

    A Filipino Bakery Will Bring More Than Ube and Calamansi to Lincoln Square

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    It took its sweet time in coming but the Filipino cuisine boom that had been predicted year after year in Chicago is finally here. And it’s not just savory food that’s finding its footing. Filipino American bakeries have also found a welcome home in the Windy City.

    Adding to the growing list that includes Umaga Bakehouse, Jennivee’s, Crumbs.nd.Creams, and Michelin-starred Kasama, is Lincoln Square’s Del Sur Bakery.

    Scheduled to open in the fall next to Damen’s Brown Line El stop, Del Sur is the brainchild of Justin Lerias, who previously had been selling — and more often than not selling out — his creative and beautiful Filipino American baked goods such as turon danishes, longanisa croissants, calamansi hojicha buns, and ube oatmeal cream pies at Ravenswood’s Side Practice Coffee (the coffee shop’s founder, Francis Almeda, is a co-owner of Del Sur, 4639 N. Damen Avenue).

    While Lerias’ pastry chef experience includes stints at Lost Larson and Big Jones in Andersonville, it wasn’t until the pandemic when he began incorporating his Filipino roots into his baked goods. Lerias was born on the southern Philippine Island of Mindanao and grew up on Chicago’s North Side

    “One day during 2020 I was like I have Filipino food at home and I’m going to fill these pastries with it,” he says. “I had adobo at the time, and I shredded that and folded it in some croissant dough and called it a day.”

    Lerias adds: “I’ve always known that Filipino food has potential, especially with the region where I’m from.”

    A turon danish.
    Del Sur

    Those experiments turned into an eye-opening moment for Lerias, who has wanted to have his own bakery since he was 16 — he’s 23 now — but wasn’t sure of what the exact format would be.

    “I thought to myself that maybe this could be the concept of my bakery,” he says. “I was very excited to be able to finally discover a voice through my baking. That was the lightning bolt for me and that’s when I started experimenting with other ingredients.”

    For the next two years, lucky friends and family got to sample Lerias’ experiments, all while he took ceramic classes at the School of the Art Institute. “I was going through a phase of ‘I don’t want to be a chef,’” he says.

    A purple scoop of ice cream going on a cookie.

    Filipino flavors go beyond ube, but ube is still great.
    Del Sur

    Three cookie sandwiches.

    Ube ice cream sandwiches
    Del Sur

    After seeing a 2022 story in the Tribune about Almeda of Side Practice and the coffee shop’s concept of showcasing people’s side gigs, Lerias first thought he’d reach out about his ceramics as he wasn’t sure his baked goods were good enough. Fortunately, the recipients of his “Midwestern techniques with Filipino flavors” pastries convinced him otherwise.

    At the first Side Practice pop-up, Lerias’ pastries sold out within 20 minutes, with a line out the door. Not too long after, Almeda asked Lerias to supply pastries for the coffee shop regularly, later adding in sister spot Drip Collective, a coffee shop that opened earlier in 2024 in Fulton Market.

    In the beginning, Filipinos made up the majority of his customers, says Lerias. But while the popularity of his pastries hasn’t changed, the audience has grown. “It’s good to be part of this Filipino boom that is happening in Chicago right now,” says Lerias, who credits the growth to “the domino effect” of other Filipino restaurants opening.

    There’s plenty to showcase. For example, the people of Mindanao, which has a large Muslim population, have a different heritage from the rest of the Filipino diaspora (there’s been a push on the island to create an autonomous government).

    “It’s a very good glimpse of what the Philippines could have been if it didn’t have colonialism,” Lerias says. “There are so many traditions people don’t even know about and that’s something that I want to highlight at the bakery.”

    On Wednesday, March 6, Lerias paused his pastry-making for Side Practice to focus on Del Sur. When it opens, the 1,200-square-foot bakery, formerly Brew Camp, will be set up like “a living room.”

    “What I love about baking was having my friends come over and baking for them. I want that same exact feel for the bakery,” says Lerias. “I want it to feel like a warm hug when you walk in.”

