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Barbecue star Charlie McKenna has a new restaurant coming—in a space with plenty of history. The lauded Lillie's Q chef/owner/pitmaster is taking over the former Takashi space in Bucktown and is beginning to work on the new spot. McKenna is keeping the concept close to the vest for now, only revealing the name—Dixie—and that he's planning to open sometime in 2016. Stay tuned for more on what promises to be a highly-anticipated opening.
Takashi, a former Michelin-starred restaurant in a beautiful freestanding building on Damen Avenue, shuttered in January and languished on the real estate market until McKenna snatched it up and filed building permits earlier this month. Before Takashi Yagihashi took over in 2007, the space housed Stephanie Izard's first restaurant, Scylla.
In addition to the flagship Lillie's Q on North Avenue with the attached fried chicken spot, McKenna has locations in the Chicago French Market, Florida, California, and now the United Center. Lillie's Q has garnered countless awards and accolades, including being named the best new barbecue in the country by Food & Wine in 2011. More to come.
