Acadia and the Park Next Door - What to Expect

A couple of weeks ago we went to Acadia (1639 S. Wabash) and had a great experience. However, we were unsure how the restaurant would integrate with the park that the city was building just next door (the lot North of the restaurant). Well a reader recently sent us this email:

I talked with one of the managers while I was there, I think it was Justin, and he said the plans for the park next door are to split it into three parts. Farthest from the restaurant will be a dog park, in the middle a Jazz park. He said they are going to have a hill on the backside of the jazz area with the hill carved out and a band inside the hill for concerts. The third part closest to the restaurant will be an outdoor patio seating 30 for Acadia.

Sounds good to us. We would assume that the food and pricing will be in line with an outdoor "cafe", but haven't heard that confirmed anywhere yet.

Addition - For those looking for more Acadia information, here is a link and video from the ABC7 Hungry Hound segment:

(Hat tip: AH and Allen!)

Sprout Playroom Begins to Grow at 1454 S. Michigan

Sprout Playroom is planning on opening its doors on the second floor of 1454 S. Michigan (according to their Facebook page):

Sprout Playroom is a unique, eco-friendly, indoor playspace located in the South Loop neighborhood of Chicago. We are committed to providing a healthy and meaningful play experience for children by selecting only safe, sustainable and responsibly made toys and materials for our playspace. Sprout Playroom features recycled cork flooring, low VOC paint, reclaimed wood and is uniquely designed to utilize as much natural light as possible. Beyond our playspace, Sprout Playroom offers a multitude of workshops and classes to assist you in your quest to becoming a more eco-minded parent. Sprout Playroom also features a retail boutique which offers local, organic, fair trade, and recycled products and gifts for children and parents as well as a private event space for parties. We invite you to Love the Earth and Play!

As you can see by the picture below, they're actively working on their space and are shooting for a Spring 2012 opening.

(Hat tip: BT!)

(Images from Sprout Playroom Website and Facebook Page)

Is the Johnson Publishing Building Worth Saving?

A couple of weeks ago we did a quick post about Johnson Publishing moving North on Michigan Avenue. As many know, Columbia College bought the building. Well we recently read a great post on the Chicago Archetecture Blog about whether or not to save the "ugly" building:

So now comes concrete elephant in the room: Is the old Ebony-Jet building worth saving?

Even if, like me, you’ve never read any of Johnson Publishing’s publications, the company’s contribution not only to Chicago history, but to the evolution of the nation, is formidable. But is the building as iconic as its exiting resident? Probably not. Johnson’s historic icon is the red Ebony-Jet masthead, not some generic Midwestern office building.

The official architecturally-correct term for this building is “brutalist.” But we have to face facts here, the building is just plain ugly. But that’s OK because some people like ugly buildings. Just like certain breeds of dogs are ugly, but they’re still cherished and loved by their owners. Embrace the ugliness.

I know a few people who admire 820 South Michigan for its linear forms, for its strong horizontal members supported by just to rows of vertical beams, and for its welcoming double-height lobby. I’m happy there are people in the world who can appreciate a building on that level. But remove the glass, and what do you have left? A parking garage.

It isn't the most attractive building, but still seems salvageable if you ask us. Should be interesting to see what Columbia does with it.

(Hat tip: WL!)

(Image from Chicago Architecture Blog)

Everest Named One of the 25 Most Expensive Restaurants in the US

While the upscale restaurant Everest (1 Financial Place) is technically just North of the Sloop, we still like to claim the restaurant. Anyway, not sure if this is something to be proud of, but I guess they're in good company (via Chicagoist):

The website Bundle.com analyzed spending data to determine the 25 most expensive restaurants in America. What has us and others talking is that five of Chicago's restaurants are in the top 10. Leading the charge, unsurprisingly, is Alinea, with an average check total of $736. that places Grant Achatz's restaurant at fourth on the list. Charlie Trotter's is right behind Alinea with an unholy average check of $666. Rounding out the top ten are Tru and Les Nomades ($558 each) and Everest ($546).