    Filling pastries with cream

    Calamansi hojicha buns
    Del Sur

    Putting his year at the Art Institute to good use, Lerias will be creating plateware for the new bakery. He recently finished making matcha bowls and glassware. “A lot of pastry techniques translate really well to pottery so that works in my favor,” he says.

    The pastries at Del Sur will be very similar to what he created for Side Practice, including the calamansi chamomile bun and turron danish, the latter of which is filled with caramelized banana jam and topped with vanilla flan. Gluten-free and vegan offerings will be available, too.

    His popular longanisa croissant, which is topped with soy sauce caramel, bay leaves, and a cured egg yolk, will also be on the menu. And, yes, ube, the purple-hued yam, will appear at Del Sur in his oatmeal ube cream pie among other pastries. But it won’t be the highlight. “Filipino food is way more than ube,” says Lerias.

    For Lerias, Del Sur is much more than a bakery. Top of mind is a four-day work week, employee discourse on the tipping system, and empowering his staff to use their voices, something he encourages the high school students who want to be chefs that he mentors. He sees James Beard Award nominee Lula Cafe in Logan Square as an example.

    “I want to be able to introduce a lot of ethical work practices that are otherwise deemed impossible by a lot of other chefs.”

    Del Sur, 4629 N. Damen Avenue, scheduled for a fall opening.

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    Lisa Shames

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  • A New West Town Japanese Restaurant Will Combine Omakase With an Izakaya-Style Bar

    A New West Town Japanese Restaurant Will Combine Omakase With an Izakaya-Style Bar

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    A unique breed of omakase restaurant — one that channels sleek subtlety — will soon launch on West Town’s Chicago Avenue strip. The owners behind Omakase Shoji see themselves as as a quietly defiant alternative to the city’s increasingly over-the-top omakase scene .

    Japanese-born executive chef Shoji Takahashi (Matsuya, Mirai) and his mentor, chef Takashi Iida describe their philosophy as “original taste” — their quest to deliver an unadulterated Japanese omakase experience, one that will have a transportive effect on diners.

    “When we say Japanese, we’re talking about not just the things you can see, but the preparation aspect, the methodology behind the fish, making sure every step of the way is pristine and up to quality standard,” Takahashi says in Japanese, as translated to English by a rep. “Your eyes are not the main way to experience the food — the primary focus should be flavor.”

    As in most omakase, diners will get to watch chefs while they work.
    Garrett Baumer/Omakase Shoji

    A long wooden counter inside an omakase dining space.

    Minimalism contributes to the Japanese atmosphere.
    Garrett Baumer/Omakase Shoji

    Dinner ($185) will feature 17 to 25 courses served in a minimalist 10-seat dining room. Dishes will change frequently, with fish imported twice weekly from Japanese markets including Tokyo’s famed Tsukiji Market. It will specialize in Edomae-style sushi, a sub-genre invented in Tokyo (then called Edo) that dates back more than 200 years. Diners can also select a more opulent menu ($225) that integrates ingredients like caviar and Japanese wagyu.

    Upon entering the space — the former Six06 Cafe Bar which closed in 2023 — patrons will encounter an izakaya-style bar, which the team views as a symbolic middle ground between Chicago and Japan. The exposed brick walls remain, complimented by contemporary light fixtures.

    A rectangular bar inside an airy space.

    Bar options include more than 40 types of sake.
    Garrett Baumer/Omakase Shoji

    A cocktail list is not yet finalized, but the collection will include more than 40 varieties of ginjo and daiginjo sakes, as well as high-end whiskies including Hibiki 21 and Hibiki 30. Takahashi and his team will use the bar as an opportunity to flex their creative muscles with a menu of kappo cuisine — a term that refers to a style of Japanese restaurants that exist in the middle ground between upscale omakase dining and casual izakaya. Kappo restaurants, which are rare in Chicago, are known for merging the chef-led theatrics of omakase with a more playful atmosphere and a set menu of nostalgic staples and seasonal specials.

