The calls have been made for extras, and the media cycle has restarted as the crew from The Bear prepares to finish off and shoot what’s likely to be the FX-produced show’s final season. Chicagoans are familiar with the process as the current season in production marks Season 4.
Over the weekend at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Jeremy Allen White was asked about his favorite restaurant in Chicago. A permutation of this question has been asked to nearly every cast member over the last four years. But White, a Brooklyn native, has spent the most time in Chicago — beyond Carmy Berzatto on The Bear, he played Phillip “Lip” Gallagher on Shameless. In the past, White has been partial to Morton’s The Steakhouse on Wacker Drive. It’s a place where a celebrity can visit without too much fanfare. Even though Chicago isn’t LA or New York. Having the right setup and security is invaluable for celebs.
White wasn’t phased when asked during the SAG Awards and went above and beyond and endorsed two Chicago restaurants. He went with Bavette’s, one of Chicago’s most popular steakhouses from the same company behind Au Cheval and its massively hyped burger. This downtown restaurant is dark and moody, a departure from the formulaic steakhouses of the past.
The actor also mentioned La Scorola, the creaky River West red sauce Italian restaurant that opened in 1998. It’s popular with athletes, a short drive from the United Center, and also has its fans because it neighbors Richard’s Bar, a late-night tavern with an infamous history.
Will these two restaurants make cameos in Season 4 of The Bear? FX hasn’t released any information on when the new season will debut, but it’s a good bet that we’ll find out the crew’s final fates in mid-to-late June, as that’s when the show has premiered in past years.
Home Run Inn announces closures
Not everything is rosy in the world of tavern-style pizza (or Chicago thin; this debate over labels is soul-sucking). Home Run Inn Pizza announced it will close three of its nine restaurants. Crain’s reports the closures will happen on Sunday. There’s one Chicago location that will shutter, in Bronzeville, along with locations in suburban Berwyn and Melrose Park. The chain’s business isn’t just tied to restaurants, as they’ve found success selling frozen pizzas at grocery stores.
A beloved bar owner buys a West Town brewery
Links Taproom was ahead of its time along Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park with LCD screens showing off the beer menu, solid sausages, and a staunch following from fans of jam bands; the bar would often stream live shows from Grateful Dead adjacent bands. But the pandemic arrived and live music and bars were hit especially hard. Owner Michael Quinlan shut the bar down while trying to bring a taste of the space to the Southport Corridor at his other tavern, Schoolyard Tavern. That didn’t work out.
As the craft beer world is struggling (for example, Chicago’s own Revolution Brewing closed its brewpub in November and recently underwent layoffs; a Detroit brewery owner lamented the state of the industry as he celebrated his 10th anniversary), the owner of On Tour Brewing and Quinlan began to have conversations about building out a kitchen, according to the Chicago Reader. Those conversations escalated to Quinlan buying the brewery, 1725 W. Hubbard Street, outright. They’re shooting for a late summer reopening.
Taqueria Chingón’s omakase returns (kind of)
Yes, fans remained bummed about Taqueria Chingón’s demise in Bucktown. But as Chicago threatens to his 50 degrees in February, there are signs of hope. Over at the restaurant’s sibling spot in Pilsen, Marisos San Pedro, they’re bringing back the taco omakase starting on Thursday, February 28. There will be two seatings, at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday. It’s a 14-course meal utilizing the open kitchen’s wood oven. Booking is via OpenTable.