(Image from Vegan by Valerie)

Cook County Looks Into Lollapalooza Tax Exemption

If you read Sloopin, you know that we love Lollapalooza. Regardless of our love affair, that doesn't mean that we turn a blind eye towards its operations. A reader recently sent us a link to a post by WBEZ blog, Pop N Stuff, examining some issues with the tax exemption the annual festival receives:

If the city won’t reexamine the boondoggle of a tax break that the Daley administration gave Lollapalooza, even in the midst of an epic budget crisis, the county will.

Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer says she has heard from many of her North Side constituents complaining about the negative impact on their businesses caused by Lollapalooza, and its tax break adds insult to injury. “No tax is paid or reported,” she says. “It’s absurd.”

Gainer goes onto say in the article:

“This wasn’t the way this [the Lollapalooza deal] was supposed to go down,” Gainer says. Initially, it was considered a break to bring a speculative venture to Chicago. But Lollapalooza now has proven to be very successful and hardly in need of a benefit that no other major entertainment event is granted.

"If you don't need that kind of support to survive, it should be given to someone else... some other cultural event," Gainer says. She and her fellow board members approached the state's attorney about how best to rectify the situation, and Anita Alvarez's office recommended bringing the annual review of the Lollapalooza tax abatement under board control.

Definitely agree that they should take a look at this deal and see if it's necessary.

Regardless, whether or not you're interested in the article/controvery, it gives us a chance to re-post a clip from last years lollapalooza of a band trying to learn how to play in front of a big crowd:

(Hat tip: JA!)

(Image from WBEZ)

New Retail/Residential Development Proposed at Canal and Taylor

Big news on the Roosevelt Road retail front as Chicago Real Estate Daily reports on a new development:

Competition for retail tenants along Roosevelt Road in the South Loop may soon get a little tougher.

The Bond Cos., a Chicago developer, plans to build a mixed-use project with about 200,000 square feet of retail space and as many as 460 apartments between Canal and Clinton streets just north of Roosevelt.

Retail development along the shopping strip has stalled since the real estate crash and recession, but many still believe it's only a matter of time before the area becomes the South Side's answer to the busy North and Clybourn retail district near Lincoln Park.

“We have lots of retail interest at the moment,” says Robert J. Bond, co-founder and president of the Bond Cos. The retailers already there “have been extremely successful.”

For those who have been around for a little while you might remember the South Loop Commons, a similar type of development planned for this piece of land.

So what do you think? Will this happen? Is it good?

It was encouraging to hear that there was "lots of retail interest at the moment". However, if that was the case it seems like Roosevelt Collection would be full. Maybe it will be soon?

(Hat tip: AK!)
(Image from Chicago Real Estate Daily)

CTA Map Overlaid on New York City

So the Roosevelt Stop would be in Central Park...an interesting map on Gapers Block:

Redditor northsider1983 overlaid the CTA on New York City, and vice versa.

(Image from Gapers Block)

Last Chance to See a Buddy Guy Show This Weekend

Every January Buddy Guy, a walking - talking - singing Chicago blues legend, plays a string of shows at his South Loop club, Buddy Guy's Legends (700 S. Wabash).

Well this year is no different. However, this upcoming weekend is the last chance to see one of his shows in 2012. Here is the lineup:

Thursday Jan 26 - Buddy Guy w/ Michael Coleman
Friday Jan 27 - Buddy Guy w/ Linsey Alexander - SOLD OUT!
Saturday Jan 28 - Buddy Guy w/ Nu Blu Band - SOLD OUT!
Sunday Jan 29 - Buddy Guy w/ Eddie Shaw and The Wolf Gang - SOLD OUT!

Based on this link (where you can buy tickets), it looks like the only show with tickets still available is Thursday. We highly highly recommend going if you like live music. Enjoy.

An old video that just makes us smile:

Fioretti's Reward?

The NBC5 blog, Ward Room, has an interesting post which puts some perspective behind the 2nd Ward's drastic change in the remap:

In 2007, Bob Fioretti achieved a Chicago first.