    A native of Sendai, Japan, Takahashi immigrated to the U.S. in 1999 and almost immediately became a protégé of Iida, who previously cooked at the Imperial Palace in Japan and has served the royal family. Once Omakase Shoji debuts, Takahashi and Iida have more plans in the works — they aim to utilize the building’s rooftop bar this summer. Stay tuned for more details.

    Omakase Shoji, 1641 W. Chicago Avenue, scheduled to open Friday, April 19, reservations via Resy.

    when it debuts Friday, April 19 at 1641 W. Chicago Avenue.

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    Naomi Waxman

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  • New York’s Chip City Cookies Will Soon Open Its First Chicago Location

    New York’s Chip City Cookies Will Soon Open Its First Chicago Location

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    Late this month, a New York-based cookie chain is opening its first Chicago location. Chip City, which debuted seven years ago in Queens, New York, will debut in late April in Gold Coast. The chain also has plans for Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, and Lakeview, according to a news release.

    The chain has 35 locations in New York, New Jersey, and Florida, and last year it arrived in the Washington, D.C. area. Started by friends Peter Phillips and Teddy Gailas in 2017, the expansion has been funded, in part, by a $10 million investment by New York restaurateur Danny Meyer. Meyer, the founder of Union Square Hospitality, is perhaps best known around Chicago for his investment in Shake Shack and GreenRiver, a shuttered Streeterville restaurant that earned a Michelin star. His fingerprints are seen elsewhere in the expansions of chains such as Tacombi, a casual Mexican restaurant with a West Loop location with a Wicker Park outlet on its way.

    A rendering of Chip City Gold Coast.
    Chip City

    Chip City goes through more than 40 flavors each year with options like peanut butter & jelly, oatmeal apple pie, and cannoli, and blueberry cheesecake. Other than cookies, there’s also a new “Chip Crookie” — a croissant stuffed with cookie dough.

    In 2022, another New York chain, Levain Bakery, opened a Chicago location. With contenders like Levain, Insomnia, and Crumbl, the world of cookie chains has come a long way since Mrs. Fields debuted in the late ‘70s. Getting cookies delivered via a third-party company has its charm, but true Chicagoans just want a true Maurice Lenell comeback.

    Chip City Chicago, 55 E. Chicago Avenue, scheduled for opening on Friday, April 26, 2024

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    Ashok Selvam

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  • A West Town Pasta Maker Launches Lunch Service

    A West Town Pasta Maker Launches Lunch Service

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    The pandemic transformed restaurants in several ways including a spike in the popularity in comfort foods like pizza and pasta. The owners of Gemma Foods in West Town are hoping that the charge for carbs will continue. For two years, Gemma has sold fresh pasta to customers who take home their noodles to boil in their own kitchens. But home cooks don’t have to stress. Next week, Gemma is expanding operations by offering a full ready-to-eat lunches — no cooking required.

    Tony Quartaro says Gemma has always been about sharing their passion for pasta in new and different ways. Gemma did tours of duties at Revival Food Hall in the Loop and Time Out Market Chicago in Fulton Market. That helped grow the brand and better showcase Gemma. Quartaro says it’s sometimes a challenge to explain their mission as a pasta maker to passersby on Grand Avenue, across from D’Amato’s Bakery and Bari Foods.

    Gemma Food will now serve hot meals at this counter.
    Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

    Lunch service is a prelude to eventually offering dinner, as Gemma will offer a rotating batch of pasta specials, focaccia, and entree salads like a kale Caesar. Seasonality is essential. Quartaro already has a pair of specials with ramps (carrot gnocchi with ramp, lemon, and mascarpone; plus radiatori alla ramp carbonara).

    Another specialty is the meatballs, which the chef admits he “thinks deeply” about — he’s been perfecting the ratio for years. They’ll also offer a Sunday special — pork neck ragu. Look for other treats like lasagna — a meaty red sauce version and vegetarian options like a mushroom ragu or a light one with layered eggplant. Vodka sauce is another item that Quartaro makes with pride. Other options include cacio e pepe, canestrini, and paccheri. Most of the pasta is hand-cut, though a few are extruded.

    The pandemic transformed habits as the work-from-home culture grew out of necessity. Quartaro says that wasn’t the sole driver behind offering cooked meals at Gemma, but knowing that potential customers are held captive in their nearby homes by work provided a little motivation to naked use of their counter. Those poor souls need quality afternoon meals. Quartaro has worked at pasta palaces like the dearly departed restaurants Balena in Lincoln Park and the Bristol in Bucktown, plus Formento’s in West Loop. He’s also worked at San Francisco’s celebrated A16. When Gemma opened in March 2022, it was part of a pasta revolution in the area, a push that included the debuts of Tortello in Wicker Park and Flour Power in West Town. Each brings a different spin to the game.

    “There’s no shortage of amazing pasta makers in our city,” Quartaro says. “There’s no reason each neighborhood can’t have their own.”

    Gemma Foods, 1117 W. Grand Avenue, lunch debuts Wednesday, April 17.

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    Ashok Selvam

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  • Goose Island Beer to Open Salt Shed Pub in May

    Goose Island Beer to Open Salt Shed Pub in May

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    Goose Island Beer Co. will open its newly relocated brewpub at the Salt Shed next month. Opening day will be Friday, May 3, according to a rep.

    In December, Goose Island closed its original brewery in Lincoln Park after 35 years. The development, near Clybourn and Sheffield, is set for redevelopment. The Salt Shed, less than a mile south of Goose Clybourn, is a music venue that opened in February 2023 near Elston Avenue and Division Street. It’s run by Bruce Finkelman and Craig Golden. They also run Chicago restaurant group 16” on Center, the company behind Revival Food Hall in the Loop, Thalia Hall in Pilsen, and Empty Bottle in Ukrainian Village.

    The newly dubbed Salt Shed Pub will feature beers including Bourbon County Stout, Beer Hug, and 312 on draft, as well as new offerings from head brewer Mike Jacobs. Food wise, executive chef Henry Pariser — studied under Thomas Keller at French Laundry — is bringing back holdovers from Clybourn including a smash burger, Bourbon County Stout milkshake, a smoked trout sandwich, and a burnt carrot sandwich.

    The alert describes the move to the Salt Shed as a way to deepen “Goose’s existing connection with the Chicago music scene.” It mentions events like Pitchfork Music Festival and Goose’s own 312 Block Party. The latter has been held outside its brewery’s Fulton Street taproom. Goose has also routinely held another event, Prop Day — its celebration of the barrel-aged beer, Bourbon County Stout — outside the taproom. The Salt Shed gives the brewery a new option, one that’s more tailored to hosting such events.

    Goose Island debuted in 1988 and was sold in 2011 to the parent company of Budweiser. At one point they expanded with brewpubs in Philadelphia (it closed in 2020) and London. A Wrigleyville location also closed in 2015. Folks may also stumble into a Goose-branded bars at various airports. While that expansion was occurring, the original lost its luster. There’s hope a move can restore the roar.

    Look for more information as opening day approaches.

    Goose Island Salt Shed Pub, 1357 N Elston Ave, scheduled for a Friday, May 3 opening

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    Ashok Selvam

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  • Lincoln Square Taproom’s Owner to Open a Bistro in the Cafe Selmarie Space

    Lincoln Square Taproom’s Owner to Open a Bistro in the Cafe Selmarie Space

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    As Chicagoans prepare to say farewell to Cafe Selmarie, a cozy Lincoln Square favorite that’s preparing to close after more than four decades, news about its forthcoming replacement is beginning to surface.

    Andrew Pillman, the owner of neighboring beer bar Lincoln Square Taproom, has applied for a liquor license under the business name Willow Cafe and Bistro at 4729 N. Lincoln Avenue. The restaurant is Pillman’s second takeover of a Lincoln Square institution, as in 2021 he opened the taproom in the former home of Huettenbar, one of the area’s last-remaining German taverns. In 2021, he opened a sister bar, Uptown Taproom. Pillman also runs Lakeview Taproom, which opened in July 2020. In November 2023, the space rebranded to add a coffee component.

