So many things opening, we hardly know where to start:
• Marty Fosse, the former Spiaggia general manager who has Anteprima and Acre in Andersonville, plans to carve out half of Acre and turn it into an “Italian tapas bar” called Ombra. (Something about this brought out the wags on Twitter; @Tribluke asked if that meant a renaming to “Half Acre,” while @Jesteinf said “Anteprima makes me excited for Ombra. Acre makes me worry about Ombra.”) [Chicago Tribune]
• Scarcely content with one of the glitziest and most expensive openings of the year in their glam-rock pasta-flour-grinding swank joint Nellcôte (due to open in the next couple of months), chef Jared Van Camp and the team behind it are planning another opening behind it, literally— a “Champagne and wine salon” somehow inspired by Grace Kelly. As with Nellcôte, we often finish the descriptions of these guys’ projects more confused than less about what they’re really aiming for, but we can’t wait to find out what it is. [Eater]
• Baker & Nosh, an artisanal bread baker and cheese shop, plans to open soon at 1303 W. Wilson. Owner Bill Millholland promises “hand made breads, breakfast items, lunch sandwiches and flat bread pizzas, cheese sold by the pound, and eventually offer a modest selection of wines to be purchased by the bottle or glass and enjoyed with a selection of appetizers. The store would also offer bread baking classes to the public as well as host wine / cheese pairing parties.” [Uptown Update]
• And speaking of both Andersonville and bakeries, the tempting word “Pie” has been on a storefront at Ashland and Balmoral for the last couple of weeks. It’s now revealed that it’s a new location for Mary Ellen Diaz’s First Slice, which uses the proceeds of baked goods and meal subscriptions to feed fresh, healthful food to homeless and at-risk families.