By winning election as 2nd Ward alderman, he was the first white politician to take over a ward from a black politician. The 2nd Ward had a special place in African-American political history. The city’s first black alderman, Oscar DePriest, won the seat in 1915. But beginning in the 1990s, white condo owners began to displace blacks in the South Loop. The result was a white alderman. Fioretti ousted Madeleine Haithcock. A year later, he took over the committeeman’s post, when Rep. Bobby Rush stepped down.

On Thursday, Fioretti got his reward for ousting a pair of black politicians: his ward was mapped out of existence. There will still be a 2nd Ward, obviously, but it won’t be in the South Loop. It won’t be the historic 2nd Ward of Oscar DePriest. Instead, the 2nd Ward has become the most abominable monster in the history of Chicago mapmaking. It looks like a digital character in the old video game Tempest. Beginning on the Gold Coast, it wanders west into Lincoln Park, then across the Kennedy Expressway into Wicker Park, uniting neighborhoods that have nothing in common but white voters.

Black Cube Building Could be the Latest High Rise for Higher Education

As we stated in our rundown of the top 11 things of 2011, higher education continues to fuel most of the development in the neighborhood. And not surprisingly it appears that this trend is continuing into 2012.

Curbed Chicago has a very interesting post about a proposed high rise just North of Congress:

More university housing could be in the cards for the South Loop. Spyguy, Skyscraper Page's resident super-sleuth, has managed to score a rendering of the latest proposal. The rental tower was designed by Lothan Van Hook DeStefano Architecture LLC and is intended to serve students, faculty, and staff in the area. Its avant-garde design, quite a departure from Chicago's recent crop of buildings, consists of a series of stacked black cubes, each one precariously cantilevered over the one below.

While we're not 100% sure about the location, it looks like it would be on the Southwest corner of Wabash and Van Buren.

Not sure if this will happen, but it definitely would be one of the more interesting buildings to go up in Chicago.

(Image from SpyGuy!)

3 Men Crew Targeting Homes in Dearborn Park Neighborhood

A reader sends us this alert from the Chicago Tribune:

Three people posing as government workers or plumbers have used the ruse to get into houses and steal small items, according to police.

They say they needed to “check the pipes” for “leaks, or other imminent problems,” according to a Chicago Police Department release.

They then walk off with money, keys, jewelry and electronics – “items they can easily carry,” according to the release.

The homes have been targeted in the 900 and 1000 block of South Park Terrace in the Dearborn Park neighborhood, according to police.

All three men are either white or Hispanic with straight black hair, according to descriptions released by police.

One is 5-feet-11 and weighs about 270 pounds and appears to be between 38 and 40 years old.

Another is 30 to 35, 5-feet-3, about 160 pounds, and the third appears about the same age and weighs about 150 pounds. He’s about 5-feet-6.

The three were seen leaving in a white late-1980s or early-1990s van.

Anyone with information is asked to call Belmont Area Detectives at (312) 744-8263.

(Hat tip: ND!)

Shots Around the Sloop: El Stop = ?

A reader comments (from our post about the Green Line El Stop at Cermak):

Anon 5:23 - good points as many of us live in the 'present', but this stop is about creating the 'future' development on those empty lots, etc.. Take a look at this guys picture of Roosevelt in 2000. There are no Museum Towers, no Columbian Building, no Trader Joes,etc...

(Hat tip: Anon and davidwilson1949 Flickr account!)

Chicago and New York Chinatown's Face Different Dynamics

A Medill reports article looks at some of the differences between Chicago's Chinatown and New York's Chinatown:

In Chicago, families can choose to stay in the area in newer and more spacious homes or condos, or live in adjacent areas where there are houses within reach financially.

“New York has seen its population move out to the suburbs,” Mah said. “Manhattan is expensive and space is limited. In Chicago, in contrast, there has been a great deal of residential development over the past 10 years or so.”

Greater South Loop Association Meeting Tomorrow at 9am

A Greater South Loop Association meeting is scheduled for tomorrow from 9:00 am to 10:30 am. This will be held at the 1st district police community room at 1718 S. State street.

