Apr 4, 2016
It’s almost all good news for Fountainhead Group’s new establishment.
Chicago’s much-anticipated, long-delayed cider bar has finally arrived. Despite some bumps in the road getting here, it’s been well received on all fronts. Despite wait times of up to three hours being reported, it seems people have no qualms about the place or the 100+ ciders offered so far. Here’s what they’re saying about it.
The Menu: Expectations are undoubtedly high but the Northman lives up to the hype. Patty Wetli of DNAinfo says the bar is “not fooling around – the cider menu is extensive in depth and breadth.” Alisa Baum agrees on Facebook, complimenting the “wide range of ciders to try – [from] sweet to dry, light to funky.” Additionally, she and her friends “each found a favorite, though all were delicious.” The menu itself is “well-laid out” and easy to navigate, offering “thoughtful descriptions for each brew,” according to Sarah of Windy City Wanderlust.
The Drinks: With so much variety, the cider list can be overwhelming. Servers offer samples of the house cider to gauge drinkers’ tastes. Sarah calls the signature brew a “semi-dry, refreshing, well-rounded blend of Michigan heirloom apples” that’s worth ordering while also recommending the Pacific Coast Strawberry, which tastes like “summer in your mouth.” Joseph Hernandez of the Tribune enjoys a semi-dry cider from Sonoma, made from Gravenstein apples, that has “mouthwatering freshness with an aromatic, floral nose.”
The Food: Chef Sean Sanders is elevating pub fare to complement all of the drinking. Sarah praises a “bright, yet savory” kale and arugula salad that she’d order “any day of the week,” as well as “delicious, perfectly fried” fish and chips lifted by a “heavenly” malt mist. She wishes there were a “more ample serving” of the fish but thinks it’s worth the “steep price of $18.” Likewise, Matthew S. on Yelp thinks portions run “a little on the small side, but that’s OK.” Not everyone is a fan, though, as Michael S. says his food arrived cold and the dinner kabob was “essentially an empty tortilla.”
The Space: Hernandez describes it as “boasting wood accents, red damask wallpaper, intimate booths and tin ceilings.” It feels “warm and cozy … [seemingly] worn in a good way” to Carrie Schedler of Chicago Mag, who writes, “You’d think the place had been there for ages.”
The Service: Patrons universally agree that the staff is excellent. Kale G. calls them “extremely friendly and knowledgeable,” a sentiment shared by many. The service “surpassed [Sarah’s] expectations” and Garrett Mark says it’s “like stepping back into a time where everyone was happy and enjoying themselves.”
The Wait: Definitely arrive early or be prepared to wait. Drea Jackson waited “about [two hours]” while it was three for Angie Morales. This results in the tight space being a “bit crowded from the overflow of people waiting for tables,” Sarah writes. Fortunately, the bar sends automated texts when tables are ready, allowing guests to wait elsewhere. It’s a system that Meag H. thinks is a “brilliant way to manage a big crowd.”
(H/T chicago.eater.com)
Mar 29, 2016
Here are my three big predictions in regards to the present and future trends in moving and relocation:
1. While big cities might put states “on the map,” there’s certainly evidence that smaller, cheaper alternatives are proving a draw, even in places that are otherwise losing population—like Michigan, Minnesota and southern Ohio.
2. The older, established metros like Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and others need to get their schools and finances together or they will see the current outward trends accelerate as Millennials age, have kids and need schools. Of course, educated Millennials aren’t the only ones leaving these areas, but they’re the ones who can most afford to choose their next destination.
3. The South and West continue to attract movers, but the Northwest is a draw now as well – partially due to the high reputation for livability associated with those states, which is bringing in new businesses and residents alike.
How did I arrive that those conclusions? By taking a nice, deep dive into today’s release of population projections from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Here’s what I found:
Any way you slice it, Texas is the big population winner for 2015. At the state level, it added more residents (490,000) than any other. Four of its metros added more than 412,000 people (that’s more than any other state-level total) between July 2014 and July 2015, according to data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Houston area added about 159,000, while the Dallas-Fort Worth area added another 145,000. Adding 412,000 people is about the same as adding a city the size of Miami or Oakland. That’s a lot of people.
Overall, the nation’s 381 metro areas house about 275 million people. About 285 of them saw growth during that period.
Growth at the County Level
Net growth is all well and good, but the pieces that make up that pie are interesting in themselves. Population change comes from a variety of sources. People are born, people die, people move in and people move out. Let’s spend a little time looking at the winners and losers at the county level, based on two of those that relate a lot to livability: people moving, and children being born.
