LM to Shutter in Lincoln Square; Owners Will Partner With Elate to Become LM Bistro in River North

In about four weeks, LM will close its Lincoln Square location and owners Stephan and Nicole Outrequin Quaisser will partner with Elate owner Anthony Fiore and turn that location at the Hotel Felix into LM Bistro.

Elate will continue to operate under its current concept for the next four weeks and cosmetic changes—new tables and chairs, a new bar top, new colors to match the LM concept (orange, brown, etc)—will take place while the restaurant is closed at night.

With the changeover to LM Bistro, which will be a casual and approachable French bistro concept not unlike the Outrequin Quaisser's new Ravenswood concept Troquet, there will be a change in the kitchen. Current Elate chef Michael Noll will leave on July 23 to move over to the Trenchermen, where he will be a sous chef. Brad Phillips, who is the executive chef and partner of the LM family of restaurants, will start working at Elate this Saturday, according to Fiore, who added he's excited about this new partnership.

"I had been searching for a proper manager for years. Stephane has a ton of hotel experience; it works out better that he's buying in and will be my partner now," Fiore said. "I'm really excited to be working with these guys. They're extremely knowledgeable and I think we're going to learn from each other."

Eater couldn't reach the Outrequin Quaissers to learn the fate of LM's Lincoln Square location; as far as its understood, that location will completely shutter, which will be a loss for that Northwest Side neighborhood.

UPDATE: Just moments after this story went live, Nicole Outrequin Quaisser contacted Eater. She said that LM will close after dinner on July 19, but that a Troquet pop-up will go into the space for the weekend to accommodate the Square Roots festival taking place July 20 to 22. After that, she said they haven't yet decided whether they'll put a new concept into the space or walk away altogether. "[Lincoln Square] has been fantastic, but this is a great opportunity for LM," she said" And our background with hotels, we feel this is a great thing for us. It'll be the second hotel for us. This is a little niche for us."

The Outrequin Quaissers recently opened Brasserie by LM in the Essex Hotel. The menu at LM Bistro, for breakfast and lunch, will be a combination of dishes from Troquet and Brasserie by LM to appeal to a broader audience. For dinner, however, chef Brad Phillips will do a similar menu as LM in Lincoln Square, but will expand on it. "We'll stay true to the concept," Outrequin Quaisser said.