The agenda is as follows:

9:00 - 9:30am - Meet & greet your neighbors with coffee

9:30 am - Presentation on proposed development near 900 S. Clark - community feedback requested!

10:00am - Alderman Fioretti (2nd ward), Alderman Dowell (3rd ward) have been invited to provide updates.

Unfortunately we won't be there to cover this, however if anyone goes please come back and post a comment to give us the gist (or send an email to sloopin@gmail.com if you prefer).

Give all the recent ward map discussion it should be interesting to hear what Fioretti and Dowell have to say. It would also be good to hear what's going on with 900 S. Clark (last we heard it would be some type of retail building - which was old news).

(Hat tip: AB!)

Approved Ward Map Has Big Implications for the Sloop & Alderman Fioretti

The redrawing of the ward map is a hot topic around the city and today the aldermen approved a new ward map with the vote of 41-8. Most notable is the objection from Alderman Fioretti, who represents most of the South Loop. The Tribune sums it up:

Less than two hours after putting the finishing touches on a new map of the city's 50 wards, the Chicago City Council approved it over the vehement objections of some aldermen whose political futures are imperiled by the redrawn boundaries.
The vote was 41-8, a strong enough majority to avoid putting dueling maps before voters in an election.

But the lopsided approval of the map does not avoid the possibility of a lawsuit, which several aldermen said was inevitable.

At issue were the different population sizes, with some South Side wards having more than 4,000 fewer constituents than their North Side counterparts. Some aldermen said those deviations violated the one-man, one-vote principle.

Ald. Robert Fioretti, 2nd, whose ward was shifted from south and west of the Loop to a ribbon-shaped area south and west of Lincoln Park, decried what he called an unnecessary rush. There's no city election under the new boundaries until 2015.

An attempt by Fioretti and Ald. Nicholas Sposato, 36th, to invoke a routine delay of the vote, in part to give the public a chance to review it, was out-flanked by a parliamentary maneuver.

At one point before the meeting, Fioretti yelled at Maria Guerra, who works in Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Department of Intergovernmental Affairs, as she explained the impending maneuver to him.

"Don't people have a right to see this?" he asked afterward.

It does seem strange that they can just shift an elected official out of the area that voted him into the office. We assume some legal wrangling is next up.

Anyway, somewhat connected and of interest to us is Fioretti's push to turn Motor Row into an entertainment district. It seemed like he had the vision for this, but given the newest developments it seems like this is going to take a back seat as Alderman Fioretti now has to fight for his "south side" life.

(Hat tip: ND!)

(Image from Chicago Tribune)

Square One Shooting for Spring Opening at 1400 S. Michigan

Late in December of 2011, we heard some rumblings and got confirmation that a new "tavern" was moving in at the Northwest corner of Michigan and 14th (1400 S. Michigan). We didn't have a ton of information then, but a reader recently sent us a link to a Metromix post about "Square One":

This South Loop lounge, adorned with 30-foot high ceilings and reclaimed wood floors, will feature a focus on classic craft cocktails--such as old fashioneds and bloody marys--when it opens in spring 2012. Patrons will be able to pull up a seat at the 23-foot cement bar and have the bartender mix up a drink based on their favorite ingredients--or sample vino via wine dispensers that allow you to purchase amounts ranging from an ounce to a glass. Nibbles include cheese pairings, meats and light sandwiches; an area called "the living room," outfitted with a u-shaped couch, fireplace and TV, can be reserved for private parties.

Definitely seems a little different than what we imagined when we heard "tavern", but in reality it seems like a different concept and hopefully something unique for the neighborhood. We've been monitoring the build-out from the outside and from what we can tell it appears that there has been a lot of progress. A spring open seems aggressive, but we hope that happens.

(Hat tip: Anon!)

Papa Johns Coming to NW Corner of Michigan and Cermak

A couple weeks ago we did a small piece about a job posting on craigslist which presumable announced that a Papa John's would be coming to State and Cermak.

