Here’s your guide to what just opened, what’s coming soon and what’s no longer.
Destination: Sandwiched.
After meeting in the kitchen at Blue Frog’s Local 22 five years ago, Tony and Andi Roufos fell in love and eventually married. Now, thanks to their mutual love of sandwiches, the two are preparing for another new venture together: owning and operating Sandwiched, the new Lincoln Park restaurant they plan to open by next week.
“(Sandwiches are) our favorite,” Andi said. “We’re always just cooking them together, these little sandwiches all the time. We love it, and there are so many things you can do with sandwiches.”
Andi most recently spent time at Pastoral after her time at Blue Frog’s, but both she and Tony have remained in the kitchen professionally since they met. Their menu at Sandwiched will take a “classic approach” to well-known sandwiches. While they will offer original, signature sandwiches, they weren’t prepared to reveal those creations just yet.
“It’s pretty much classic sandwiches with a little twist,” Tony said, “but we will have some adventures of our own. … We’re trying to keep that a bit of a secret right now.”
The Roufouses said 90 percent of their products are locally sourced, including cheeses from Pastoral, and all of their meats and sauces are prepared in-house.
Sandwiched won’t serve alcohol, but a BYOB option will be available. The owners also plan to offer a children’s menu to cater to their Lincoln Park clientele. They love the neighborhood, they said, and want their shop to feel like home.
“It feels like we are home. It’s going to be a natural feel: some wood and some brick and fresh green paint,” Tony said. “The kitchen is open. It’s right in the dining room, so it’s like you’re coming into our home, just on the other side of the island.”
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1863 N. Clybourn Ave., no phone number yet, www.sandwichedchicago.com
For the Brunch bunch
For many River North residents, the most important meal of the day isn’t breakfast, lunch or dinner — it’s brunch. With the arrival of Hutch American Cafe to the neighborhood, brunchaholics will be able to get their favorite meal seven days a week.
Hutch American Cafe is a spinoff of Lakeview’s Hutch American Bistro. The cafe should open no later than Oct. 1, owner and chef Mark Wuenschel said, and its focus on brunch came after he witnessed the unrelenting attraction of the in-between meal at the bistro.
“We rolled out Saturday-Sunday brunch (at the bistro, and after a couple months, the brunches just took off on the weekends,” he said. “So a year ago, we introduced weekday brunch, and it took some time, but that also took off. … We had this location on Ohio street that we thought would be ideal for seven-day-a-week brunch.”
The menu retains staples from the bistro but also features some new offerings, such as a roasted fig-and-walnut parfait with coconut yogurt. Diners seeking a more typical midday meal will also find a selection of sandwiches and salads.
A wallet-friendly drink selection awaits them as well, with daily drink specials and weekday happy hours from the cafe’s full bar. Wuenschel said he wants the restaurant to feel comfortable, which is also reflected in the decor — modest touches like butcher’s block countertops and light colors to brighten the space — as well as the cafe’s “kids eat free” policy, effective during all hours for children 12-and-under who are accompanied by an adult.
“There was a hutch in every American home in the ’60s and ’70s when I grew up, and you had fun times there, because mom was making good food, dad was making great cocktails,” he said. “So I created Hutch to be that place, where you come into my home and can have fun, have a great time.”
Wuenschel said the cafe will be open by Oct. 1, if not sooner.
416 W. Ontario St., 312-300-4195, www.hutchchicago.com
Other openings:
Although White Sox season is winding down, the Ballpark Pub in Bridgeport just started its run last week. DNAInfo reported that the new sports bar comes from Richie Rogulich and Nicky Bertucci, lifelong friends who grew up in Armour Square close to the old Comiskey Park. Now, the two are making their own mark in Sox country, with plenty of Sox-centric bar decor to remind you where you are. The menu features smoked meats, with other bar-friendly options such as mac and cheese and shrimp tacos. Ballpark also has 16 beers on tap, plus an outdoor patio to sip in the sun.
514 W. Pershing Road, 312-735-3296, www.facebook.com/theballparkpub
Little Italy has a new Chinese restaurant from a former partner at the popular Phoenix Restaurant in Chinatown, according to DNAInfo. Eddie Cheung opened Jade Court last week after selling Phoenix in July 2015, and his new restaurant will offer traditional Chinese cuisine in a cozy setting. Jade Court does not serve alcohol, although the beverage menu does include Hong-Kong-style lemon tea and fresh fruit smoothies. Late-night (until 11:30 nightly) delivery and takeout options are also available.
626 S. Racine Ave., 312-929-4828, www.jadecourtchicago.com
Bangers and Lace opened its third location this week in Roscoe Village (the others are in Evanston and Wicker Park). The new spot will have similar offerings to its older siblings — 20 beer taps, housemade sausages, plenty of liquor and wine, down-to-earth vibes—but it will also offer some new features. Several new plates adorn the menu, including in-house breads via a new baking program. Most notably, weekend brunch is expected to launch in the coming weeks.
1851 W. Addison St., 773-697-8667, www.bangersandlacebar.com
In case you missed it:
Clarke’s, the well-known diner on Belmont Avenue that was replaced by Belmont Cafe, has retaken the space as if it never left, with the original menu, sign and 24-hour schedule. DNAInfo first reported the return.
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New-York-born restaurant Little Beet Table will open its first location outside of NYC in the Gold Coast this month. The restaurant specializes in lighter, greener, healthier fare, but also offers small plates to suit all tastes.
Two more poke stops are coming from FireFin Poke Shop, one in the Loop and one in the food court at Ogilvie Station. This Hawaiian dish of chopped raw seafood has drawn long lines at existing locations.
No longer confined to just the lobby of Soho House, The Allis has expanded to include a more formal upstairs dining space, as well as revamping breakfast, brunch and several items on its daylong menu.
Roti Modern Mediterranean, headquartered in Chicago, adds a twelfth location to the city, this time in Hyde Park.
Fifteen-year-old Printers Row staple Hackney’s will be closing temporarily to implement a “new concept,” per a post on its Facebook page.