Feb 8, 2019
Ari Bendersky | Crain’s Chicago Business | February 4, 2019
Paul Virant, who earned a Michelin star for his upscale Western Springs restaurant Vie and who later owned Perennial Virant, is opening a restaurant in the West Loop dedicated to a unique type of Japanese pancake called okonomiyaki.
Virant, who was named Food & Wine best new chef in 2007, is opening Gaijin, a restaurant fully dedicated to okonomiyaki, usually made from a flour batter, cabbage, egg, dashi and other ingredients, and topped with ingredients like seafood, pork belly and bonito flakes. It’s sometimes called Osaka soul food.
The 2,300-square-foot, 60-seat restaurant will open this summer on Lake Street at a busy culinary intersection that includes Shake Shack, Federales and Bar Takito. While some Chicago restaurants like Izakaya Mita and Booze Box serve this Japanese street food, Gaijin will be the first to focus on it.
Gaijin, which means foreigner or outsider, will offer two styles of okonomiyaki: Osaka-style, where ingredients get mixed together before griddling, and Hiroshima-style, where ingredients get layered before griddling. Each pancake, which will cost between $9 and $18, is customizable, which is how the dish gets its name: Okonomi means “as you like” and yaki means “cooked.” Virant, who will cook from an open kitchen where guests can see the dishes being prepared on a long grill, will use traditional ingredients like bacon, shrimp and udon noodles, but will use his preserving skills and also tap his relationships with local farmers for high-quality local proteins. Guest tables will have teppan griddles from Japan in the middle to keep food warm during meals.
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Feb 1, 2019
Ashok Selvam | Eater Chicago | January 31, 2019
SVN Restaurant Resource Group’s Marcus Sullivan, Tim Rasmussen, and Shane Sackett represented the landlord in the transaction.
The group behind Giant, one of Chicago’s essential restaurants, is planning to open a bar that will serve Chinese-American food in Bucktown. The project’s called Chef’s Special Cocktail Bar and its inspiration comes from the Chinese restaurants chef Jason Vincent ate at growing up in Cleveland. It’s slated to open this summer at 2165 N. Western Avenue, the former Siboney Cuban Cuisine.
Restaurant partner Josh Perlman makes no secret that no one on staff is of Chinese heritage, and they aren’t trying to define the cuisine. Perlman, Vincent, and another partner — Ben Lustbader — are all Jewish. The trio shares memories of eating Chinese food on Christmas like many American Jews do. Chef’s Special will feature items like Mongolian beef, egg foo young, fried rice, and noodles. The menu is an homage to the owners’ nostalgia, not a pledge to authenticity. The name also shows a flexibility. “Chef’s special” may remind some of other Chinese restaurants, but it’s also supposed to represent an inventive kitchen philosophy. Perlman said ownership is cognizant of being respectful of the culture.
“We don’t want to come across that we’re an authority on what these dishes have to be, or what they have to have in them,” he said.
The menu will also have rotating specials with more “experimental” items. They’re still developing the menu, but Perlman suggested Chinese-inspired pizzas, burgers and even lasagna. These are just ideas as Perlman hasn’t consulted with the kitchen staff. When he does, he may ask them if Chef’s Special will offer a sequel to Giant’s popular uni shooter.
They’re still experimenting with the space’s configuration, but expect a dining room with room for 75 and a bar with seating for 12. They’ll also have outdoor seating on Palmer Avenue. The drink program, handled by Perlman and GM Chase Bracamontes (Publican, Giant) will feature natural wines, local beers, and cocktails. The drinks will feature Asian ingredients. Perlman said they’re working on a lychee/vanilla drink. They’re not doing tiki. Perlman wants to go beyond the usual Rieslings and offer other wines that pair well with spicy foods. The restaurant may also offer a bar menu. It will stay open late seven days a week and also offer take out. Ownership thinks carry outs are mandatory for a Chinese restaurant.
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Jan 25, 2019
Dana Vollmer | NPR Illinois | January 23, 2019
The Illinois Supreme Court is considering whether Chicago’s regulations on food trucks unfairly stifle competition.
A city ordinance bans food trucks from parking within 200 feet of the entrance to a brick-and-mortar restaurant. The city claims it protects property taxpayers who invest in their storefronts.
Attorney Robert Frommer, who represents food truck owners, said the court’s decision could have implications beyond the dining sector.
“No matter the industry, officials could hobble newcomers to protect entrenched existing groups who they claimed were important, too,” Frommer told the court. “The constitutional right to practice your trade would be no better than your ability to curry favor with someone at city hall.”
