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‘Bon Appétit’ Really Likes Logan Square and More Intel

Plus, The Malört Wall returns to Wrigleyville

Mi Tocaya Antojería gets some love from Bon Appétit.
Marc Much
Ashok Selvam is the editor of Eater Chicago and a native Chicagoan armed with more than two decades of award-winning journalism. Now covering the world of restaurants and food, his nut graphs are super nutty.

— Yes, it’s true: Bon Appétit has named Chicago its 2017 “Restaurant City of the Year.” There’s a heavy dose of Logan Square mentioned in the story with Giant, Fat Rice, Mi Tocaya Antojería, and Lula Cafe grabbing some pub. Chicago must have gotten really good in the last year, as the magazine omitted the city from its top 10 list of “Best New Restaurants” in 2016 — their 2017 top 10 is released next week. Elske, one of Eater National’s “Best New Restaurants of Year,” also gets some love for Anna Posey’s desserts, as does Young Gun winner David Park, the mastermind behind Hanbun in suburban Westmont.

— The more things change in Wrigleyville, thanks to the Ricketts family’s redevelopment plans around The Friendly Confines, the more they same the same. Stop at Nisei Lounge for a peek at its Malört Wall. A 100-bottle force where patrons can leave tasting notes on cocktail napkins. Jeppson’s Malört is the notorious bitter liquor that scares Chicago’s tourists and provides credibility for natives. Chicagoist asks how long will the wall last?

— Parker Restaurant Group — Hampton Social, Mahalo, and Bassment — has named a new corporate chef. Ivy Stark steps into the role. She worked at Dos Caminos in New York City. Stark will oversee the menus at those three locations as well the upcoming Hampton Socials in Streeterville and suburban Burr Ridge.

Ivy Stark
Courtesy Parker Restaurant Group

— A pair of Parachute alums have launched a pop-up series called “Hungry as F*ck.” Kelly Ijichi and Amy Lecza described their pop-ups as “as a way to put all the ridiculous food ideas we have out there and let people taste them.” Their next event is on Sunday, Aug. 13 at Kimski. It’s a Hawaiian-themed brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There’s no reservations or tickets. Check out their Instagram for updates. As far as ridiculous, check out their fried Spam musabi:

Katana is red hot in River North, and former Bulls star (he was traded earlier this year to Minnesota) Jimmy Butler really, really likes the Hollywood import. After attending the VIP opening party last week for the sceney Japanese restaurant, Butler — in a goodwill gesture — took a group of about 35 Bulls employees to dinner on Sunday night. The Tribune reported that it was to say good-bye and thank you to team’s support staff. The dinner reportedly lasted for three hours.

Mahalo

1501 North Milwaukee Avenue, , IL 60622 (708) 328-3091 Visit Website

Fat Rice

2957 West Diversey Avenue, , IL 60647 (773) 661-9170 Visit Website

Parachute

3500 North Elston Avenue, , IL 60618 (872) 204-7138 Visit Website

hanbun

665 Pasquinelli Drive, , IL 60559 (630) 948-3383 Visit Website

Kimski

954-960 West 31st Street, , IL 60608 (773) 823-7336

Elske

1350 West Randolph Street, , IL 60607 (312) 733-1314 Visit Website

Lula Cafe

2537 North Kedzie Boulevard, , IL 60647 (773) 489-9554 Visit Website

Giant

3209 West Armitage Avenue, , IL 60647 (773) 252-0997 Visit Website

Mi Tocaya Antojería

2800 West Logan Boulevard, , IL 60647 (872) 315-3947 Visit Website

Katana

339 North Dearborn Street, , IL 60654 (312) 877-5544 Visit Website

Nisei Lounge

3439 North Sheffield Avenue, , IL 60657 (773) 525-0557 Visit Website