The sound of Viva Jalisco Mariachi serenaded patrons at Fat Rosie’s Taco & Tequila Bar in Lincolnwood for its official opening on Nov. 30. The restaurant, already abundant with traditional Mexican artistry, food and decorations, was filled with Lincolnwood officials and businesspeople, some of whom helped bring the restaurant in as District 1860’s first restaurant.
“It’s lively,” said the restaurant’s executive chef Saul Roman. “You feel like it’s a fiesta, and the food is delicious. It makes you feel like you are in Mexico,” he said.
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Roman said the restaurant’s fixed menu is mainly influenced by southern and central regions in Mexico, such as Yucatán and Oaxaca. He said there will also be weekly specials that will represent individual states, such as “arroz a la tumbada,” a Mexican spinoff of the traditional Spanish paella to represent Veracruz. To the west, he said a Sinaloan ceviche will also make its way to the menu.
The restaurant’s menu has a bit of an American twist, said Raul Aurreola, the founding concept chef for Fat Rosie’s. He said that while traditionally Mexican food is usually spicier, Fat Rosie’s food is a bit more flavorful for American palates.
According to its website, Fat Rosie’s has locations in Schaumburg, Naperville, Lincolnshire and Frankfort. Scott Harris Hospitality, which owns the restaurant, also runs other restaurants in Chicago and Southern California, including Francesca’s, Mio Modo and others.
District 1860, a multi-use development that has partially opened, lies within a tax increment financing zone, which the village enacted to entice development after the Purple Hotel was demolished in 2013, Mayor Jesal Patel told Pioneer Press. He said the TIF zone used to be bigger, but political will in 2017 shrunk the zone to encapsulate the building where District 1860 is now. Patel said he would have wanted the TIF zone to remain the size it was earlier because it brought in development. Areas just outside the TIF zone have had a tough time getting financing for construction, he said.
Patel said he is focusing on the “if you build it, they will come” approach to development in Lincolnwood. It doesn’t mean that the village will literally build it, he said, but will try to use TIF zoning and other methods to bring in more development.
According to Patel, Fat Rosie’s is the first restaurant to open in the District 1860 development, but it won’t be the last. Fatpour, a pizza, burger and craft beer joint, will join Fat Rosie’s, along with Davanti Enoteca, a wine bar and Italian restaurant also owned by Scott Harris Hospitality.
Residents started to move into the 299-unit apartment building in April, and a LensCrafters is already up and running at the location.