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Ann Sather’s Owner Alderman Tom Tunney Won’t Run for Reelection

Plus, Gov. J.B. Pritzker celebrates 80 years of Manny’s Deli

Two smiling men, one holding a giant pastrami sandwich.
Manny’s owner Dan Rankin (left) hands a sandwich to Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

After almost two decades, Ald. Tom Tunney (44th Ward) — known to many as Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s influential vice mayor and owner of 77-year-old Swedish-style breakfast spot Ann Sather in Lakeview — will not run for reelection and instead retire at the end of his term in May 2023.

Tunney has wielded significant powers throughout his tenure under three Chicago mayors, serving as chairman of the City Council’s powerful Zoning Committee and championing LGBTQ institutions as the city’s first openly gay alderman. He also in early August teased a possible mayoral run, obliquely telling the Sun-Times, “... I am seriously considering running, and I’m also seriously considering not running.”

A former chair of the Illinois Restaurant Association, Tunney’s legacy in Chicago’s hospitality industry is controversial. While he was known for understanding the challenges facing restaurant owners in greater depth than many of his colleagues, Tunney and Anne Sather came under fire in December 2020 when a blogger posted photos showing patrons eating inside the restaurant in the midst of a statewide indoor dining shutdown due to COVID-19. Numerous restaurant owners who went to great lengths to abide by pandemic mandates were frustrated by the policy maker’s blatant violation. Tunney apologized and paid a $2,000 fine.

He also shaped the city’s notoriously stringent rules for food trucks — some of the most conservative in the nation. These regulations have stymied potential growth for Chicago’s food truck scene, which in cities like LA and New York has risen to the same level of popularity as permanent restaurants. Tunney’s announcement has already sparked a reaction among those who recall the fight over these rules. These include John Carruthers, communications manager for Revolution Brewing and founder of Crust Fund Pizza, who on Tuesday tweeted, “Can we please finally de-stupid the food truck laws now that Tunney’s not going to be on the council?

Gov. J.B. Pritzker celebrates at Manny’s

Manny’s Deli celebrated its 80th birthday with a party on Tuesday, August 30 and Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a proud Jew, visited Chicago’s oldest Jewish deli. The South Side icon also unveiled a new version of its pastrami sandwich called the 80. It differs from the traditional pastrami by using smoked brisket. Despite using the same cure, owner Dan Raskin says the sandwiches have different flavors; the original is made from beef navel, and cooked in an oven.

A round birthday cake.
Manny’s opened in 1942.
Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago
A pastrami sandwich on rye and latke.
Manny’s new pastrami is smoked using the same cure, opposed to baked like the original.
Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

35 restaurants rally for a fundraiser

Chicago non-profit Kitchen Possible has rallied 35 restaurants to hold a monthlong fundraiser starting on Thursday, September 1. Each restaurant will serve an item with proceeds going to the group which teaches children cooking skills to help develop confidence and a self of control which can translate to everyday life. Kitchen Possible began in 2017 and serves kids in Pilsen, Engelwood, and East Garfield Park, according to a news release. See the full list of restaurants below.

  1. All Together Now - Fried Goat Cheese Curds
  2. Avli - Saganaki
  3. Bang Bang Pie - Key Lime Pie
  4. Bar Goa - Lamb Keema
  5. Batter and Berries - Butter Cookie French Toast
  6. Big Jones - Fried Green Tomatoes
  7. Birrieria Zaragoza - Quesabirria
  8. Boeufhaus - Shortrib Beignet
  9. Boka - Beef Tartare
  10. Chef’s Special - Whiskey Bird
  11. Coalfire - Margherita and “classic” pizza
  12. Daisies - Overpriced Tomato
  13. Dear Margaret - Duck Liver Mousse
  14. Dos Urban Cantina - Chicken Enchiladas with Guajillo Sauce
  15. The Duck Inn - Duck Wings
  16. Esmé - *Entire tasting menu
  17. Gaijin - Shiro Kuma
  18. Galit - Gazoz (spirit-free seltzer)
  19. Giant - Tagliatelle
  20. HaiSous - Bò Nướng Tỏi
  21. Honey Butter Fried Chicken - Classic Honey Butter Fried Chicken Sandwich
  22. Luella’s Southern Kitchen - Chicken Gumbo
  23. Lula Cafe - Spaghetti with salsa rosa, pancetta and queso fresco
  24. Mi Tocaya Antojería - Steak Burrito
  25. Monteverde - TBD
  26. Pan Artesenal - Cookie Monster
  27. Parachute - Haemul Pajun
  28. Peanut Park Trattoria - Polpette
  29. Rooh - Lamb Shank
  30. Scofflaw - Steak Fries
  31. Segnatore - Freestyle “Lasagna”
  32. Soul & Smoke - Pulled Pork Sandwich
  33. Superkhana - Butter Chicken Calzone
  34. Steingolds - Uncle Steven Sandwich (pastrami-turkey club with house pimento cheese)
  35. Tempesta Market - #1 Dante

Big Jones

5347 North Clark Street, , IL 60640 (773) 275-5725 Visit Website

Manny's Coffee Shop & Deli

1141 South Jefferson Street, , IL 60607 (312) 939-2855 Visit Website

Parachute

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

Honey Butter Fried Chicken

3361 North Elston Avenue, , IL 60618 (773) 478-4000 Visit Website

Boeufhaus

1012 North Western Avenue, , IL 60622 (773) 661-2116 Visit Website

Dos Urban Cantina

2829 West Armitage Avenue, , IL 60647 (773) 661-6452 Visit Website

Mi Tocaya Antojería

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

ROOH

736 West Randolph Street, , IL 60661 (312) 267-2323 Visit Website

Galit

2429 North Lincoln Avenue, , IL 60614 (773) 360-8755 Visit Website

Soul & Smoke

1601 Payne Street, , IL 60201 (847) 859-2732 Visit Website

Boka

1729 North Halsted Street, , IL 60614 (312) 337-6070 Visit Website

Scofflaw

3201 West Armitage Avenue, , IL 60647 (773) 252-9700 Visit Website

Monteverde

1020 West Madison Street, Chicago, IL 60607 (312) 888-3041

Coalfire

3707 North Southport Avenue, , IL 60613 (773) 477-2625 Visit Website

Tempesta Market

1372 West Grand Avenue, , IL 60642 (312) 929-2551 Visit Website

Esmé

2200 North Clark Street, , IL 60614 Visit Website

Segnatore

1001 North California Avenue, , IL 60622 (773) 697-9687 Visit Website

Peanut Park Trattoria

1359 West Taylor Street, , IL 60607 (312) 929-4188 Visit Website

Daisies

2375 North Milwaukee Avenue, , IL 60647 (773) 697-9443 Visit Website

Dear Margaret

2965 North Lincoln Avenue, , IL 60657 (773) 360-8213 Visit Website

Lula Cafe

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

Ann Sather

909 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60657 (773) 348-2378 Visit Website

HaiSous

1800 S. Carpenter St., Chicago, IL Visit Website

All Together Now

2119 West Chicago Avenue, , IL 60622 (773) 661-1599 Visit Website

The Duck Inn

2701 South Eleanor Street, , IL 60608 (312) 724-8811 Visit Website

Birrieria Zaragoza

4852 South Pulaski Road, , IL 60632 (773) 523-3700 Visit Website

Giant

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

Gaijin

950 West Lake Street, , IL 60607 (312) 265-1348 Visit Website

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