Brooklyn Bowl, Blue Ribbon Coming to Chicago?

With all the talk of new business on Taylor Street this week, everyone has overlooked a potentially massive project on Chicago Avenue: Brooklyn Bowl may open a Chicago Bowl with a restaurant overseen by New York's award-winning Blue Ribbon Restaurants.

The project, once completed, will have a bowling alley, restaurant and state-of-the-art performance space, just like the one in Brooklyn that is owned and run by Relix publisher Peter Shapiro, who owned New York's now-shuttered music venue The Wetlands.

Having a powerhouse restaurant group like Blue Ribbon come to Chicago is only a good thing. Chicago Bowl will have high-quality food at a low price point; everything will be less than $20. The menu may comprise comfort food like fried catfish, "really" sloppy joe, oyster po' boy, french bread pizzas, fried calamari, roasted adobo corn, potato and onion knish, half-rack pork ribs and, of course, their famous fried chicken.

Chicago-based architects Archideas will oversee the rehab of the 23,000 square-foot, 80-year-old auto parts warehouse at 1850 W. Chicago, and will attempt to get LEED certification. It'll have on-site parking and be open seven days a week, with 21-and-over door policy after 6 p.m. when the venue goes kid-free. Chicago Bowl will likely be one of the hottest new music venues in the city as well. Artists like Talib Kweli, Neon Indian, ?uestlove, DJ Shadow and Tricky are slated to perform at Brooklyn Bowl in the coming weeks and we can imagine Chicago Bowl will have a similar vibe.

A vote for a live-performance license is slated to go before the East Village Association on Nov. 1 and, according to the website, the "board will recommend not opposing a Public Place of Amusement license." Get on your bowling shoes, kids. Looks like there's a new game coming to town.
· Chicago Bowl Frames Development Plan [EVA]