All the excitement of the World Series returning to Chicago on Saturday is a touch bittersweet for the recently opened Cuatro (2030 S. Wabash Ave.). Owner Matt Navarro figured he’d get a liquor license for his pan-Latin newbie just in time for the playoffs. Well, anyone in the restaurant business knows the punch line to that story. But if you’re looking for a nice BYOB restaurant that doesn’t permit smoking but does have a 150-inch big-screen TV, Cuatro is anxiously waiting for company. 312-842-8856.
Roger Greenfield and Ted Kasemir will unveil their latest creation, Extra Virgin (741 W. Randolph St.), on Monday. It’s located on the site of the Blue Point Oyster Bar, which closed a few weeks ago.
Extra Virgin sounds like something the prudent worshipper brings to a volcano ritual, but this concept is posited as an enoteca (Italian wine bar) with plenty of antipasti, small plates and bruschetta on the menu, along with flatbread pizzas and hearty pastas.
High-quality olive oils will be placed at each table, and the bar menu includes such specialty cocktails as the Randolph Street Virgin. (I can hear the bartender now: “Sorry, all out.”) 312-474-0700.
There are still some papers to sign, but it looks as though Cafe 36 (Calendar Court, La Grange), closed since late June, will reopen in early November. The new owners are Terry and Carol Gilmer, who are buying the restaurant from Reinhard Barthel Sr.; Terry Gilmer is a former sous chef who has managed several country-club restaurants in the area and in Charlotte, N.C.
“Most of the staff will be back,” says Gilmer about the Cafe’s former employees, which is good news for all concerned. Gilmer says he and his wife plan to keep the Cafe in its fine-dining French format. 708-354-5722.
“You see so many microbreweries; I thought, `Why not do the same thing with wines?'” says Tim McEnery, owner of two-week old Cooper’s Hawk (15690 S. Harlem Ave., Orland Park), a 300-seat restaurant and working winery with 5,000 square feet of winemaking space.
McEnery has been working with Lynfred Winery in Roselle to produce the first batch of vino under the Cooper’s Hawk label (“Enough to carry us to spring of next year,” McEnery says), and the first shipment of grapes (mostly Californian) are due at the Orland Park facility any day. The restaurant is upscale-casual American (steaks, seafood, pasta) and sells its wines by the glass or bottle, along with wine flights. And you can grab a bottle to go in the retail shop. 708-633-0200.
Saltaus (1350 W. Randolph St.), the long-awaited casual concept by Zealous chef/owner Michael Taus and partner Nader Salti, should open its doors Friday. Look for an appetizer-rich, global menu with a lot of Mediterranean and Asian juxtapositions. 312-455-1919.
The third annual Chicago Wine & Food Festival is this weekend; most events will take place during Sunday’s Grand Event, which runs from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday at Kendall College’s Chicago campus (900 N. North Branch St.). There will be cooking demonstrations, wine, cheese and beer tastings (at least 30 signature dishes available to taste, and some 300 wines) and other events, including the presentation of the 2005 Chicago Tribune Good Eating Awards. Tickets to the Grand Event are $80, available at 312-752-2092 or on the event’s Web site: www.cwff.net.
