La Strada serves last meal on NYE; two for Chinatown

Writes the Chicago Tribune's Phil Vettel in The Stew:

"After 28 years, La Strada Ristorante (155 N. Michigan Ave., 312-565-2200) is closing its doors. Along with sister property J. Randolph’s Bar & Grill next door, the two restaurants will serve their last meals on Dec. 31. Owner Michael Mormando says he fell victim to re-development; a 40-story residential tower will rise from the space where La Strada now sits, abutting Millennium Park Plaza (aka Doral Plaza).

'My staff and I have been honored to proudly serve the Chicago and worldwide community for the past 28 years,' said Mormando in a statement, 'but the time has come to close our restaurants and make way for a wonderful new residential high rise apartment building development.'

Mormando is negotiating to re-create La Strada in that residential tower when it opens (scheduled for 2010), but nothing is finalized. If you want one more taste of La Strada, head down there soon, or tank up the car: the suburban La Strada (2380 Lakewood Blvd., Hoffman Estates, 847-765-1700) remains open."

And from an LTHForum moderator:

"Just back from a terrific lunch at Lao Sze Chuan (2172 S. Archer Ave., 312-326-5040) with breaking news, Tony Hu is opening two new restaurants, Lao Beijing (2138 S. Archer Ave.) and Lao Shanghai (2163 S. China Pl.). Both are in Chinatown Square, Lao Shanghai will be going in the recently closed KS Seafood and Lao Beijing where Dragon King was. Tony mentioned he was shooting for a January 1 opening for both."

His Airness drops by Table 52

A little-known secret for getting into Table 52 is to try to get a seat at the bar. There's no reservations at the bar, and it's first come, first served.


So, a couple of my friends managed to snag a damn-near-impossible-to-get table at Table 52 (52 W. Elm St., 312-573-4000) last Friday and were rewarded with the ultimate local celeb sighting.

As they noshed on luscious portions of Executive Chef Art Smith's Low-Country shrimp with stone-ground grits and a pistachio-crusted chicken breast with coconut-chile sauce, in saunters Michael Jordan.

And being Michael Jordan, of course it took him several minutes to get to his table because everyone in the room wanted to talk to him. It wasn't a mad frenzy because this is a sophisticated dining establishment, but c'mon, this is MJ we're talking about and the space is pretty tiny. Even Art Smith paid his respects to the table, but no word on whether His Airness got any freebies. . .

NYE: Late-Night Affairs

Many of you plan to go the private house party route for New Year's Eve. But what if you start feeling antsy after midnight? You know, you want to check out other festivities, but who wants to shell out all those bucks? Open until 4am, these spots should satisfy your late-night cravings:

Crobar (1543 N. Kingsbury, 312-266-1900). One of the official after-parties for the annual Chicago-Scene affair, Crobar's event includes techno and hip-hop, plenty of space to dance and a crowd ready to party until last call. $30, with a cash bar.

Green Mill (4802 N. Broadway, 773-878-5552). Jazz fans should head over to this Uptown institution for Battle of the Saxes headlined by legendary music men Von Freeman and Edward Petersen. It's a $5 cover after midnight, and then free 2am-4am. The Green Mill Quartet Jam Session plays after the main show.

Le Passage (937 N. Rush St., 312-255-0022). The other official Chicago-Scene after party takes place at the all-new Le Passage in the Gold Coast. Deejays spin dance music. $30, cash bar.

Relax (1450 W. Chicago Ave., 312-666-6006). You can stop in at any time at this cool new neighborhood lounge specializing in old-school rock and R&B. Open seating, too! Free.

Stone Lotus (873 N. Orleans St., 312-440-9680). New York's DJ Klutch spins dance music at the Outfit Events party. After 1am, it's a cash bar. Under $30.

S'more winter openings

In dining news: Shinobu (1131 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., 773-334-9062) is the latest to roll in on the sushi scene in Edgewater. Lincoln Park brunch fave John's Place (1202 W. Webster Ave., 773-525-6670) branches out with a second location in Roscoe Village at 2132 W. Roscoe St. in January. And Just Indulge (1755 W. North Ave.), a cute little dessert and ice cream shop, opens in Bucktown in February.

Just for the noel of it . . .

Just wanted to bring to your attention this very festive cocktail being offered by Prost (2566 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-880-9900) throughout the month. If you love the nog, then you'll dig this German lounge's version that they're calling Hoochnoggin. It's only $7, and so rich (with chocolate syrup, heavy cream and whiskey) that you won't even need that pumpkin pie.