    In the case of Huttenbar, back in 2021, Pillman told Block Club that he intended to preserve the dive’s German charm. However, regulars say Pillman and his crews drastically changed the bar’s vibe including replacing a mural that helped define the space.

    Cafe Selmarie owner Birgit Kobayashi announced her plans to retire and close Cafe Selmarie in September 2023 but has yet to share a closing date. The restaurant will remain open “through at least the end of April,” according to its website.

    Pillman and Kobayashi did not respond to requests for comment.

    A Lincoln Square pillar since Kobayashi and her late business partner Jean Uzdawanis founded it in 1983, Selmarie (a portmanteau of its founders’ middle names, Birgit Selma and Jeanne Marie) oversaw a transformation in the area from its perch on Giddings Plaza. It was home to the first espresso machine in the neighborhood and quickly garnered a following for its comfortable atmosphere, fresh baked goods made on-site, and an all-day lineup of soups, salads, sandwiches, and pasta. In 2017, Kobayashi became Selmarie’s sole proprietor following Uzdawanis’ death at age 63 after a battle with ovarian cancer.

    While few additional details about Willow Cafe and Bistro are available as yet, Pillman seems primed for a busy year. He’s applied for a liquor license for another beer bar, Rogers Park Taproom & Coffee House, at 1615 W. Howard Street. The space previously housed indie coffeehouse Sol Cafe and in February, Pillman told Block Club Chicago that he aims to compensate for the cafe’s closure by serving Hexe Coffee alongside beer, cocktails, breakfast, and lunch.

    Stay tuned for more on Cafe Selmarie’s closing date and more details on Willow Cafe and Bistro.

    Willow Cafe and Bistro, 4729 N. Lincoln Avenue, Opening date is not yet available.

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    Naomi Waxman

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  • Chicago’s Filipino Boom Continues With a New Bakery Near Seafood City

    Chicago’s Filipino Boom Continues With a New Bakery Near Seafood City

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    Bakers and spouses Robert and Kissel Fagaragan say they can predict the future — at least when it comes to local hospitality.

    The owners of Umaga Bakehouse, a new bakery specializing in Filipino baked goods, the Fagaragans feel confident that the country’s distinctive baking tradition will dominate the next phase of Chicago’s Filipino American restaurant boom. They’ll open the bakery on Friday, April 12 at 4703 W. Foster Avenue across from Seafood City, the pan Asian supermarket with a robust selection of Filipino goods. The bakery’s name means “morning” in Tagalog.

    At nearly 4,000 square feet, Umaga is touted as one of the largest Filipino bakeries in the U.S. Local designer Aida Napoles of AGN Design (also behind the design at West Town’s Diego and Mag Mile’s The Evie) who’s opted for warm earth tones with modern touches like bronze tile. To capitalize on natural morning light, Umaga is equipped with floor-to-ceiling windows, and the team commissioned a custom-milled s-shaped wooden table to serve as both a display centerpiece and provide seating for 10.

    Umaga specializes in fresh Filipino baked goods.
    J and L Photography/Umaga Bakehouse

    A serving of halo-halo.

    Halo-halo.
    J and L Photography/Umaga Bakehouse

    “I feel like the Filipino bakery is up next in the Chicago scene,” says Kissel Fagaragan. She’s watched with excitement as locals have embraced hits like Michelin-starred Kasama, Boonie’s Filipino Restaurant, and Bayan Ko. “It’s been very motivating [to see] that Filipino dishes are starting to get popular. But I feel like Filipino bread is still a secret, so we want to bring that full force.”

    The Fagaragans feel strongly about honoring the techniques and traditions of Filipino baking while placing these baked goods in a contemporary space that’s appealing to both novices and experts — “the Filipino bakery reimagined,” Kissel Fagaragan says.

