Sunday, December 4, 2011

Tribute Closes: Only in Business for Five Months

Tribute restaurant at 800 S. Michigan closed Sunday, December 4, 2011. After barely being open five months, the upscale eatery, specializing in comfort food, was unable to attract the crowds necessary to keep it humming.

A Rough Start
The original chef, Brandon Baltzley was fired after it was revealed he had a substance abuse problem. Sous-chef, Lawrence Letrero was elevated to Executive Chef in May, two months before opening. After several shaky starts, the restaurant had it’s unveiling on July 6, 2011. The first official day of business was July 7 at 6 a.m. In September, Letrero was out and Jared Case became the new Executive Chef and the menu was tweaked.

Space Transformed
Tribute transformed the old Savoy Grill into a modern, fresh space, featuring unusual and dramatic fixtures made with repurposed movie film from Disney’s 1951 animated classic Alice in Wonderland. The lounge area was cool and comfortable and the large outdoor space across from Grant Park was lovely this summer. But alas, it just wasn’t meant to be.

11 comments:

  1. Yes. It's always a shame when businesses fail; it affects so many. It was a beautiful space. Sorry they couldn't make it work.

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  2. Just had breakfast there yesterday (12/4) -- damn.

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  3. I feel so bad I just had dinner there Saturday night! It's so difficult to keep a food business going in this economy! I wish them all the best.

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  4. Did it last longer than the rib place on Wabash, next to Zapitista? The name escapes me.

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  5. Yes, it lasted longer than Ole Hardwood.

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  6. Ole was arson..purposely set on fire for insurance money

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  7. Yes, Ole Hardwood was destroyed by fire. Not sure if they conclusively said it was arson, although that was hinted at immediately and the fire dept. said it was suspicious from the get-go. It would be great if a new restaurant opened there.

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  8. Did I miss something? when did sloopin mix with south loop connection? same comments

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  9. I don't know what Anonymous 12/9/11 is suggesting. Comments aren't the same; SLC post on Tribute closing came out hours before Sloopin's post. Can you point out the identical comments?

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