Suzanne Loose, an attorney for the city, said the ordinance is meant to balance the interests of food trucks and traditional restaurants.
“The purpose is not to suppress competition, but to protect the many benefits that brick and mortars do bring to Chicago — tax revenue, jobs,” Loose told the court. “They make a major contribution to tourism and bring cultural contributions to the city.”
The ordinance also alleviates sidewalk congestion, Loose said, and encourages food trucks to park in underserved areas.
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Jan 18, 2019
Ashok Selvam | Eater Chicago | January 14, 2019
SVN Restaurant Resource Group’s Marcus Sullivan and Tim Rasmussen represented the landlord in the transaction.
Holidays will get special attention when Vajra, a new South Asian restaurant serving Indian and Nepalese food, opens in West Town. Imagine special tasting menus for Christmas, Mother’s Day, and holidays observed in South Asia like Diwali. That’s one way the restaurant will differ from other South Asian restaurants in Chicago, said co-owner Dipesh Kakshapaty.
Momos are an iconic Nepalese offering, and Kakshapaty couldn’t imagine opening a restaurant without the dumplings. He’s thinking lobster momos on holidays. Not every day is a holiday, but Vajra — which could open by the end of the month — will likely debut with goat-stuffed dumplings. Vajra has taken over the former Charlatan space, the restaurant that closed in 2017 at 1329 W. Chicago Avenue.
There’s a tendency to underestimate minority restaurant owners in Chicago, and that’s something Kakshapaty talked about. The idea for Vajra has been floating around in his head for the last few years. He was on the opening team at Cumin, the Wicker Park Nepalese restaurant. He departed in 2016 and worked in eCommerce, but he missed working at restaurants.
Kakshapaty’s leveraging the contacts he gained while working at Cumin. For those special holidays, customers could book a table using Tock, the reservation portal from Alinea Group co-founder Nick Kokonas. Rare Tea Cellar is providing the teas. Vajra will be a welcoming place, but it will be different compared to the those Indian buffet restaurant that serve Punjabi cuisine. For example, they’re going to do goat steak. It’s marinated meat that will either be charbroiled or baked in a tandoor. They’ll serve the goat steak like a filet. Diners won’t need a steak knife to cut it; the meat should be fork tender.
They’re still finalizing the everyday a la carte menu — Kakshapaty wants to know they’re not always fancy. He wants to create a menu that customers of all backgrounds can enjoy. If the goat steak shows a willingness to try something new, the decision to omit beef and pork from the menu shows staff is mindful of tradition. Cows are still considered holy by traditional Hindus. Muslims have their own restrictions by avoiding pig products. Kakshapaty is also trying to source water buffalo and venison. Most of the meats will come from Slagel Family Farms. That type of high-end sourcing may make items cost more compared to other Indian restaurants in Chicago, but Kakshapaty said tandoori chicken made with a Cornish hen is worth it.
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Jan 11, 2019
Anthony Todd | Chicago Magazine | January 11, 2019
River North dining can get, well, a little repetitive. As Robbie Schloss, owner of the forthcoming JoJo’s Milk Bar (23 W. Hubbard St.): “You get a lot of the same stale concepts that are copies of each other, plus transplants from Miami and Vegas. We don’t want to fit in. We want to be different.”
JoJo’s, at the very least, won’t look like anyplace else in the neighborhood. Its diner-inspired interior will offer a huge selection of over-the-top shakes and a comfort food-filled menu that’s straight out of the 1950s.
Here’s a bit of background for the uninitiated: A milk bar is basically an old-fashioned soda fountain with a British name. It also refers to a spot where, back in the ’20s and ’30s, you could get ice cream drinks and basic dishes like sandwiches, instead of being tempted by the sin of booze at the pub.
But it’s 2019, the Temperance movement is largely dead, and JoJo’s will have plenty of cocktails. Still, the idea of a simple menu dominated by indulgent desserts remains.
That’s one of the reasons why top pastry chef Christine McCabe — who has experience at places from Glazed & Infused to Charlie Trotter’s — is the perfect person to run the kitchen.
“My vision is to bring an old school diner into modern time and create everything from scratch, with a lot of integrity,” says McCabe. “What comes to my mind is a soda shop, where you’ve got big, over-the-top shakes, whipped cream, lots of garnishes, and down-home cooking.”
Exactly half the menu will consist of desserts, including a large selection of pastries, frozen milk bars made with infused milks (think flavors like lavender blueberry and snickerdoodle), homemade Pop-Tarts, plenty of cookies, and a selection of hot chocolates.
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