Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Fan Si Pan update

We told you yesterday exclusively that Fan Si Pan closed suddenly in West Town.

312 Dining Diva finally got in touch with one of the owners, who said that they're "looking to make the concept a little more clearer and move somewhere else." Oh, and they're not staying in the neighborhood either. Ouch. That hurts!

They're searching for a more centrally located venue to settle into sometime this year. As always, stay tuned.

SOHO House coming to Chicago?

The New York Post is reporting today that celebrity magnet and hot private London-NYC spot SOHO House is going global—and coming to Chicago soon:

"SOHO House, which started in London and then opened in the Meatpacking District, is going global. British garmento Richard Caring, 59, has bought out 28 minority investors for $204 million, leaving founder Nick Jones as chief executive with a 20 percent stake. After opening soon in LA at the old Mortons location, Soho House is expected to expand to Miami, Chicago, Berlin, Istanbul, Tokyo, Shanghai, Cairo and Sydney. Caring, the son of an Italian-American GI and a British nurse, has been nicknamed the 'Lex Luthor of Mayfair.' He bought legendary London club Anabel's last year for $175 million and he owns several top restaurants and a golf club."

And it looks like they're on their way, according to a Crain's Chicago Business article a year ago that reported that the London-based private company is looking to settle into the Three Arts Club building at 1300 N. Dearborn Parkway sometime in 2008. Developing . . .

Deal of the day . . .

Looking for something fun to do with friends tonight?

evilOlive (1551 W. Division St., 773-235-9100), a cool Wicker Park sports lounge, has free pizza and pool every Tuesday, so there is no reason to stay in.