Opening Report: Silli Kori Replaces Thai Village; Uncle Remus South; More

WICKER PARK—Now open, Silli Kori sits in the former home of Thai Village at 2053 W. Division and comes from the former owners' niece, who has overhauled the design, food and drinks. The re-design, which you can see here, modernizes the space and there is a distinct absence of kitschy Thai details. Expect more emphasis on craft beer and cocktails, as well as a late-night menu on the weekends. Thai Village's popular pad Thai remains. Status: Certified open, 2053 W. Division St.

BRONZEVILLE—Uncle Remus has brought it's West Side fried chicken to the South Side, opening their fourth location in the Chicago area this past Friday. Known for their distinctive hot sauce that customers slather on the fried chicken, Uncle Remus joins Honey 1 BBQ, another recent transplant to the Bronzeville area, in moving south. Status: Certified open, 737 E. 47th St.

LINCOLN SQUARE—Groundswell Café certainly seems to be living up to its name as the new coffee spot has already garnered rave reviews on Yelp and Facebook (all reviews from both sites have given it five-stars so far). The brainchild of Jason Foster, a former manager at multiple Starbucks locations, Groundswell Café features four coffees that are roasted in-house, pastries for breakfast and sandwiches at lunchtime. Status: Certified open, 4839 N. Damen Ave.

HOMEWOOD—Farm to table eating has come to Homewood in the form of La Voute Bistro & Bar from Claude Gendreau. His efforts to renovate the space took three years to complete, transforming a bank building into an 18-room boutique hotel that includes the French bistro. Gendreau has nabbed Chez Moi chef Dominique Tougne to design the menu, while Thomas Donnelly is in place to handle the day-to-day kitchen operations. Status: Certified open, 2034 Ridge Rd., Homewood, IL