The Bears’ Israel Idonije is throwing his, um, helmet into the restaurant industry. The co-host of food show “Game Time Dine” (which aired for two seasons on Comcast SportsNet) is scheduled to open Alain’s in the South Loop at the end of January, according to a spokesperson for the restaurant.
We noticed that the work stop sign was off the door, but this is the first we've heard about the restaurant hoping to open at the end of January.
Seems aggressive, but hopefully it happens.
31 comments:
Regarding the voting box - Cheap Trick and Broad Shoulders should fall under Motor Row Development - as it would great to walk a couple of blocks over this summer, but I hope Cheap Trick will be able to independently move this vital project ahead without relying too much on the developer to help with funds and waiting for them to get their other projects aligned.
Whatever, I just want to see more activity North of the Southloop. Downtown area needs improvement like no other!
Wasnt there suppost to be a sportsbar open up soon at 18th and michegan? Whatever
dec312, what the hell are you talking about? Stop posting.
Kroll's (which is a sports bar) is at 18th & Michigan...
thanks you for that info! I will stop in there tonight for some potato salad! Yummy in my tummy!
Alains has zero chance of opening in Jan. I would bet they bought red carpets before silverware.
Are you trying to be funny? It's not offensive, just weird.
Are you trying to be authoritative? Because its not working, dope.
I'm enjoying this bizarre repartee.
I have to ask: did you mean "It's not working, which is dope"? Or "It's neither working, nor is it dope"?
In either case, ha.
I have been living here for 4 years...believe me I have a lot of knowledge in this hood!
hey there Josh!
dec312 you say you have been living here for 4 years yet you didnt know that Kroll's is at 18th and Michigan and has been for 5+ years?
I don't think you have as much knowledge about this hood as you claim.
WOOP, WOOOP, WOOP.....
CODE RED ALLERT...LOT'S OF FIGHTING ON THIS THREAD....CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG ? WOOP...WOOOP....WOOOOP.
Alains is gonna be a flop I think.
I wish we could get another to tier restaurant in the sloop similar to A' Cappela's Italian.
I have plenty of knowledge, I'm just not an alcoholic like you and dont know where everybar is located
dec312, you lost credibility with your first post...just stop.
I dont drink either, but know where everything is from Printers Row to Motor Row.. peeps like Dec312 are the issue with the Sloop. We need to get out more and especially start to take your significant other out during the week (patronize our local restaurants / bars) even if you eat dinner at home, go out for dessert or a drink. Dec312 - I would be surprised if you have a Passport - please.. literally go away.
Dec312, take a step back, you were bragging about your knowledge of the south loop.. there really isn't a lot to know as the retail in sloop is still relatively "up and coming". I don't think knowing where 1 of the 3 or 4 sloop bars is located makes anyone an alcoholic.
SL population does not need many more 'bars', what we need are places like Hubbard Inn, Studio Paris, Maude's liquor bar, Telegraph, etc.. It is great to have Bars (Scout, Jimmy's, Weather Mark, Wabash Tap, Krolls, etc..), but we need places to take our significant others that have a bit more intimate (not high end $$) feel. Check those places out I mentioned above and you will notice we do not have one place like that when we in fact have that type of population more suited for that. The stretch on S. Michigan bw 13th - 14th has a great opportunity to be developed and the buildings in Motor Row.
Hubbard in is a "bar"
Studio Paris is a nightclub...a bustling nightclub. We don't need the lindsay Lohans of the world running around coked out of their mind trashing up our neighborhood.
You want to take you girl out, take her to Southcoast, Firehouse, Triad, Valencia, Acadia, Gioco, Zapatista. This is an established neighborhood with good people, families. Its not river North..
I would love a cozy wine bar! Not a retail focused wine shop like Winestyles but a cute, small space with tables/booths for couples plus enough room for a larger group to gather. Serving tapas/cheese etc would be awesome!
@ Anonymous January 11, 2012 12:56 PM
Agree, it’d be nice to get some spots like those. Would be cool to have the Sloop considered in the same breath, food-wise, with River North, Randolph st. corridor, Logan Square… although with our own spin scene-wise.
Have you checked out Acadia yet? I think I see the vibe you’re getting at with names like Hubbard Inn, Maude’s, Telegraph… Acadia’s not intimate in the same way those places are, but there’s a lot of potential for the SL to homegrow something there.
E.g., for me personally, when I hear Hubbard or Maude’s I think of the cocktails. Have dropped by Acadia’s bar and it’s definitely got the chops those places do and I think offering something unique for the Sloop. We chatted with the bartender Michael Simon, who heads things up on that side, and while the restaurant itself is high-end $$$, it sounds like the bar area can evolve into its own thing and he’s interested in cultivating the bar/lounge area into whatever the neighborhood dictates. The space is pretty elegant and I think Sloopers have an opportunity to build something there.
Steven - you have missed the point, but others seemed to state it a bit better than I could. Trust me, I am 100% supporting Acadia for the restaurant and Bar area, but it is still not quite like Hubbard Inn, Paris Club (RESTAURANT PART) and Telegraph. Yes, they are restaurants/bar, but all the places you mentioned are great and I support them as much as I can, but they still dont have that feel of that "wine/cheese" + "cocktails". I heard Acadia is adding some type of Cheese option in the bar area. Looking forward to that.
I think Alex from Waffles is also looking to do something more of a wine/cheese somewhere in SL as well. I just don't have the business savvy, but would be great for someone to open something like the Violet Hour in Wicker Park or the Bedford. This may sound crazy, but I think the SL has a romantic glow about it (glass high rises, well-kept homes, dimly-lit tree lined streets, mid-rise lofts, Prairie District, Printers Row, upscale 'looking' retail, soon to be filled Roosevelt Collection, Grant Park, Museums) and the demographic in the area that no other part of the city has (other than the sketchy's that may be waiting to catch a bus WEST in the early evening or the straglers here and there coming from Canal St), there is truly a great opportunity here.
I would love if there was a "Bedford" in the Sloop...
@ various anons
Acadia mentioned with GT Fish, Paris Club and other spots in Red Eye today for drinks:
http://articles.redeyechicago.com/2012-01-11/entertainment/30617324_1_tall-tables-bitters-bar-menu
Thought this might be of interest to folks given names like VH, Bedford, Maude's discussed here. To maybe help bridge the gap between Steven and Anonymous January 12, 2012 9:41 AM, I think Sloopers all agree we have some great spots, but it’s being kept like a secret. It would be nice to have Sloop food scene get more recognition Chicago-wide and maybe reach a tipping point like Logan Square did where the community gets in a positive feedback loop, generates additional business from outside the neighborhood, which generates more businesses. Also, Chipotle.
Chipotle sucks. Go to Pilsen for Mexican & support local businesses.
Hey,
I agree with the other poster who said we need more places like A' Capella's....great food, great owners, great spot...love it.
Can't tell if the last commmenter is trolling, but I am curious...has anyone on here been to A'Capella? Based on the shady two-year opening, sketchy look of the place, and terrible Yelp reviews, I've stayed away and hoped for it to go out of business.
For those who have been - how is it?
The resturant is a front for the mob.....seriously
The food taste like dog food
A'capella is the worst restaurant I have ever been to. Honestly. How does it survive???
What happened to Three Peas Art Lounge? Saw it being dimatled a week or so ago & it's been closed since. I liked that place.
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