We were curious as to where it might be going since there isn't existing space that seemed suitable for Papa John's.

Well according to a comment we recently received a reader found a building permit on Everyblock for a "fast food carryout restaurant" while it doesn't specifically mention Papa John's this location (image above) would make more sense.

(Hat tip: Tony!)

Hyatt at McCormick Place Launches Phase 1 of Expansion

Piggybacking on our story about the CTA Green Line stop our friends at Curbed Chicago had a post yesterday about the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place launching phase 1 of construction:

Per this morning's press release, the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place is kicking off construction of its second tower, a $110M 460-room expansion that brings Hyatt's room total to 1,260. The first of three phases of construction and renovation, the tower expects to open mid-2013. The other phases are slightly more modest, involving a cafe expansion (whoop-dee-do), a renovation of the 800-room building, and a makeover of the 25,000 sf in-house conference center.

Again, good news for the area.

More people = more business = better Motor Row entertainment district.

Anyway, we will have one more quick post this afternoon about the Cermak stretch.

(Image from Curbed Chicago)

Rahm Announces Details About Cermak CTA Green Line Stop

We've seen a bevvy of stories in regard to the Cermak corridor recently and today we're going to devote a couple of post to them.

First off and maybe most importantly to this area, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced yesterday that the city is going to construct a CTA Green Line stop at Cermak:

This $50 million TIF-supported project consists of the design and construction of a new elevated CTA station at Cermak on the Green Line. The station, located in the two mile-stretch between the existing Roosevelt and 35th/Bronzeville stations will provide much needed access to rapid transit for neighborhood residents and businesses. The new station will be ADA-accessible and have station house facilities located at grade level. The platform will be a center-island configuration for an eight-car train with canopy coverage for six cars. The station will also include an auxiliary exit to the north side of 23rd Street.

The design work will begin in March with construction set to begin by February 2013. The 18-month construction project is expected to be complete by July 2014.

This station, which will allow another access point to McCormick Place, is expected to provide a significant boost to the convention industry and help facilitate conventioneers getting downtown quickly and affordably.

This doesn't come as a surprise to loyal Sloopin readers, but it makes it a little more tangible and real when the mayor announces the plan. Although July 2014 seems like a long time away, we imagine this will continue to drive positive momentum for the area (see old Motor Row entertainment district stories) .

We will follow-up with a couple additional posts today on other things in the Cermak area.

(Image from Chicago Tribune)

Acadia Brings an "Experience" to the South Loop

It's Saturday night in the Sloop and it's the "official" opening weekend at Acadia, the new contemporary American restaurant at 1639 S. Wabash. While they've been accepting reservations for awhile now, we called the morning of our desired date to see if we could get in.

Unfortunately everything was booked up from 6 until 9:30pm, but they said they would call us if something became available. Sure enough, two hours later we got a ring from Justin at Acadia and they could accommodate us. Here we go...

As we walked down South Wabash to Acadia, it was eerily quiet. Very little (if any) foot traffic, dark and gritty. Definitely a different feel compared to similar upscale restaurants in the city (i.e. - Gold Coast or Lincoln Park). We kind of like it - made us feel like we knew something others didn't.

But apparently others knew about Acadia as well. The restaurant is very unassuming and incognito from the outside (besides the brand new blue Lamborghini sitting outside its front door - obviously trying to send some sort of signal). Upon entering the restaurant you're greeted by contemporary style and light colors subtly welcoming you. Two women were pleasantly smiling and asked for our names. Almost simultaneously a man appeared and said, "oh yes, glad we could accommodate you". It was Justin, our friend from the phone, seemingly acting like he knew us personally and was genuinely looking forward to us coming (while it was

a little contrived it was welcomed).

We were in an adventurous mood so we wanted to try to get the full "Acadia experience". So we started at the much acclaimed bar area. We opted for one of the specialty drinks which were about $12 a piece. I had the Rum and Kola and my wife opted for some "dreamsicle" concoction. The bar tender immediately went to work on the drinks mixing, straining, twirling, shaking and even using some contraption that made water into soda water.

