#ShotsAroundTheSloop: Mooning

(Hat tip:  BT!)

Willow Creek Community Church Taking Over Entire Property of 1319-1347 S State Street?

A reader sent us a link (via Willow Creeks website):

Willow Chicago has been searching for a permanent home for a number of years. While we have enjoyed hosting services in the Auditorium Theatre, the cost and the limitations are hindering us as a church community. After years of searching for a permanent home, God has answered our prayer with the property at 1319-1347 S State Street.

You can read more about their plans on their website, but judging by this rendering it seems like they're taking the whole building over:

Congrats to them, but curious what's happening to the rest of the businesses in the building.  We know Rainforest Learning Center had a pretty big space in the middle, so wonder if they're relocating or what.  Anyone have the scoop?

It looks like their "Worship Center" is slated to open in Spring 2018.  This appears to be on the south-side of the building, so maybe they will be gradually taking over the building?

(Hat tip:  CW!)

South Loop Wins 2017 Curbed Cup

Congrats to the Sloop (via Curbed):

Some of Chicago's Most Popular Instagram Photo Spots in the Sloop

Probably not surprising, but some South Loop staples were some of the most Instgrammed spots in 2017 (via Curbed):

Coming in at #9 was Lollapalooza (aka Grant Park).  This was the only "spot" that was an event vs. a location:

A post shared by charles Reagan (@charles.reagan) on Aug 5, 2017 at 9:21pm PDT

And at #4 was Soldier Field:

A post shared by Amurta Nath (@natham2132) on Dec 4, 2017 at 4:25am PST

Blaze Pizza Coming to University Center (511 S. State)

A reader writes:

Lots of loud construction noises coming from the space next to Panda Express. I did a little investigating and found that Blaze Pizza is opening a location there. See link. http://www.blazepizza.com/locations/chicago-university-center/

Interestingly another create your own pizza concept - Pizza Studio - was supposed to open up at University Center.  That didn't happen.

We've never had Blaze, but know they have a good following.  Thoughts?


(Hat tip: PL!)

World Market Closing on Jan 20th at Southgate Complex

Well...it's the new year and we have our first business closing (via Daily Herald):

Two area Cost Plus World Market stores confirmed today that they are closing in January.

Stores in Northbrook and the Chicago South Loop will close on Jan. 20, store employees said.

Curious to see what might go in.  Interestingly it's been some time since the space above World Market was occupied.  As a reminder, that was a Office Depot that closed back in December of 2008 (wow 10 years!).

Happy New Year! Have a Happy and Healthy 2018!

The Sloop Needs Your Vote in the Annual Curbed Cup

The Sloop's in the finals of the Curbed Cup.  Voting is open until January 2nd and the post can be found here.

If you want to see the road traveled to get to the finals see here:

An Audit of the 2017 Sloopin Business Counter

Yesterday we let you know that our readers were super engaged with restaurant opening/closing posts.  Today, we take audit of our official Sloopin Business Counter for 2017.  We've been doing this since 2012 and feel it gives a good gauge on how the neighborhood is developing.

That being said, as far as we've documented there are a net 20 new restaurants/businesses that have opened in the Sloop in 2017:

Opened in 2017

1. Bar Method (2112 S. Michigan)
2. Orange Theory Fitness (1005 S. State)
3. Air Aerial Fitness (1317 S. Michigan)
4. University of Chicago Center for Advanced Care (1101 S. Canal)
5. The Chicago Firehouse (1401 S. Michigan)
6. Pizano's Pizza (2106 S. Indiana)
7. Parish 14 (2333 S. Michigan)
8. Poke & Roll (555 S. Dearborn)
9. Mercat a la Planxa (reopens 638 S. Michigan)
10. Pure Barre (1336 S. Michigan)
11. Timothy's Hutch (636 S. Michigan)
12. Hax: Hop's and Hamburgers (733 S. Dearborn)
13. Gordo's (729 S Dearborn)
14. EZ Dental (1466 S. Michigan)
15. Brighter Dental of South Loop (1620 S. Michigan)
16. Weissbluth Pediatrics (1471 S. Michigan)
17. Bulldog Ale House (15 E. 9th)
18. Title Boxing (250 W. Roosevelt)
19. Lobo Rey (1307 S. Wabash)
20. Royal Puppies (2000 S. Wabash)
21. Phenomenal Fitness (2001 S. State)
22. Himalayan Express (606 S. Wabash)
23. Cycmode (1333 S. Wabash)
24. Athletico (State and Harrison)
25. Half Sour (755 S. Clark)
26. Not Just Cookies (901 S. Plymouth)
27. Pazzo's (825 S. State)
28. Kome (1303 S. Michigan)
29. South Loop Market (9th and State)
30. Mai Tai (614 S. Wabash)
31. Steve Bite's (80 E. Cermak)
32. Jamaica Jerk Villa & Bar (2216 S. Michigan)
33. Asian Cajun (2113 S. State)
34. Art of Pizza (727 S. State)

