Latest news with #BarSiena
Chicago Tribune
24-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Italian eatery Ascione Bistro opens in downtown Skokie
Downtown Skokie has become home to an Italian restaurant, Ascione Bistro, which opened recently at the Highpoint at 8000 North, a mixed-use, high-rent apartment building. It sits at the heart-of-the-village intersection of Oakton Street and Lincoln Avenue. Owned by third-generation restaurant owner Alex Argirov and his wife Lauren Lucchesi, the Skokie eatery at 8000 N. Lincoln is the couple's second restaurant. They also own Ascione Bistro in Hyde Park. It provides an additional restaurant option in the area, as do other recent arrivals such as Bar Siena at Old Orchard Shopping Center, Crosby's Kitchen in Niles and The Spot Rotary Hot Pot in downtown Skokie. At 5,000 square feet, the Skokie location of Ascione is much bigger than the Hyde Park location and has free valet parking, according to Lucchesi. The Skokie location has 24-seat bar serving classic cocktails. It also has patio seating and semi-open-air seating, Argirov said. Ascione's featured items include house meatballs, which Argirov said are made fresh and by hand; a salad named The Tomato, somewhat similar to a Caprese salad; wild board ragu and Arancini di Ascione, served with a truffle risotto. Argirov said the restaurant features Lucchesi family recipes from Southern Italy that go back generations. The menu also includes pastas, steaks, fish and a smash burger. 'We wanted to expand our business and (were) just looking to do something close to our house,' Lucchesi said. 'Something for our friends, something for our family and people in the area to enjoy.' 'Skokie downtown and Skokie in general, is changing a lot, and we did our best to make this place what it is,' Argirov said. 'COVID changed a lot of things,' Argirov said, referring to diners' spending habits and where they go out to eat. 'Don't get me wrong, there's always going to be good business and good corners [in Chicago] but a complex web of real estate, financiers and audiences are pushing some restaurants into the suburbs.' Argirov lamented that he had hoped for Ascione to open a second restaurant in Hyde Park or the West Loop, but those plans never materialized. 'Opening a restaurant is such a hard thing,' said Chef Jason Qureshi, adding that Ascione's Hyde Park staff is assisting in launching the Skokie location. Ascione's Skokie location will have all the classics of the original Hyde Park location, according Qureshi, with some tweaks. The restaurant is open every day from 3 to 10 p.m., according to its website. According to the village of Skokie's Communications and Community Engagement Director Patrick Deignan, development at the Highpoint is nearly complete. Another business, such as retail or a restaurant, could fill a 3,000 square foot space there, he said. Apartments at the Highpoint are also completely leased, Deignan said. According to Deignan, Bonbon Bakeshop is anticipated to open at 5023 Oakton Street in the next several months, offering boutique chocolates, baked goods and gelato. The village will also soon allow developers to submit proposals for the former site of Annie's Pancake House at 4900 Oakton St., which the village bought in November 2024 and subsequently razed to connect the Illinois Science + Technology Park to downtown Skokie.
Eater
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
A Revved Up Chicago Gourmet Returns in 2025 With a NASCAR Dinner
As Chicago's street festivals struggle, Chicago Gourmet is swinging for the fences in 2025 and leaning into the city's passion for sports. Organizers have announced a battery of events, including a dinner on the NASCAR Chicago Street Course with food from the chefs behind Bar Siena, Daisies, and Piccolo Sogno. Chicago Gourmet takes place annually each summer, with many of the city's best chefs and the country's most popular wine producers gathering at the Grand Cru in Millennium Park. Over the years, the event series has transformed. COVID forced it to reduce its footprint at the park while focusing more on ancillary events such as the Hamburger Hop, which crowns the city's best burger. Those tickets will go on sale in July. This year, the fest's theme, Step Up to the Plate, puts sports front and center, attempting to inject some excitement for fans. Lord knows, even with Pete-Crow Armstrong, that Chicago sports teams haven't been inspiring lately. While the Grand Cru will still take place on Saturday, September 27, at the Harris Bank Rooftop near Millennium Park, there are new events such as the aforementioned NASCAR dinner, which will take place on Wednesday, July 2, ahead of the third annual Chicago Street Race on Sunday, July 5. Diners will eat a five-course meal at the start/finish line in what organizers bill as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But what if it's a success? We'll see how 2025 goes. Tickets, $250, are already for sale online. The chef lineup consists of Fabio Viviani (Siena Tavern, Bar Siena, Bombobar), Joe Frillman and Leigh Omilinsky (Daisies), Tony Priolo (Piccolo Sogno), and Steve Maak (Levy Restaurants). Then, on Friday, July 25, a lineup of chefs will be at the ballpark for Game Day Gourmet at the Crosstown Classic in concert with the Cubs' and White Sox's interleague games in July at Rate Field on the South Side. It's a hot dog competition to see whose upscale spin on a wiener will reign supreme. Chefs will be tasked with zhuzhing special Duck Dogs, a duck fat-infused frank made famous by the Duck Inn. Participating chefs include Duck Inn's own Kevin Hickey, Frontier and Ina Mae's Package Goods' Brian Jupiter, and Mirra's Rishi Kumar and Zubair Mohajir. Win or lose, rain or shine, folks who shell out the $250 per ticket will get to sample the specialty sausages from a suite overlooking the game. Tickets are available for purchase online. Finally, Jackie Robinson may not have strong ties to Chicago, but Major League Baseball's first Black player is celebrated around the country. His No. 42 is retired by all teams, and all players wear the number during MLB's annual Jackie Robinson Day. James Beard Award-winning chefs Erick Williams and Damarr Brown of Virtue will host a tribute dinner to Robinson on Wednesday, August 20. A cocktail reception will precede a three-course dinner. Marqueal Jordan & The Wachezaji will provide the music. Tickets cost $225 per person and are available online. Proceeds benefit Virtue Leadership Development and the IRA Educational Foundation. Sign up for our newsletter.
