H&M was the first retail shop to open at Roosevelt Collection a couple of weeks ago and it looks like White House | Black Market will be the second. According to a post on the Roosevelt Collection blog:
We’re proud to announce that lead retailer White House | Black Market will be opening for business tomorrow morning, July 31! WH|BM is located in the West Building, and will be open 10 AM – 9 PM Monday – Saturday, and 11 AM – 7 PM Sunday.
The retail space at the northeast corner of 14th and Michigan hasn't been kind to business owners - but something tells us that's about to change.
Kurah Mediterranean Tapas (1355 S. Michigan) will officially open its doors tomorrow, Wednesday July 31st. For those who are keeping track, Kurah was preceded by Entourage Man (which moved to the West Loop and has closed that location) and Alains (the promising upscale restaurant that flamed out like defective stove).
Last Friday, we had the honor of attending a grand opening preview dinner at the restaurant. While we can't comment on service (it was a special event, so everything was spot on) or price, we can give you our thoughts on the food and the space.
For a restaurant to succeed, one thing MUST be right - the food. We haven't seen the full menu, but in our opinion the neighborhood is ready for some high quality Mediterranean food. At the event, we had a variety of dishes to taste:
Bacon Wrapped Dates with Goat Cheese
Appetizer: Bacon wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese
Appetizer: Hummus and fresh pita
Appetizer: Fattoush salad
Appetizer: Oysters
Appetizer: Shrimp ceviche
Main course option: Salmon
Main course option: Lamb shank
Dessert: Baklava, Fig dipped in chocolate encrusted with pistachios, flan
All of it was beautifully presented and extremely delicious. Our favorite thing was the bacon wrapped dates - absolutely amazing! The salmon and lamb shank were huge and seasoned deliciously.
This obviously isn't the full menu, but it still gave us a good sense for the quality of the food and direction they're headed. And we like were they're headed.
The second thing that stood out in our mind was the buildout of the space. Entourage man was a minimalistic boutique. Alain's was a small and simple restaurant. But Kurah has transformed the space into an intimate environment with a unique setup that maximizes their space and the high ceilings. The second floor loft area is an ingenious use of space.
Last Friday was a good first experience for us. But we can't wait for the second! Congrats to Kurah and welcome to the neighborhood!
Kurah Mediterranean Tapas (1355 S. Michigan Ave., 312-624-8611) will serve Middle Eastern-inspired dinners and tapas and a full bar with a craft-beer focus. Though they already own South Loop Market, this is Moe Hammad and Jamil Kanan’s first foray into the restaurant world. Dan Sarkiss has left Bridgeport’s Zaytune to lead Kurah’s kitchen and plans to bring locally sourced, organic Mediterranean to Sloopers.
A quick housekeeping post to say thanks to everyone who comes to Sloopin and thanks for all of you who have helped us build our community on Facebook and Twitter as well.
The South Loop is excited to welcome new neighbors, South Loop Luxury by Related. These three condominium residences, adjacent to our lovely lakefront, are conveniently centered in our thriving, hip and vibrant neighborhood, perfectly situated in the heart of Chicago among the best attractions, shops and dining.
Each building delivers all of the benefits of the South Loop along with breathtaking views: The Grant reaches out over Chicago’s iconic Grant Park…Adler Place overlooks the Museum Campus…and Harbor View rests alongside Burnham Harbor.
In this sophisticated setting, South Loop Luxury by Related owners find best-in-class condominium living and enduring value, with an array of gorgeous amenities and exceptional contemporary design.
To learn more about South Loop Luxury by Related, stop by Open Houses at The Grant each Saturday + Sunday from 12-4 PM and Harbor View each Sunday from 12-4 PM, or visit relatedsouthloop.com.
More and more retail chains continue to flock to Roosevelt.
Upon a recent trip down the street we noticed that Vitamin Shoppe is officially open and right next door a new mattress store is opening called Sleepys (605 W Roosevelt):
It's probably not the most sexy place to come to the neighborhood, but just a sign of things to come for this area of Roosevelt.
This marks the third mattress store on Roosevelt (Bed One at Clinton/Roosevelt and Bedding Experts at State/Clark) east of the 90/94.
There has been a ton of speculation and rumors about the old post office, but apparently the most recent plan is moving forward (although it's got a long, long way to go - story via DNAinfo.com):
Renderings for Development (Image from DNAinfo.com)
A plan to develop a three-tower mixed-use complex around the landmark former Chicago Main Post Office sailed through City Council Wednesday after a recommendation from the zoning committee, clearing a path for construction that could take more than two decades to complete.