Closed or Moved Out of the Sloop in 2017

1. Tamarind Sushi (614 S. Wabash)
2. Ameritalia (1303 S. Michigan)
3. Toppers Pizza (727 S. State)
4. Porkchop (555 S. Dearborn)
5. Jimmy Green's (825 S. State)
6. Blackie's (755 S. Clark)
7. D'Jons Barbershop (1514 S. Wabash)
8. Lakeside Grocery (1912 S. State)
9. Bentley's Corner Barkery (250 W. Roosevelt)
10. Lofty Aspirations (1934 S. Wabash)
11. Belly-up Smokehouse and Saloon (1132 S. Wabash)
12. Phenomenal Fitness (1450 S. Michigan)
13. Freshii (1154 S. Clark)
14. Health Elements (79 E. 16th)

So the question is...did we miss anything or have any errors? If so please email us.

Since we're talking lists, here are some other businesses that may or may not open up in 2018:

•  Reflexology Foot Parlor (1319 S. Michigan)
• TBD Salon (705 S. Dearborn)
• Pin me up (2411 S. Michigan)
• Natural Girl (1547 S. State)
• Big Shoulders Chicago (1449 S. Michigan)
• Rosebud's Artist's Cafe (1150 S. Wabash)
• The Vault (1325 S. Michigan)
• M Vie (TBD)
• TBD tattoo Parlor  (2008 S. Prairie)
• TBD Asian Restaurant (1234 S. Michigan)
• TBD Medical Services Business (41 W. Congress)
• Taco Bell Cantina (407 S. Dearborn)
• Taco Madre (823 S. State)
• Low Country (1132 S. Wabash)
• Poke Burrito (453 S. Dearborn)
• Team Rehabilitation (2100 S. Michigan)
• ilovekickboxing.com (1325 S. Michigan)
• Dollop Coffee Co (801 S. Financial) 

Sloopin's Top 10 Post for 2017

Instagram foodporn from the newly opened Half Sour

2017 is almost over and as is customary on this little digital website, we look back at our most popular post as judged by google analytics.  The methodology is a little biased as posts from earlier in the year have a chance to garner the most views, but still sheds light on what garnered the most interest.  One thing that's clear - you peeps are interested in restaurants opening and closing (we are too!).

We're going to countdown, so please commence the drumroll....

#10 - Signs Go Up for Bulldog Ale House at SE Corner of 9th/State - Feb 27

The suburban sports bar has been relatively well received for its affordable options and bringing a nice beer garden to a relatively bland stretch of South State street.

#9 - Taco Bell Cantina Coming to Old Colony Building (407 S. Dearborn St.) - Apr 27
Chicago has its fair share of taco places, but that didn't stop Taco Bell from trying out a new concept to compete with the more "trendy" local taco spots.  There is a Taco Bell Cantina in Wicker Park.  We haven't heard much about this planned South Loop location, but we'll see if it still opens in 2018.

#8 - Pazzo's Open at 825 S. State - Dec 4
News of Pazzo's taking over the former Jimmy Greens space on South State came fast and furious.  The Italian restaurant seemingly opened very quickly which makes sense since the restaurant was in pretty good shape.  We haven't tried it out yet, but are looking forward to it.

#7 - Is Grant Park the Proper Place for the Taste? - July 12
A South Loop resident penned an interesting perspective on whether or not the Taste of Chicago was still a good fit for Grant Park.  The writers perspective was no, but many others disagreed.

#6 - Poke & Role Restaurant Coming to Printer's Row - May 15

It seems like everywhere we went in Chicago a new Poke place was opening.  That trend finally came to the Sloop in 2017.

#5 - Ameritalia Apparently Closes at 1303 S. Michigan - Feb 20
Ameritalia had big shoes to fill taking over the space of the popular Panozzo's.  The food was solid, but never really took off with residents of the Sloop.

#4 - Swap-O-Rama Replaces CSI at 1725 S. Michigan - Apr 24
The one post that wasn't food related in our top 10 and frankly ended up not being a very exciting post.  Regardless, news of a Swap-O-Rama sign showing up on the building at 1725 S. Michigan garnered some intrigued.

#3 - Belly Up Smokehouse & Saloon Closed? - July 19
A pretty surprising post was the news that Belly Up Smokehouse and Saloon closed after a relatively short existence.  The BBQ restaurant was relatively unique for the neighborhood and seemingly would have been a big hit.  One additional factor was that the scaffolding for the 1140 S. Wabash apartment building essentially hid the restaurant from sight.  Regardless, news of Lowcountry - a popular seafood boil spot in Lincoln Park - is taking over the space.

