The Savoy, a Seafood & Absinthe Joint, Opening in July

Last year, the short-lived La Fonda del Gusto quietly and sadly closed its doors. But now, a new team has been working on that space and is looking to open in July. The Savoy, a seafood-focused restaurant with a varying beverage program with a spotlight on absinthe, will add a new element to the Wicker Park scene.

The Savoy, from owner Ricky Moore and exec chef Brian Greene (Abigail's and M Restaurant in Highland Park, The Purple Pig), will have a raw bar featuring East and West Coast oysters, clams, various ceviche and more. Greene, whose Midwestern menu will show influences of Asian, French and Spanish cuisines, will also have a variety of fish, crab, crayfish and other types of seafood on the menu.

In addition to the seafood offerings, the menu will have a number of salads like a summer vegetable dish and one featuring hearts of palm with avocado, grape tomato, corn, black radish and more. Meats aren't forgotten here as dishes like a bone-in rib eye and a surf 'n' turf with Black Earth Farms pork belly confit and seared scallops will also be on order.

The space will be broken up into four sections: the raw bar, the main dining room, a bar and then a private back painted-brick lounge that can seat up to 26. While the cocktail list will be divided up into Vintage and Modern and the bar will feature one tap line pouring Penitence, a rye stout collab between the Savoy and Greenbush Brewing (don't worry, there will be other beers in bottle), a big focus at the restaurant is its absinthe program.

Serving absinthe in the traditional French/Swiss style in individual hand-blown glassware, the Savoy will have absinthe mainly from Europe and the U.S. including Kubler, Pernod, Tennyson, St. George, North Shore and others.

The Savoy, which will start with dinner and a late-night menu and eventually add in lunch shortly after opening, will have a bohemian vibe, with vintage pieces, raw materials like metal and wood and a nautical antiquity theme. Watch for the restaurant to open the week of July 13.
· La Fonda del Gusto Closes After Two Years, Future Uncertain [~EChi~]
· The Savory, a Seafood Restaurant, Opening in Wicker Park in July [TOC]

[Photo: Chef Brian Greene]