Main Street Smokehouse (536 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville), a promising 35-seat spot slated to open the first week of January, plans to put its own spins on barbecue styles around the country. “I’m pairing pork shoulder with my own apple cider ale barbecue sauce, and ribs with maple chipotle sauce, and brisket with a sweet Tennessee-style sauce,” says the owner, Eddie Moore, a culinary school graduate who has been working as a caterer in...

“The logo is a carafe pouring wine into a goblet; then the sign in the window says it’s BYO,” says a sharp-eyed FOD who noticed Uptown’s new Fontana Grill (1329 W. Wilson Ave.; 773-561-0400). OK, to be fair, the Italian wine bar/restaurant doesn’t have its liquor license yet. But when it arrives, expect a unique concept: 24 bottles, changing monthly, each priced at either $22 or $44, and you will be charged by...

Standing on the shoulders of Ravenswood’s Spacca Napoli and countless others—oh, and 119 years of history—Andersonville’s new Antica Pizzeria (5663 N. Clark St.; 773-944-1492) has joined the Neapolitan pizza uprising. Mario Rapisarda, the chef-owner, is a Sicily native and a veteran of Spiaggia, so we’re guessing he knows from Italian food. “It’s a very small, simple menu, because Mario is all about quality control,” said a manager. “Everything is made fresh daily, and they shop for ingredients every...

Giovanni Denigris, the Puglia-born owner of Trattoria Trullo (4767 N. Lincoln Ave.; 773-506-0093) and chef-partner at Macello (1235 W. Lake St.; 312-850-9870) is building a mini pizzeria in the front of Trullo. It’s expected to launch on December 10th; right now he’s waiting for his 900-degree Moretti Forni electric oven to arrive from Italy. “I have a pizza guy from Bari,” says Denigris. “I’m not going to say his name until he gets back from vacation. We are going to make Pugliese pizza. Neapolitan is more chewy. Our pizza is much thinner and crispier. . . . I grew up with Puglia. That’s why...

The decision leading to Rick Tramonto’s and Gale Gand’s split from Mid-America Development and its restaurant arm, Cenitare Restaurants, seems pretty straightforward. “We wanted to take the brand [Osteria di Tramonto and Tramonto Steak & Seafood, both at 601 N. Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling] national, and I don’t think they were able to,” Tramonto says. “I’m looking at some...

Later this month, Rick Spiros (Block 44, Roy’s, Madame B) plans to unveil Mantou Noodles Bar (1633 N. Milwaukee Ave.; 773-772-8688), a 71-seat spot in Wicker Park. “It’s based on Asian street food,” says Spiros. “People there eat that stuff during the day, on the street, on their way to work as opposed to how we eat it here—sitting down to dinner.” Mantou’s menu will include spicy chicken steamed buns; curries made from scratch; udon noodles with...

Matt Fisher, the owner of eight-month-old Tallulah (4539 N. Lincoln Ave.; 773-942-7585), hasn’t slept since summer. He signed a deal in late August on the old Flapjaws space (840 N. Wabash Ave.) in the Gold Coast, which he is rehabbing and renaming Eve—and he has his chef at Tallulah, Troy Graves, crafting a menu to be ready by the time...

Pollack & Ruby came down with a severe case of playoff fever, but they will be back next week with a full lineup of hot news and cool scoops.

Republic Pan-Asian Restaurant & Lounge, which closed on September 20th, will reopen under the same ownership on October 1st as Farmerie 58 (58 E. Ontario St.; 312-440-1818), a 150-seat “farm-centric” contemporary American restaurant. “It wasn’t doing poorly,” says Brian Newman, the general manager. “We just felt there were better concepts to really utilize this space.” Such as one that employs a former farmer who is dedicated to sustainable, organic products, and dishes such as...

Pollack ate her first sugar toad. That’s the amuse Jimmy Sneed sends out to every diner at his just-opened SugarToad (2139 CityGate Ln., Naperville; 630-778-8623). She also tried the sweetbread with a poached egg on arugula (hearty and enjoyable) and turnip soup with smoked bacon (more, please). So what’s up with sugar toads? They’re a nice gesture but...