03/26/08

All Over the Map

What, Nothing from Bangladesh?

Miss Asia (434 W Diversey Pkwy.; 773-248-3999), a 70-seat BYO in the remodeled Thai Me Up space, has opened, and it may cover more square miles than any Asian restaurant in Chicago. “The main thing is the Thai cuisine,” says Charoen Amornpheerakul, the co-owner. “But we have Cambodian dishes. Indian dishes, Chinese. Mongolian, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Malaysian, Nepalese. Also Singapore.” Most of Amornpheerakul’s kitchen staff are Thai, but he brought in chefs that specialized in many of the above countries’ foods to train his...

Posted at 05:13 PM in Dish | Permalink | Comments (1)

03/19/08

This Column is Made of Chocolate

These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things

As if the name weren’t a giveaway, Chocolate Grape (chocolate-grape.com) (2113 W. Division St.; 773-772-3990), slotted to open in early April, specializes in pairing wines and chocolates together. “The concept came from my family,” says Rehanna Grady, a partner in the 65-seat café. “My brother, in earning his master’s from DePaul, had to create a business plan and a pro forma to show that the business would be profitable.” The plan was for a wine and chocolate café, and the family thought it was such a...

Posted at 05:50 PM in Dish | Permalink | Comments (4)

03/12/08

In Giuseppe's Shoes

Next Gig

Giuseppe Scurato (formerly of Boka and MK), who recently parted ways with Fox & Obel, has joined forces with Branco Palikuca (owner of Amber Cafe, 13 N. Cass Ave., Westmont; 630-515-8080) to open Topaz (780 Village Center Driveway, Burr Ridge; 630-654-1616), a 150-seat contemporary American place in a new shopping center. “It should be ready to open by the beginning of April,” says Scurato, whose plans to open his own place are still on hold. “Most of our ingredients will be organic. We’re not going to ...

Posted at 04:21 PM in Dish | Permalink | Comments (0)

03/05/08

Dream a Little Dream

6 Questions for chef Tony Priolo, 37

Priolo, 37, is leaving Coco Pazzo on March 29th to open Piccolo Sogno (“little dream”), a casual, 80-seat Italian restaurant in the former Thyme/Timo space (464 N. Halsted St.)

D: You’ve been at Coco Pazzo a long time. Why the change?
TP: It’s been 11 years. I love this place but it’s time for me to give it a try on my own. I owe it to them to make sure this place is still going to be the same, so I’m training Chris [Macchia] from [Coco Pazzo] Café. He’s one of my best friends.

D: Where are you from originally?
TP: Grew up on Northwest Side by Harlem Avenue. Went to CHIC...

Posted at 05:33 PM in Dish | Permalink | Comments (6)