Also, if you're dreading watching Christmas Vacation, Miracle on 34th Street or A Christmas Story this year, head a couple blocks down to Delilah’s (2771 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-472-2771) for something completely different. They're showing the wild-ass flick Santa Claus Conquers the Martians on all their flatscreen monitors, and it should go down well with all those whiskey selections they offer. Sunday, Dec. 23 at 6pm.

And finally, if you're in a singing mood, then get ye to Davenport's Piano Bar (1383 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-278-1830) for Cabaroke, a non-stop event where you can have at all the old Christmas standards in front of a crowd that will egg you on. The back room offers recorded tunes, while you'll get it live in the front showroom. Hosted by the "Queen of Karaoke" Alma Mendoza. 10pm-1:30am tonight. $2 cover for front room; no cover in back room.

Campagnola moving down the street?

The windows are papered over at the original location for friendly neighborhood Italian eatery Campagnola (815 Chicago Ave.). But have no fear, they've been working for months on a second location a few blocks down at 1245 Chicago Ave., scheduled to open in January. The new space will offer fans a new concept with 25 tables in an open dining room, plentiful bar seating and a view of their handcrafted, woodburning pizza oven.

UPDATE: New restaurant is going to be called Wild Geese.

What the critics are saying . . .

. . . about:

Bluprint (222 Merchandise Mart Plaza, 312-410-9800): “The rock crab starter ($8) is a beauty: a loose disc of lightly dressed crab crowned with avocado and accented with a pool of red pepper coulis. A nice kick comes from the Kalamata olive purée dotting the plate. Crispy, hot short-rib potstickers ($7), packed with tender, slow-cooked meat, were killer on one occasion, but lacked depth of flavor on another. Order them anyway (ignore the bland Asian slaw) and hope for a good day.”—Alison Neumer Lara (Crain’s Chicago Business)

Cafe Mediterra (728 S. Dearborn St., 312-427-2610): "The combo kebab platter—beef, chicken and kefta, or ground lamb—was enough for two people, if not three, when you factor in a generous serving of rice of the day. The cubed meats were nicely charred around the edges, and the vegetables had a roasty, smoky flavor. We also loved the sausage and tomato flatbread, a pizza-style item that would work for an appetizer for two people or a light supper for one. Its Roma tomatoes, ground lamb and Mediterranean spices won't leave you mistaking it for Italian, that's for sure."—Robin Mather Jenkins (Chicago Tribune)

Macarena (618 S. State Rte. 59, Naperville, 630-420-8995): “The duo (of John Borras and Jose Marcial) successfully executes mango 'caviar'—a classic (Ferran) Adrià prep—with juice congealed to yield balls of fruit essence served in small circular tins. Adrià-esque skinless 'ravioli' pop open in the mouth with intense flavors of peach, chocolate or squid ink. Similarly, the crispy shells of 'liquid empanadas' encase warm vegetable broth; a splash of piquillo pepper sauce finishes the dish.”—David Hammond (Time Out Chicago)

Mythos (2030 W Montrose St., 773-334-2000): “Loukaniko ($9) pork sausage arrived hot, juicy and char-grilled crisp, fragrant with anise and orange rind. Potato and zucchini keftedes ($9) reminded us of savory vegetable doughnuts served with a mild skordalia. Creamy tzatziki ($6) was rich and full of garlic and cucumber flavor, tender chicken souvlaki was served with OK rice and, despite their faded color, sweet peas. The big broad beans called gigandes ($6), however were served in a humdrum tomato sauce and arrived just warm.”—Monica Eng (Chicago Tribune)

Pepitone’s (5437 N. Broadway, 773-293-3730): “Smothered chicken breast really hit the spot: topped with plenty of mushrooms in a goat-cheese sauce and served with garlic mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus that helped counteract its richness. . . . Portions are generous, and weeknight food and drink specials offer some real bargains—don’t skip the portobello mushroom caps with melted goat cheese, which you’ll vacuum up in no time.”—Rob Christopher (Chicago Reader)

More hot updates

Super star funkster George Clinton has just confirmed to play the annual Jingle Bell Jam, hosted by Lip Service Productions on Sunday, Dec. 23. The event also features dozens of local and national musicians doing what they do best. Highlighted performers include Phil Baron, Brad Peterson, Brad Elvis, Ruby Harris, Chip Z'Nuff and Kevon Smith. The evening features all types of music, including rock, reggae, funk, blues and jazz. The $20 donation (or unwrapped new toy) benefits Rock For Kids, a nonprofit organization providing support to young homeless people. 7pm-4am at evilOlive (1551 W. Division St., 773-235-9100).