    That means customers can count on staples like hot pandesal, a yeast-raised roll that’s ubiquitous in the Philippines, and fluffy ensaymada, a popular brioche pastry based on a Mallorcan treat of the same name. The Filipino version is distinctive from the original, evolving over 300 years of Spanish colonization. The couple put a lot of effort into perfecting Umaga’s ensaymada and say they’re finally happy with a version they can call their own — one that’s “soft, moist, not too crazy sweet.”

    Kissel Fagaragan smiles for a portrait photo.

    Umaga Bakehouse owner Kissel Fagaragan.
    J and L Photography/Umaga Bakehouse

    Robert Fagaragan smiles for a portrait photo.

    Umaga Bakehouse owner Robert Fagaragan.
    J and L Photography/Umaga Bakehouse

    Kissel holds up an old photograph of her parents.

    Kissel Fagaragan’s parents owned Kissel’s Bakery in Lancaster, California.
    J and L Photography/Umaga Bakehouse

    Robert holds up an old photograph of his father and himself as a child.

    Robert Fagaragan’s father ran a bakery out of their home in the Philippines.
    J and L Photography/Umaga Bakehouse

    Those seeking a sugar rush will have plenty of options including sans rival, a layer cake of buttercream, meringue, and chopped cashews; and pan de coco, a sweet roll stuffed with coconut and molasses. The couple also promises plenty of ube-infused delicacies, plus halo-halo and a collection of savory pastries like longanisa rolls, menudo buns, and crispy Ilocos empanadas.

    The couple’s commitment to a legacy of Filipino baking has roots that go deeper than cultural heritage — both spent their childhoods working (and playing) in their respective family bakeries. Born on the West Coast, Kissel Fagaragan vividly recalls Kissel’s Bakery, the small bakeshop her parents owned in Lancaster, California. “That was my playground, [and] that’s where I saw the hard work that they did,” she says. “It definitely gave me a work ethic early on and the passion to do this.”

    Kyle smiles and rolls dough.

    The Fagaragan’s four-year-old daughter Kyle joins her parents in Umaga’s kitchen.

    Four rolls of Filipino Spanish bread on a white plate.

    Spanish bread.
    J and L Photography/Umaga Bakehouse

    A crispy empanada cut in half on a plate.

    Ilocos empanada.
    J and L Photography/Umaga Bakehouse

    Her husband, Robert Fagaragan, a native of the Philippines’ Ilocos Norte Province, also recalls learning to make bread alongside his father in the small bakery he ran out of their home. He remembers getting up in the wee hours with his dad and riding his bike through the neighborhood hawking fresh-baked bread. After emigrating to the U.S. at 17, he would eventually find a job as a cleaner in a bakery in Sacramento, California — a move that would prove fortuitous, as that’s where he met his wife and reconnected with the joy baking brought to his childhood.

    The couple took a leap of faith and moved to Chicago in 2018 to pursue new job opportunities. They fell in love with the city and are particularly excited about Umaga’s prime vantage point amid the Northwest Side Filipino community. They hope its proximity will draw shoppers from Seafood City (and away from Filipino powerhouse Jollibee). The morning commuters from the nearby Edens Expressway also present another potential source of customers.

    But most of all, however, they’re delighted to be creating new baking memories with a new generation: their 4-year-old daughter Kyle.

    “She’s very hands-on and loves to work with Play-Doh, so with dough, she’s even more excited,” says Kissel Fagaragan. “But as much as we’d love for her to take over [Umaga Bakehouse] one day, we’re happy with whatever she wants to do — as long as she’s happy.”

    Umaga Bakehouse, 4703 W. Foster Avenue, Scheduled to open Friday, April 12.

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    Naomi Waxman

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  • The Team From Chicago’s Only Michelin-Starred Indian Restaurant Is Opening a Cafe

    The Team From Chicago’s Only Michelin-Starred Indian Restaurant Is Opening a Cafe

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    The team from Chicago’s only Michelin-starred Indian restaurant, Indienne, is opening a cafe where customers can sip fresh-brewed masala chai. Swadesi Cafe should open next week in the West Loop with unique pastries like samosa chaat croissants stuffed with spicy potatoes and a pleasant hint of tart tamarind. The menu also includes chicken tikka toasties with chicken, cheddar, cilantro, and mint.