Although it took some time, once we got our drinks we were satisfied. Both drinks had strong flavors and went down smooth almost as if you couldn't taste any alcohol. The dreamsicle was pretty much what you would think...it tasted like an orange dreamsicle. After the bar we took our drinks to our seats and eagerly looked forward to some grub.

The main dinning area was elegant and simple. Again, a very contemporary design with little decoration. The main design element was something resembling various large metallic bead strands hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room. It was dramatic, but functional as it broke up the space well.

We were quickly greeted by our waitress who kindly introduced herself and gave us our menus. The menu was pretty straightforward in it's orientation: "first course" and "second course". Each section had about 10-15 dishes and clearly were creatively conceived using unorthodox mixtures of ingredients.

While we had a couple minor questions, we easily and quickly decided to go with a scallop dish (including wheat berries, coconut, butternut squash, dill, lime) and the "risotto" for our first course.

Risotto is in quotations because that's how it appeared on the menu - since it clearly wasn't risotto - here is how Chef Ryan McCaskey describes it on his blog in the test kitchen posts:

This dish is still a work in progress. but for now, it’s a brunoise of yukon potato, mimicking the rice component of risotto. folded into the potato are leeks, truffle, garlic, lemon, chives and creme fraiche. the green apple veil is garnished with shaved truffle, fine herbs, cracked pepper and thyme. some contrasting and textural elements will be added. this dish will epitomize contemporary classic cuisine.

My wife commented that the scallops were the best she's ever had (however, I wouldn't go that far) and the risotto was interesting. Fun texture and definitely a pleasant way to start the dinner.

For the main course we decided on the wagyu beef dish (which included mushroom conserva, herb puree, pommes- maixm, puree, confit) and a bass dish (sorry I can't remember the ingredients). Both dishes were solid. The beef had a big taste and when combined with the various sauces were truly delicious. The bass was very tender and light.

And what meal is complete without dessert? Given that we've been chowing down, we opted to share the roasted pineapple dessert which was described to us as a "playground" of taste and on the lighter side. While we got a kick out of that description, it was good - but not as memorable as the first or second courses.

As typically found at upscale restaurants we were given "complementary" small items between each course. Our favorite was the buttermilk biscuits. Good stuff.

A couple other quick notes to mention:

• While we didn't have any A-list celebrity sightings, we did dine next to Alderman Fioretti and across the room was ABC7's Kathy Brock
• The only hiccup was when we initially got to the dinning a room. A man sitting at a table behind us tried to get up and ended up breaking a leg on his chair. It appeared that he slid the chair back on the carpet and it must have gotten caught. He played it off with a chuckle, but the waiters and waitresses seemed terrified.
• The length of our dinner was about two and half hours (maybe even three hours). However, it didn't seem slow - it had a nice pace.
• While much has been made about the public park that will be built to the North of Acadia, we're not sure how it will integrate with the restaurant. In it's current state, the restaurant seems too upscale for a public park. Maybe the plan is to offer something cheaper during the day? We will be interested to see what happens with this.
• It will also be interesting to see how Acadia's business goes. As described above, it's in a league of it's own in the South Loop. Will it have enough consistent business to be successful? If so, maybe this is the "pioneer" restaurant we've been hoping for.

All in all Acadia was a fun experience and something that is unique for the South Loop. While some were comparing it to Gioco, Opera, Room 21, Tribute, Chicago Fire House, Mercat a la Planxa and Custom House in our opinion it's truly a step above those "rivals" (maybe with the exception of Mercat from what we've heard). The service, the preparation, the attention to detail, the ambiance were done much better. Most importantly, the food was great and seemed much more creative than any other option we've seen in the neighborhood.

Keep in mind that the prices all seemed more expensive and the portions weren't going to leave you stuffed (which is probably a good thing). Regardless, this restaurant isn't about value it's about experience. And for us Acadia was definitely a worthwhile (albeit pricey) experience.

(Images from Acadia website)