Only Downtown Wendy’s Shutters, Billy Goat Burgers Coming to Grocery Stores, More Intel

—Downtown Chicago is experiencing a frosty shortage. That’s because the Wendy’s at 6 S. Clark St. — the only location of the fast-food burger chain in the entire downtown area — unexpectedly shuttered for good, DNAinfo reports. The longtime location was a slightly dingy relic that was popular with the office-worker crowd and other people in the area during lunchtime. The closest Wendy’s now is at 1623 W. Division St. in Wicker Park/Ukrainian Village.

—Soon Chicagoland eaters will be able to buy Billy Goat Tavern burgers and cook them at home. The Tribune reports that the burgers, from the iconic restaurant that was immortalized in “Saturday Night Live” in the 1970s and that cursed the Cubs in 1945, will be available at the majority of local Jewel-Osco stores later this month. Look for single burgers and a third-pound option dubbed “The Curse Breaker.” This development is part of a growing trend of local restaurant legends making their food available in grocery freezers, including Rick Bayless and Kosher Gino’s East pizzas.

—Rosé 40s are trending harder. Following Wednesday’s report that Maple & Ash is the first to serve the popular 40-ounce bottles of pink wine in Chicago, three Lettuce Entertain You restaurants will put them on their menus, according to a rep: Oyster Bah, Summer House Santa Monica, and Hub 51.

—Noted actor and “Saturday Night Live” Donald Trump impressionist Alec Baldwin was in town earlier this week...and ate at Coco Pazzo at 300 W. Hubbard St. in River North. Baldwin was with “with friends from Chicago's art community,” a rep says, and ate chicken paletto al mattone.

—A writer for Chicago magazine dug deeper into the story behind John and Karen Urie Shields, specifically how they turned down a major gig with Charlie Trotter in order to open a restaurant in rural Virginia before finding their way back to Chicago to open Michelin-starred Smyth and The Loyalist. A noteworthy quote from John Shields about Trotter and other influences: “That Japanese minimalism was part of (Trotter’s) trademark, and that’s sort of like what we’re doing now. Having that Grant Achatz creativity mixed in, so it’s a little more than just a great product. It’s farm-to-table, but making it a little more elegant, a little more thought-provoking.”

—And finally, because it’s Friday and you deserve a chuckle: Edzo’s Burger Shop chimed in on the viral story of a ticket-holding passenger violently dragged off a United Airlines flight to make room for a United employee. Check it out below.