Taco Bell’s Coming to Pilsen & People Are Pissed, Quiote Kicks Off Brunch, More Intel

—What happens when America’s largest vaguely-Tex-Mex fast-food chain picks Chicago’s premiere Mexican area for a new restaurant? Neighborhood residents and business owners get pissed, naturally. That’s exactly what’s happening in Pilsen and Little Village when word broke that Taco Bell is planning to open a restaurant at 2400-2412 S. Western Ave., DNAinfo reports. One resident tells the publication that “it's an insult to the authentic Mexican restaurants in this neighborhood," epitomizing the feeling of people interviewed for the story. Will people actually eat at that Taco Bell instead of the many glorious mom-and-pop taquerias in the area?

—In happier Mexican restaurant news, Quiote, the new-ish Logan Square hotspot, kicks of brunch service on Sunday. The intriguing new menus include a brunch twist on its popular avocado salad — an avocado salad toast — plus the Mexico City chicken sandwich, chilaquiles with carne adobada, cocktails such as a mezcal-clarified milk punch with chocolate, Chartreuse, pineapple, lime and sal de chapulin; and three micheladas. Check out the menus below.

—A Wisconsin favorite sandwich chain is coming to Chicago. Cousins Subs, which is based in Menomonee Falls, has signed three new franchise groups, one of which plans to open 10 shops in Chicagoland in the next four years, Milwaukee Business News reports. Exact locations and when the first will open haven’t yet been revealed. The chain currently has 98 shops in Wisconsin, two in Arizona, and hopes to open more in Wisconsin, Chicagoland, and throughout the Midwest.

—Sad news from Las Vegas by way of Chicago: Yusho will shutter on the strip on June 5, Eater Las Vegas reports. Matthias Merges’ sin city spinoff of his beloved Chicago izakaya spot will close to make way for a “transformation” of the Park MGM hotel and casino — which includes a forthcoming Vegas location of NYC hotspot NoMad — of which Yusho is currently situated on the ground floor facing the strip. The spinoff opened in April 2014.

—And finally, set your DVRs for NBC tonight at 7 p.m. if you want to catch longtime local restaurant stalwart MK’s starring appearance in the series “First Dates.” The episode, which was filmed way back in July 2015, uses Michael Kornick’s flagship restaurant as the setting for first dates, naturally. Producer John Hesling tells the Sun-Times that the show picked Chicago because it “is very representative of America...it has its own identity, but it’s not an aggressive identity in the way some other cities can be,” and picked MK specifically because “we saw that MK consistently made various lists of the most romantic restaurants in Chicago.” The restaurant will take the opportunity to serve a "take a chance on a first date" tasting menu in conjunction with the episode tonight through the end of the season, the Tribune reports, which is four courses for $49.