CHICAGO NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS: Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Bucktown and Wicker Park, Edgewater, Logan Square, Portage Park
Lakeview: Big things are coming to the Lakeview neighborhood in 2018! The first food hall north of the Magnificent Mile will open next year at the corner of Broadway and Sheridan. Lakeview Market will house both bars and food vendors and will be open daily from 10:30 am to 10 pm. Some vendors will be open until midnight on weekends. Furious Spoon Ramen Shop, FireFin Poké Shop, and Budlong Hot Chicken will be among the restaurants featured. Managing partner Anshul Mangal says, “Food halls are ideal for incubating up-and-coming concepts and chefs, as well as established restaurateurs. Less cost, less risk, and plenty of opportunity.” Keep your eye out for more details about this exciting project!
Lincoln Park: With the arrival of warm weather comes the return of farmer’s markets! Green City Market is back in the Lincoln Park neighborhood two times a week. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, the market is open from 7 am to 1 pm at 1817 N. Clark St. Executive Director Melissa Flynn says Green City Market sets itself apart with vendors that are “either certified naturally grown, certified organic, or they work with animals with no antibiotics, no hormones.” There is a yoga class each market day from 7:30 to 8:15 am, weather permitting. The market also boasts the Chef Demo program (10:30 am each day) where chefs offer tips on cooking foods in-season. You can look forward to the annual Chef BBQ on July 20, featuring 100 chefs and 25 drink companies. Purchase tickets in advance here.
Bucktown and Wicker Park: Wicker Park’s weekly Farmer’s Market returns on June 4. The market will be open Sundays from 8 am to 2 pm from June 4 to October 29 at 1425 N. Damen Ave. To keep up with market related news, sign up for the weekly Friday newsletter! You can find more information on the market’s Facebook page. There are 20 confirmed vendors so far, including Wicker Park favorite Dove’s Luncheonette. They’ll be offering seasonally rotating ice cream bars and agua fresca. I’m also looking forward to Stamper Cheese and Broad Shoulders BBQ. The market will also be offering free outdoor music and theatre events; check out the lineup here.
Edgewater: Do you find yourself craving mac and cheese at odd hours of the day? You’re in luck! Midnight Mac and Cheeserie opens this Friday at 4 pm in Rogers Park. Located at 6979 N. Sheridan Road, the cheeserie will serve mac and cheese by the pound for pick-up and delivery only. GrubHub, Postmates, UberEats, and Door Dash are the delivery companies. Meals start at $6.75 for one pound and $8.25 for two pounds. Each meal starts with a base of elbow noodles and sauce. Customers can then customize their mac and cheese with eight types of cheese, 10 veggies, and 11 proteins. Customers can submit their own mac and cheese creations via social media each month. The winner will have their noodles featured at the restaurant and will earn a free month of mac and cheese.
Logan Square: Pop-up shops are becoming increasingly popular in the food world. Never been to one? You can try the new sub shop inside Crown Liquors (2821 N. Milwaukee Ave.) Crown Liquors has a taproom and customers frequently bring in outside food from local eateries. Owner of the new pop-up, Vidalia Subs, Georg Simos wanted to give customers another option. The shop is open from noon to 10 pm Sundays through Thursdays and 11 am to 11 pm Fridays and Saturdays. The menu features mouthwatering items such as Bacon Mustard Potato Salad, Greek Pasta Salad, and a Smoked Chicken Salad sub. The shop is booming so far and Simos hopes to make it a permanent outpost if business continues to thrive.
Portage Park: Two new Starbucks outposts (each including a drive-through) are under consideration for construction in Portage Park. They are each expected to be approved this upcoming Friday. The first would be located at 4151 N Cicero Ave., at the edge of the Six Corners Shopping District. The second is proposed for the intersection of Irving Park Road and Central Ave. The project was set for approval last month, but was delayed to allow time for city transportation officials to examine the potential impact on traffic.
RACHEL HOOVLER & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO
