It happened to Bucktown and Wicker Park about 10 years ago. Now, it's Logan Square's turn.
The always-impressive Lula Cafe was the foodie pioneer, but over the past couple of years, 60647 has also seen an upscale food shop in provenance: some impressive sushi at Hachi's Kitchen, and more recently, hand-crafted cocktails at the Whistler.
Now, two new options are out to prove that Logan Square's culinary 'street cred' is here to stay.
You know you're in the presence of a serious brewpub, when they're filling up growlers at the bar-- that's a half-gallon container, by the way. At Logan Square's Revolution Brewing Company, the space is as dazzling as the number of beers on tap.
"It's a lot of hassle building a new brewpub in Chicago, it's one of the reasons we don't have that many of them. And we figured if we were going to go through all the work, we might as well make it big enough so that a lot of people can come in and enjoy it," said Josh Deth, owner of Revolution Brewing.
There is plenty to choose from: an IPA, a mild ale, and plenty of original food to go with them: steamed mussels with sliced apples, an artisanal sausage and cheese platter, even bacon-flecked popcorn.
"What we were looking for at this spot was a unique combination of like a great foot traffic location for a restaurant a block from the Blue Line, but at the same time as you can see here a warehouse type space," said Deth.
Just up the street, Longman and Eagle is attempting to turn back the clock, by offering a true gastropub on the first floor, with an Inn upstairs.
"We wanted to be really service and knowledge orientated. When someone came in, you get your standard pub fare, but it was also more of an entry point to more adventurous fare," said Bruce Finkelman, owner of Longman and Eagle.
When was the last time you saw delicate potato agnolotti topped with escargot, earthy hedgehog mushrooms and delicate brussels sprout leaves, all given a shower of shaved foie gras? A wild boar sloppy joe is both intense and hearty, on homemade brioche rolls, while the butter-roasted catfish is truly Southern: collards, grits and fried okra are accented with a ham hock truffle relish.
To drink? A dazzling assortment of obscure bourbons and micro-brews, plus a handful of custom cocktails. It's the European model, set squarely into an emerging neighborhood.
"It seems like it's a good time. It seems like the community is really into it. From the feedback we've got, people are really interested in what we're doing," Finkelman said.
Longman and Eagle
2657 N.Kedzie
773-276-7110
www.longmanandeagle.com
Revolution Brewing
2323 N. Milwaukee Ave.
773-227-2739
www.revbrew.com
Some other notable Logan Square eating destinations:
Lula Cafe
2537 N. Kedzie Blvd.
773-489-9554
www.lulacafe.com
Dunlay's on the Square
3137 W. Logan Blvd.
773-227-2400
www.dunlaysonlogansquare.com
Buona Terra
2535 N. California Ave.
773-289-3800
www.buona-terra.com
Provenance Food and Wine
2528 N. California Ave.
773-384-0699
Rustico Grill
2515 N. California Ave.
773-235-0002
www.rusticogrill.com
Hachi's Kitchen
2521 N. California Ave.
773-276-2636
www.hachiskitchen.com
New Wave Coffee
2557 N. Milwaukee / 3103 W. Logan
773-489-0646
www.newwavecoffee.com