    Indienne chef Sujan Sarkar worked on the food alongside chef Sahil Sethi, his collaborator who oversees Sifr (ownership’s Middle Eastern restaurant in West Loop). But the man in charge of day-to-day operations at Swadesi is Yash Kishinchand. He’s a recent graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Napa where students run a cafe. That’s where Kishinchand received his only barista training.

    Sarkar has toyed with the idea for a cafe for years. Kishinchand moved from Columbus, Ohio to Chicago to open St. Regis Chicago — the luxury downtown hotel that now houses Tre Dita and Miru. After he left the hotel, Sarkar offered him a chance to open Swadesi inside the former Ruin Daily at 328 S. Jefferson Street.

    Kishinchand who enjoys brandishing a chef’s torch — he keeps a shiny gold-colored one handy for the finishing touches on treats like jaggery chocolate chip cookies — is trained in French cooking, and says he wasn’t as familiar with Indian ingredients and he received an education from chefs Sarkar and Sethi when creating Swadesi menu. The cafe’s name is derived from “desi,” a term that often refers to Indian Americans. The menu intends to reflect their tastes in combining cultures. How else would you explain the cheesy potato tikki tots? And it’s not just South Asian, a carrot halwa cake gives a taste of the Middle East.

    This bakery approach isn’t that different from Kasama’s where pastry chef and co-owner Genie Kwon combines her husband’s Filipino culture and her Korean heritage with French pastry. In Lincoln Park, Indian native Arshiya Farheen has slipped in subcontinental influences in her pastries at Verzenay Patisserie.

    There’s been a wave of interest in Indian egg sandwiches. Mini chain Eggoholic helped popularize them locally, and places like Superkhana International have taken them to another level. Swadesi will offer its own with avocado on a spiced potato rosti — yes, the Swiss get a say. There’s also a butter chicken croissant with burrata.

    Finding the literal sweet spot for masala chai in Chicago has been a challenge. Swadesi will allow customers to customize the sweetness levels with sugar, and down the line, alternate sweeteners may be offered. For now, the masala chai is made to order whole milk, but an oat milk ready-to-go version is available. These drinks fundamentally differ from the chai lattes most coffee shops serve made from concentrate. Masala chai specialists, ones who brew black tea with South Asian spices (Swadesi uses ginger, rose, and cardamom), aren’t frequent in Chicago. Chiya Chai and Superkhana in Logan Square are locals’ best bets. Along Devon, Sukhadia’s Sweets and Snacks is a popular and quick option. Some Indian restaurants don’t offer the beverage. In Avondale, Thattu, which specializes in cuisine from the southern state of Kerala, serves South Indian filter coffee. Brewing masala chai takes time, but so does preparing pour-over coffee, so there’s a labor precedent if a demand emerges.

    But it’s not just about tradition. Swadesi also plans to serve a cold nitro masala chai.

    Eventually, Swadesi will extend hours and Kishinchand says they’re hoping to sell beer and liquor. The focus is on morning and evening service, but dinner pop-ups are a possibility.

    Swadesi, 328 S. Jefferson Street, opening Monday, March 26.

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    Ashok Selvam

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  • Asian Grocery Behemoth Ranch 99 Market and Eight More Upcoming Restaurants

    Asian Grocery Behemoth Ranch 99 Market and Eight More Upcoming Restaurants

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    Wondering what’s in the works in the Chicago area for restaurants, bars, and cafes? Look no further than Eater Chicago’s guide to spring 2024’s coming attractions for dining. Did we miss something? Send Eater Chicago a tip at chicago@eater.com.

    March 21

    Jefferson Park: Family-friendly coffee shop and indoor play space Sunny Village Cafe will open in June at 5918 W. Lawrence Avenue, owner Georgena Hurst tells Block Club Chicago. The idea stemmed from a trip that Hurst, her husband Seokhee Burningham, and their two sons took in 2023 to South Korea, where they encountered numerous “kid cafes.” The genre has grown so popular that the Seoul Metropolitan Government aims to open 400 city-run “kid cafes” by the end of 2026. Sunny Village Cafe will include an area for stroller parking, as well as a counter serving coffee, tea, baked goods, and more.

