It's been an interesting three months for Alain's (1355 S. Michigan), the high-end restaurant lead by chef Alain Njike and partially owned by Bears D-lineman Israel Indonje. After many months of build-outs and preparation, the restaurant finally opened on Friday, August 3rd. At the time we and others were excited about the plethora of new eating and drinking establishments at the intersection of 14th and Michigan.
On an ominous Monday in September (9/24), the infamous eviction signs showed up on the front door. Was it a misunderstanding with the landlord? Was it a short-term problem? Or was it a sign of bigger problems? There were clearly more questions then answers.
However Chicago Magazine posted that the restaurant would re-open on Monday, October 1st.
Well that didn't happen.
And now what appears to be the nail in the coffin..."for rent" signs on the window (see picture above).
It's unfortunate. We never like to see businesses fail in the neighborhood, but such is life.
So what can we take away from this? At least the space is now built out for a restaurant. Stay tuned...we imagine that we will be eating something there at some point soon.