Who’s moving where
Courtesy of the US Census Bureau
The fastest-growing counties (in terms of people moving in) are in the fastest-growing metros primarily in the South and the West (and Florida). These areas (Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dallas and Houston) have been gaining people left and right for years now. However, not all of Texas is winning people over. El Paso cracks the top 10 for counties losing residents.
Despite all that is written about the explosion of population and interest in our largest cities, four of the counties losing the most people are boroughs of New York City. Most cities reside in counties (some overlap county lines), but New York City is unique in that it’s so large that the city itself is made up of five counties, and four of them are bleeding people. The fifth, Richmond County (aka Staten Island), saw its population remain more or less unchanged.
Cook County Il., home of Chicago and its collar suburbs, had more than 50,000 people move out, and saw its first overall population decline since 2007. That’s like losing the population of Chicago neighbor Oak Park, Il. in one year. Los Angeles County lost even more to people moving out.
Next, let’s turn to areas where people are being born
As we already mentioned, the growth of downtown urban centers faces one significant hurdle: their school systems. As Millennials age (and they’re turning 30 at a rate of 12,000 per day), their kids will eventually need schools. And urban school systems are in a disarray from coast to coast. So watching where people are being born, and where they move from there as they hit school age will tell us a lot about urban/suburban trends in the coming decades.
Who’s moving where
Courtesy of the US Census Bureau
From these two tables we see that Los Angeles County has about two births for every death, a pretty good ratio for growth, until you factor in the number of people who moved away. This means that any growth from movers will be coming from international migration.
Harris County (Houston) Texas has an even better ratio – almost three births per death – and is adding people from domestic migration. That’s a great formula for growth.Chicago’s Cook County? Not so much. The birth/death ratio is pretty tight and certainly not enough to overcome the drain of domestic emigration. Chicago’s suburban counties are losing people, too.
None of these trends are set in stone. Smart planning, sound fiscal management and investment in schools, and attention to quality of place are all important. Movers typically have a choice. If you want your city to grow and prosper, the key is making sure that your town floats to the top of the short list.
(H/T livability.com)
Mar 22, 2016
Cafeteria-style southern cooking is coming to the Fulton Market area.
Bruce Finkelman and Craig Golden (Dusek’s, Punch House, Tack Room, Thalia Hall, the Promontory) are opening Saint Lou’s Assembly today. Next door to the group’s new bar, MoneyGun, on Lake and Union streets, Saint Lou’s Assembly is led by seven-time Michelin-starred chef Jared Wentworth (Dusek’s, Longman & Eagle). The restaurant is a “Midwestern take on ‘Meat N Three’—a cafeteria-style concept that’s traditionally been found in the South (i.e., a meat course plus three side dishes).
The counter-service concept is named after Louis D., who opened Monarch Provisions meat-packing plant in 1947 on the corner of Fulton and Sangamon streets. Saint Lou’s pays homage to Chicago’s bygone canteens.
In true cafeteria style, desserts start the line, followed by meat (Slagel Farms chicken, meatloaf wellington, prime rib, roast duck) and side dishes (green bean casserole, mac ‘n’ cheese, iceberg wedge, grilled asparagus, tabbouleh). Not true cafeteria-style: liquor, including a house-made sweet tea (can be served with rye whiskey), as well as margaritas and seasonal lemonade (suggested to be mixed with a clear spirit) and boozy house floats.
Saint Lou’s seats about 50 and will feature an expansive outdoor patio. It plans curbside pickup service on the North Union Avenue side of the building for carryout orders.
The restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.
(H/T chicagobusiness.com)
Mar 21, 2016
(chicagotribune.com) – Slurred, drunk conversations late at night. The strong scent of spice. Empty wine bottles tossed, clanging, into the alley below a bedroom window.
Those are all nightmarish scenarios imagined around living above a bar or a restaurant.
But many of Chicago’s residential neighborhoods are lined with main arteries where popular eateries are topped with homes. Curtains and dressers decorate the floors above restaurants like Boka in Lincoln Park; a man works on a laptop beyond a window above a bar sign on a stretch of mixed-use buildings on Halsted Street….
Continue Reading…
Mar 16, 2016
(www.chicagobusiness.com) – The city issued more citations to valet parking companies in one month of 2016 than it did in 2014 and 2015 combined, a crackdown that’s causing headaches for restaurants, hotels and other businesses that rely on valet parking as a courtesy to customers.
Valet companies received 76 citations for the “storage of goods on public ways” between Feb. 8 and March 10, up from 30 in all of 2015 and 42 in 2014, according to city data provided to Crain’s under an open-records request.
The citations, which carry fines ranging from $50 to $250, were issued by city inspectors without prior written or verbal warnings, according to the department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection….
Continue Reading…