    Jefferson Park: Prohibition-era nostalgia is likely to reach new heights with the debut of Vito’s Vault, a speakeasy-style dinner theater spot that’s aiming for an April debut at 5901 W. Lawrence Avenue, according to Block Club. Owner Mark Forrest Virkler spent nearly two decades working at Tommy Gun’s Garage, a 1920s-themed spot in South Loop. After it closed in the early years of the pandemic, Virkler set out to spin off his iteration in the hope of reviving the popularity that dinner theater once enjoyed. Vito’s patrons can expect a three-course meal (options will include steak, chicken, fish, and pasta) and a 90-minute stage show featuring comedy, songs, and interactive “police raids” that bring the audience into the production.

    Fulton Market: Long-awaited French-Lebanese restaurant Beity, the debut project from chef Ryan Fakih, has applied for a liquor license at 813 W. Fulton Market. Fakih says he’s aiming to open in early summer. First announced in March 2023, Beity was originally slated to open in River North, but plans have changed and it will now replace shuttered wine bar Joe’s Imports.

    Pilsen: Local craft beer maker Monochrome Brewing has applied for a liquor license at 2101 S. Carpenter Street, a space that was once home to shuttered brewery and taproom Lo Rez.

    Streeterville: Chapel Street Cafe, a new Australian restaurant specializing in Aussie staples like Lamington cake, flat whites, and toast with Vegemite, is slated for a November debut at 198 E. Delaware Place on the ground floor of the Hilton Chicago/Magnificent Mile Suites, according to Crain’s. Owner Shawn Uldridge, an Australian who moved to Chicago in 2014, is also behind West Loop’s Publishing House Bed & Breakfast and opened wine bar The Press Room, though he’s no longer involved in the latter.

    Uptown: Chicago Pickle Eatery, an Avondale deli that’s garnered a following with enormous New York City bodega-style sandwiches, is aiming to expand in March into a sister location at 4515 N. Sheridan Road, owner Mohamad Atieh announced on Instagram. Atieh moved to Chicago from New York City three years ago and tells reporters that he observed a gap in his new city’s corner store offerings. He’s working to fill that chasm with a menu of hefty sandwiches like the eponymous Chicago Pickle (pastrami, corned beef, pickles, coleslaw, Swiss, Russian dressing) and the steak and cheese, a riff on famed regional delicacies like Philly cheesesteaks and New York chopped cheese.

    Wicker Park: Trattoria RnB, a new Italian restaurant featuring wood-fired pizzas and fresh pasta, is working toward a debut at 2101 W. North Avenue, the former home of indie pizzeria Knead, according to its website. An opening date is not yet available.

    Evanston: Nearly a year after its closure, Irish pub The Celtic Knot has announced plans to reopen in the former home of Lush restaurant at 2022 Central Street in suburban Evanston, according to Evanston Round Table. Owners Liz and Patrick Breslin say fans can expect a smaller, cozier space and a slimmed-down menu, but promise they hope to recreate the pub’s lively atmosphere with live music and a crew of regulars.

    Naperville: California-born brand Ranch 99 Market, said to be the largest Asian grocery chain in the country, is poised to take over a former Dominick’s grocery store at 1555 N. Aurora Road in suburban Naperville, according to the Tribune. It’s pegged to debut in 2025 and will include a food court called Eat Up. The chain, also called Tawa Supermarket, was founded in 1984 by Roger Chen, a Taiwanese immigrant, and currently operates 54 stores across 10 states. The Naperville location is part of the area’s Riverbrook Shopping Center, which is now owned by Texas-based developer NewQuest Asia-Pacific Retail. In early January, NewQuest reps told reporters that the company plans to transform the center into a hub for Asian restaurants and businesses.

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    Naomi Waxman

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