Our weekly update on Chicago’s newest restaurants:
Estereo
Estereo, a coffee and cocktail cafe opening next week in Logan Square, may seem more like a place you’d find in Bogota or Lima than Chicago. In those cities, “bar cafes” that sell both alcohol and coffee are the norm, said Estereo general manager Michael Rubel and bar manager Ben Fasman.
“It’s just where the neighborhood goes to hang out — and that can start with some morning coffee drinking and lead into a beer later on,” Rubel said. “Or a cocktail or a shot of mezcal.”
Estereo, which will open daily at 11 a.m. and be open as late as 3 a.m. on weekends, is the latest project from Heisler Hospitality (also behind Queen Mary, Sportsman’s Club and more). It was inspired by Latin American travels taken by Rubel, Fasman, partner/designer Kevin Heisner and managing partner Jeff Donahue.
The spot should be open by the end of the week, pending final liquor license approval.
Expect a few pastries, but the menu is driven by drinks. The cocktail menu features — as one might guess — Latin American spirits such as pisco, cachaca, agricole, mezcal, tequila and rum. The signature cocktail is the Breezy, a highball made with a spirit of the drinker’s choice, yerba mate, falernum, soda and lime.
Heisner, the designer of the property, installed custom garage doors that allow for natural light to pass through the cafe. Meanwhile, Fasman and Rubel plan to play Latin-American music from a large collection of vinyl records featuring Peruvian garage bands and more.
“It has as close to a tropical vibe as you can get in the city of Chicago,” Rubel said. 2450 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-360-8363, www.estereochicago.com
Trattoria Siciliana
A new Sicilian-inspired pop-up in Eataly will be open for lunch and dinner July 8-17 (weekends only). Located on the second floor of the Italian market, Trattoria Siciliana will showcase flavors from the Italian island, but Executive Chef Rob Wing is also going to go outside the “rigid” definitions of what’s Italian with flavors like Aleppo pepper, warm olives or grilled lemons, he said. The menu will be seafood-heavy, he added.
The announcement is the Italian marketplace’s second new venture in the wake of Baffo’s closure. 43 E. Ohio St., 312-521-8700, www.eataly.com
Other openings:
Burger chain Shake Shack will open its fourth Chicago location at 185 N. Morgan St. in the Fulton Market district sometime in 2017, reported Crain’s Chicago Business.
The new Angry Crab location in Wicker Park, originally slated for a May opening, according to Tribune reports, is finally opening its doors Saturday at 1308 N. Milwaukee Ave., reports DNAinfo. The new location will be BYOB, like the original.
More Top Picks Amazon Basics Vacuum Sealer
Antique Taco has turned an old gas station in Bridgeport into a taqueria. The new location at 1000 W. 35th St., near U.S Cellular Field, opened July 6, reports DNAinfo.
Rooftop bar Aire is now open Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Until 2 p.m, guests can enjoy liquid brunch: bottomless mimosas to pair with a menu of sweet and savory dishes. 100 W. Monroe St., 312- 236-1234.
In case you missed it:
Pleasant House Bakery is gone but, thankfully, not dead: The owners have opened Pleasant House Pub in Pilsen.
Brooklyn pizzeria Paulie Gee’s opened a Logan Square outpost Thursday.
We now know nearly every restaurant that has signed a lease with Revival Food Hall, the 24,000-square-foot food court coming to the Loop.
L’Patron, the popular Logan Square, has opened a second location. To celebrate the occasion, the eatery is offering 99-cent tacos Saturday.
After 25 years on Randolph Street, Italian restaurant Vivo closed Sunday.
Need weekend plans? Imperial Lamian now offers a dim sum brunch.
.galleries:after {
content: ”;
display: block;
background-color: #144A7C;
margin: 16px auto 0;
height: 5px;
width: 100px;
}
.galleries:before {
content: “Food & Dining Photos and Video”;
display: block;
font: 700 23px/25px Georgia,serif;
text-align: center;
color: #1e1e1e;
var playlist = ‘chi_dining’,
layout = ‘autoblurb5plus1’,
iu = ‘%2F4011%2Ftrb.chicagotribune%2Fent%2Fdining’;