It’s something Madonna’s known for years and Britney just figured out: In a competitive industry, reinvention is the key to survival. Lately, a few local restaurants have caught the makeover bug. In just the last month, three new spots have sprung up almost overnight in the spaces where owners previously operated a different restaurant. Many of the changes reflect a return to familiar, American flavors and, perhaps more important in a faltering economy, lower prices. Look a little closer, though, and you’ll find that some old habits are hard to break.
Republic Pan-Asian/Farmerie 58
58 E. Ontario St. 312-440-1818
Old concept: Sushi and pan-Asian plates in a slick River North lounge setting
New concept: Farm-centric contemporary American fare with a focus on local, sustainable ingredients
Days in transition: Eight
Old chefs: Owners Jeff Zhang and Sandy Yu, who are also behind Rise (3401 N. Southport Ave.) and Shine Morida (901-03 W. Armitage Ave.)
New chef: William Alexander, a former Kendall College instructor who’s logged time at big-name New Orleans spots like Commander’s Palace and Emeril’s
Notable menu holdovers: The tartare part of Farmerie 58’s tuna carpaccio and tartare, done in the same light sesame sauce; a variety of maki
Notable decor holdover: Pretty much everything
Most confounding holdover: Upstairs raw bar (a.k.a. Republic’s sushi bar). We’re told it’s expanding this week to become more of a true raw bar. Either way, we can’t reconcile a raw bar with the locally sourced philosophy.
Shochu/Deleece Grill Pub
3313 N. Clark St. 773-348-3313
Old concept: Trendy Asian-influenced small plates and a cocktail list trumpeting shochu, a clear Japanese spirit distilled from rice, barley or sweet potatoes
New concept: Affordable, down-to-earth American fare with an emphasis on meats and hearty comfort food
Days in transition: Two
Old chef: Josh Hansen (also a partner, as well as executive chef at Deleece)
New chef: Josh Hansen
Notable menu holdovers: Korean chicken wings (formerly sambal-brown sugar chicken wings), miso-lychee cole slaw, calamari
Notable decor holdover: Photo of Shigechiyo Izumi, a Japanese man who lived to be 120 and reportedly drank shochu daily for the last 50 years of his life
Most confounding holdover: Lone link on the Web site (still accessible via shochuchicago.com or deleecegrillpub.com) proclaims “Healthy alternative to liquor” and takes you to a page extolling the virtues of shochu.
Erba/Chelsea Grill
4520 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-989-4200
Old concept: “Urban Italian,” a casual trattoria featuring a concise menu of Mediterranean antipasti, pasta and entrees
New concept: Reasonably priced comfort food (think burgers, short rib pot roast, lasagna, and macaroni and cheese) complemented by an (almost) all-American lineup of wines and craft brews
Days in transition: About five weeks
Old chef: Alan Pirhofer
New chef: Owner Robert Butterfield
Notable menu holdover: None really, though both menus (along with just about every other restaurant in town) tout a version of the ubiquitous beet salad.
Notable decor holdover: Killer back patio, complete with herb garden
Most confounding holdover: None we could discern. Chelsea Grill is definitely the most complete transformation of the bunch. ———-
M. Kathleen Pratt is the Metromix dining producer.
kpratt@tribune.com