#2 - Old Hackney's to Be Re-Branded "Hax" and Supposedly Opening This Month - May 15
Not surprising that the new Hax garnered a lot of interest in 2017.  We had a number of posts on the topic and they all received a lot of views.  It was a bittersweet development for the neighborhood.  Many cherished the old Hackney's restaurant and wondered why the owners felt the urge to re-concept.  A nice bonus for this was that Gordo's Ice Cream bars opened in the space next to Hax.  Both restaurants opened towards the back half of 2017, so we will be curious to see how they do after a full year in service.  We've been a couple times to both and generally have been pleased with our experience. 

#1 - Half Sour Looks to be Moving Into Former Blackie's Space (755 S. Clark) - Sept 25
News of a new restaurant coming to the former Blackie's space was our number 1 story of 2017!  Similar to the Hax post, we've posted about this topic a variety of times and they all garnered significant views.  Half Sour officially opened on December 16th, so is still a newbie in the Sloop.  Regardless, it appears there is some serious interest here.  Best of luck to them! 

A Couple More Scary Crimes

Seems like we're experiencing a rash of crimes again.

Two things reported in the last week.  The first happened yesterday and police are investigating if it's connected to a robbery in the gold coast (via Tribune):

About 8:25 p.m., a 46-year-old man was walking his dog when three men got out of a vehicle and surrounded him in the 1200 block of South Indiana Avenue in the South Loop, police said. The robbers took the man’s belongings and fled north.

Another more dramatic confrontation happened on Christmas Eve (via ABC7):

A man was fatally shot when he attempted to rob another man Sunday evening outside a store in the South Loop, police said.

The 31-year-old victim was walking out of a store about 6:15 p.m. in the 1200 block of South Jefferson when the attempted robber pulled out a gun and demanded money, according to Chicago Police.

After the suspect stole his property, the victim - who has a permit to carry a concealed gun - shot the man in the chest, police said.

Scary stuff...please stay safe and vigilant.

#ShotsAroundTheSloop: Animal(s)

(Hat tip: AL!)

Reader: River City HOA Approves Sale to Marc Realty for $100 Million

A reader writes:

Last night (12/19) the Board of Directors of River City’s owners’ association approved the sale of all of River City condominiums to Marc Realty Capital for $100 million.

If you're not familiar with this story, we've posted about Marc Realty Capitals attempts to convert River City from condos to apartments.

This story from a couple weeks back also provides more info (via Crains):

Nearly two years after a developer first offered to buy all the condos at River City in the South Loop, the homeowners association finally has enough votes to sell, but just barely.

The $100 million sale of River City's 448 condos would be the biggest Chicago condo development by far to switch to rentals in the recent wave of deconversions.

The next-largest sale by condo owners for conversion to rental entailed convincing less than half as many different owners: Last spring, owners in the 207-unit building at 420 W. Belmont Ave. approved a developer's $51.5 million offer.

After a series of delays during the fall when the votes in favor hadn't quite reached the 75 percent that Illinois condo law requires, the River City Condominium Association announced in an email to River City owners last week that owners of 75.87 percent of the River City complex now support selling.

It's still amazing to us that there is this much demand for apartments...

Anyway, what do you think?  Is this good or bad for the Sloop?

(Hat tip:  PO!)

Half Sour: "Holy Moly Was it Good!"

Last week we posted about Half Sour opening on Saturday.  A reader provides a good overview of their opening weekend experience:

Half Sour—the old Blackie's space, oh man am I gonna miss those $1 watermelon shots—had a soft opening this weekend, and holy moly was it good!

The new owners didn't mess with the space too much. They didn't have to. They could have, but thankfully they didn't, and it's just about the right brick-and-timber SoLo/Printers Row vibe you'd expect from old stock in our hood.

They glitzed it up behind the bar a smidge with soft white Miami Beach tiles and soft LED lighting, they splurged on a few new TVs (I'm not a fan at all, but I also do recognize which city I live in...), and then had their tile guy lay down a new law in the bathroom for good measure. Tables and chairs are also new, and nondescript, and thankfully they didn't mess with that solid, gorgeous bar.

The place seems to be run by fourteen-year-olds—albeit fourteen-year-olds who can cook up some mean food. Good cocktail menu, solid wine list, beers that'll make you smile and quench your thirst, and all at a reasonable price.

The menu itself looks deceptively salad- and sandwich-heavy, but my companion and I split a bunch of small plates, all of which were excellent/excellent plus.

Fried smelts, pickled beets, a brussel sprouts salad that was crunchy and lip-smacking all at once, and a jar of marinated eggplant to put on your thick slices of toast. It was a perfect meal. I'm definitely looking forward to going back and trying their burgers and other salads and whatever else.

When you gaze into their kitchen as you're strolling down Polk, you see a bunch of (gender-neutral) dudes in an exploded science lab working with a few tiny plastic food-grade buckets and a Betty Crocker oven for kids.

All the more reason to love this new addition to the hood. While in sentimental principle we mourn the loss of another dive-y place in the SoLo—well, Blackie's was no George's. Plus, it still stands, now prouder than ever!

(Hat tip:  MM!)