The First of Many KISS Restaurants is Coming to Chicagoland Next Year

— Oak Lawn is getting the first Chicagoland location of KISS bandmates Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley’s restaurant and bar. Rock & Brews, the rock-themed spot that serves craft beer and American bar food, is slated to open in spring 2019 inside Stony Creek Promenade at 111th Street and Cicero Avenue in the southwest suburb, Patch reports. Simmons and Stanley announced their intention to open as many as 20 restaurants in the area back in July 2017. More than 20 of them are open in North America so far.

— Baker Miller owners Dave and Megan Miller have bought Edgewater neighborhood cafe Kitchen Sink, Dave Miller confirms, and they will turn it into another Baker Miller location while keeping Kitchen Sink’s price point and its most popular dishes on the menu. It already serves Baker Miller’s baked goods and coffee now, while upgrades to the sandwich menus, Baker Miller’s brunch menu, and a name change to Baker Miller are coming soon. “It was one of our favorite neighborhood cafes and we got word that the ownership was looking for an exit so we purchased it last week,” Miller writes. “We’ve been eyeing an Andersonville/Edgewater locale, so this was the perfect opportunity for us to serve both neighborhoods.”

— There’s finally some hope for Chicago’s food trucks who feel stifled by the city’s laws. The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear the long-running case brought by the Cupcakes for Courage truck and the Institute for Justice, according to a news release, a lawsuit which first started in 2012 and takes aim at the 200-foot rule and GPS tracking devices the city forces trucks to use. There’s no date yet for the hearing. The Tribune has more on the city’s defense of the rules.

— Here are four new brunches to try this weekend: Formento’s, Prime & Provisions, Artango, and Sapori Antichi Bar Italiano. The menu for the last one is below.

— Income Tax, the chef-driven wine bar and restaurant in Edgewater, has announced a new chef. Ellison Park, who has experience at Parachute and Lula Cafe, has taken over the kitchen and will release a new menu in early July, the Tribune reports. Park replaces opening chef Ryan Henderson who left to work towards opening his own restaurant.

— And finally, upscale dining publication Robb Report named Boka and Jimmy Papadopoulos’ Bellemore the best new restaurant in America.