It's been a couple of weeks since we've heard anything about The Scout (1301 S. Wabash), a new restaurant/sports bar that is taking the space formerly occupied by Opera. Upon recently talking to a well versed South Loop resident he mentioned that their was a new write-up circling around the internets.
Lo and behold, it's from Metromix and it does shine some more light on the impending opening and concept:
Paving the way for modern sports bars in the South Loop, this tavern and restaurant goes beyond your average beer-and-shot spot, and will be a welcome addition when it opens its doors in early June 2011. "I got tired of waiting for someone to open a sports bar in the neighborhood, so we decided to do it ourselves," said co-owner Chris Bravos, also of The Pony.
A couple quick comments on the statement above. One, does Chris Bravos live in the Sloop? Two, there are some sports bar already. Three, it sounds like the rumored May opening isn't happening.
Regardless, this doesn't curb our excitement for The Scout (and it sounds like others based on this poll we did a couple weeks ago). We've been impressed by their new bar/restaurant Frontier in West Town and have heard positive things about the Pony as well.
The post also goes into the vibe they're going to be shooting for:
On weekend nights, you’ll find crowds cutting loose to a DJ, but during the week it'll be more low-key, with smaller groups of friends sipping on signature cocktails or from the extensive brew list featuring craft microbeers. During the warmer months, dining on the outdoor patio sweetens the deal.
DJ? That will be a change for the Sloop...and although it seems questionable, some energy south of Roosevelt will be good in our opinion. The other interesting/awesome thing is that we're glad to here about plans for the outdoor patio. According to Metromix, there will be outside patio seating for 45 people. Wow that seems like a lot, but wow does that seem great. We would assume that means that there will be seating on Wabash and 13th. Should be a welcome scene for this stretch and an improvement over Opera's outside seating (which was there but never very busy).
(Hat tip: JM & random cell phone number!)