Architect Joseph Antunovich, of Antunovich Associates, told DNAinfo.com Chicago that phase one of the construction, expected to take seven to 10 years, will build out 5 million square feet at a cost of $1.5 billion. The second half of phase one, building another 5 million square feet, likely would cost more.
The story gives more details on the scope of the project as well as some complaints from South Loop Neighbors.
Anyway, many people think this site could become the "Chicago Casino" spot. Time will tell.
A Mariano's Fresh Market under construction in the South Loop is up for sale.
The developers of the 65,568-square-foot grocery at 1615 S. State St. hope to get about $45 million for the property, or $686 per square foot, according to a source.
At that price, the sale would generate a huge gain over the $22.7 million the city of Chicago estimated the project would cost.
We're not real estate experts, but wow - pretty impressive to turn that type of gain before a project is even done.
All you real estate experts out there, is this common?
We had some people that thought that this means that the Mariano's isn't happening, but from what we understand it's still moving forward. The builders of the building are just trying to sell it to make a profit - since it's a desirable franchise and lease:
Milwaukee-based Roundy's Supermarkets Inc. (owner of Mariano's) has a 20-year lease for the South Loop store that begins this fall, according to an offering memorandum from Chicago-based Jones Lang LaSalle, which the developers hired to sell the property.
The rent kicks up 4.2 percent in year 11, and Roundy's has four five-year renewal options.
That last blurb makes us optimistic that opening is soon. Not sure, but our fingers our crossed.
1235 S. Prairie Gets Some National Attention Thanks to Anthony Weiner
Usually we could care less about the mayoral race in New York City. Yes, it's been in the news a lot lately given the infamous actions of one candidate, Anthony Weiner.
Well yesterday this story hit a little closer to home (via NBC5):
Former congressman and current New York City Mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner may have offered to purchase a South Loop condo for a social media sexting partner last year, a new report claims.
Strange, strange, unfortunate, and strange.
The site goes on to give some more details:
According to the gossip site, Weiner and the woman apparently had plans that extended beyond online chats. The site claims that Weiner planned to purchase a Chicago condo -- located at 1235 S. Prairie Avenue -- so the two could meet and have sex.
Is this true? Who knows. Will he still become mayor of NYC? Wouldn't shock us.
Well the company has continued to brew and Jeremiah Zimmer gave us an update:
At present, South Loop Brewing Company consists of three guys, a homebrewing operation and a dream to bring the community of craft beer to the South Loop. Since we're not 100% funded yet or licensed, we're free to collaborate with other licensed brewers, but not release beers on our own and in our own facility just yet. We intend to get there through a Kickstarter campaign slated to launch this September (more on that as soon as it launches), but it was important to us to get actual beer on tap so friends, family and strangers alike could try our handiwork before we asked them to help us fund a brick-and-mortar brewery.
The two-beer collaboration ("Sailor's Delight" & "Sailor's Warning") we brewed with Lake Effect Brewing Company is our first and the response and support so far has been exciting and extremely motivating. We're really looking forward to tapping those kegs and seeing what people think.
We aim to continue gaining momentum with more collaboration brews and may start by brewing our original recipes at other friend-breweries to get our beer into market sooner, but the end goal is a production brewery with a taproom and shop in South Loop proper. We've already scouted a handful of locations (a couple near Michigan & 14th and one near 13th & Wabash) that could eventually be our home, so we're excited and hoping for the best on our ability to reach our Kickstarter goal.
Many of our beers are inspired by and named after South Loop-related areas or roads: "India(na Ave.) Pale Ale," "Solidarity Stout" and "Hop Monster of the Midway," to name a few. We want to have fun with our beer names and styles, but we also intend to tell a story about the South Loop when and where possible.
With that said, if you're interested in trying their beer:
What do you do for these celebrities who come in?
When Bono came in, one of the waitresses was a big fan. She paid for his ticket, but then he turned around and left her a $50 tip. I was kind of nervous, but I got his autograph. We tried not to bother him too much. I say hi, I'm a fan, and I'll shake their hand. I try not to bother them too much cause they're celebrities and they get that all the time wherever they go.
Gives us an excuse to post this video from U2 playing at Soldier Field a couple of years ago:
