Restaurant Named After Mark Twain Closes in Logan Square

Twain, the funky restaurant inspired by vintage Midwestern cooking from the 1950s, has closed in Logan Square. Named for the prolific author, husband-and-wife team Tim and Rebekah Graham opened Twain in August 2018. Restaurateur Branko Palikuca, who owns the building at 2445 N. Milwaukee Avenue, intends to open a new restaurant in the space, according to a spokesperson. Meanwhile, the Grahams will move on to other projects.

The spokesperson confirmed what a sign on the restaurant’s door announced. There’s no indication of what Palikuca may open in the space which was a former car mechanic’s shop. Palikuca co-owns the Dawson in River West with Billy Lawless, and is also founder of the Gemstone Café Group, a company that runs several suburban restaurants including Topaz Café in Burr Ridge, Amber Café in Westmont, and Citrine Café in Oak Park.

The decor celebrated Mark Twain’s writings, and chef Tim Graham’s food featured tastes of mid-century Americana with recipes from his childhood growing up in Central Missouri. Some of those recipes came from spiral-bound women’s club cookbooks. The Grahams are Chicago restaurant veterans. Rebekah Graham is the former beverage director for the Publican, while chef Tim Graham worked at Travelle and Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises. They should soon have news about their upcoming projects and stay tuned for details on what will replace Twain.

The Tribune first reported this story.