When it rains, it floods (in the South Loop)

If you were outside walking in the rain this past Saturday, you probably had some difficulty navigating the flooding in the streets, alleys, and sidewalks. This was especially true for 16th Street between Indiana and Wabash, where the city has spent a lot of time (and we do me a lot of time) digging up the street, replacing sewer pipes, and then repaving the streets. You would think that water drainage would be an important consideration when making roadway and sewer improvements, but reality doesn’t seem to confirm this theory.

You needed waders if you wanted you feet to stay dry.

What do you think? Are the 16th Street improvements really improvements? And when do you think the work on 16th between State and Clark will be completed?

Check out the video below of road and sidewalk flooding on 16th between Michigan and Wabash.

Acadia Opens Tonight

Acadia, the latest upscale restaurant to open in the South Loop, makes its debut tonight. Located at 1639 S. Wabash Ave., this new venue looks stunning. If the pictures on their Website, blog and Facebook page are even close to accurate, you’re sure to be impressed if you pay them a visit. According to the restaurant’s blog, the name “Acadia” means was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern day Maine. The word Acadia comes “from the Arcadia district in Greece, which since classical antiquity had the extended meanings of ‘refuge’ or ‘idyllic place.’” Well, the space certainly look idyllic. They’re taking reservations for New Year’s. To take a peek at their menu, click here.

If you’re one of the lucky patrons this evening, or later in the week, please let us know what your experience was like.

New Chef Brings New Menu To Gioco This Fall

Chef Caetano Ascione

Gioco restaurant announced the appointment of Gaetano Ascione as its new Executive Chef. The popular South Loop Italian restaurant was spruced up this spring with new furnishings and a new antipasto bar. Ascione, who arrived at Gioco late this summer, has added some new dishes, including linguini with fresh clams and veal scallopini. Chef Ascione will introduce his new menu this fall.

Ascione is a native of Naples, Italy. He has worked as a chef in Italy, Germany, the UK, and the Bahamas. Chef Ascione was the Chef de Cuisine at the George Town Club in Washington, DC where he served both Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.

Gioco will continue serving their popular wood-fired pizzas, veal meatballs, fried calamari, and house-made papardelle with wild boar ragu, but with Chef Ascione’s “culinary perspectives.”

Gioco is located at 1312 S. Wabash Ave. For reservations call 312-939-3870 or visit their Web site.

Activity at the Former Ole' Hardwood?

There was some activity at the former Ole' Hardwood located at 1315 S. Wabash Ave. this morning. Workers were removing charred remains of the upscale "gastro-smokehouse" restaurant.

Workers removed some of the charred remains from 1315 S. Wabash Ave.

Ole' Hardwood was destroyed in a fire on December 30, 2010. The fire was later labeled "incendiary" by the Chicago Fire Department.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words: Trader Joe's in the South Loop

Scout’s Honor: The Scout’s Grand Opening Is Set For August 19th and 20th

It seems like we’ve been reporting about the opening date for The Scout Waterhouse and Kitchen for months. Well, maybe that’s because we have. But it’s really close to opening, really! The official opening is August 19th and 20th. However, rumor has it that they’ll be open the middle of next week, so keep your eyes peeled as you walk or cruise down S. Wabash Ave.

The Scout is located at 1301 S. Wabash

Recycled, Rustic, and Real Cool
Chris Bravos, Managing Partner for The Scout and former co-owner of The Pony in Lakeview, took us on a tour of the facility, which is now complete. The rustic upscale tavern and sports bar is sure to impress with its interesting mix of wood, metal, and glass. Bravos pointed out the custom wood and metalwork throughout. The front and back bar countertops are made from 2" old growth pine, with metal inlay, replicating the look of old wine barrels. Bravos was quick to point out that the pine is solid and not pressed wood. The wood blocks behind the back bar were reclaimed from Lake Michigan piers, which is a nice touch considering the tavern’s location.

Fifteen Beers on Tap
If you visited the space when it was Opera, you may remember the private booths in the back. Those have been converted to coolers with full see-through glass doors. Bravos explained that those spaces were dressing rooms when the building housed a department store and before that, movie canister storage rooms when it was a film exchange facility for Warner Brothers. The Scout has 15 beers on tap. For a full list of beers and wines served at The Scout, click here.

"The Scout Waterhouse and Kitchen"

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A Well Organized Space
One of the things that struck us is the way the space is organized. It’s big, but Bravos and his team have created smaller spaces within the larger space. There are tables with their own flat screen TVs for those who don’t want to watch what everyone else is watching. They’ve included a special room that could be used for private parties or meetings. It’s fully wired for movies and audio visual presentations.

Prices Range from $3 - $19
Food menu prices range from $3 - $19 for salads, burgers, sandwiches, and entrees. Some entrees on the menu include black Angus pot roast, dry rubbed rib eye, and bacon wrapped Angus meatloaf. Okay, they had us at bacon! According to the restaurant’s press release, Executive Chef George DeZutti is “excited to try several new dishes on The Scout customers, like an Andouille Stuffed Pork Chop.”

Hours of Operation
The Scout will be open seven days a week, 365 days a year. The hours of operation are Sunday – Friday: 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 a.m.; Saturday: 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 a..m.; Saturday and Sunday brunch starts at 9:00 a.m.

The Scout is located at 1301 S. Wabash Ave. For more information, visit their Web site or call 312-705-1595.

13th and Wabash Continued

Obstruction Moved
The truck flatbed that was blocking the south-facing stop sign at S. Wabash and 13th has been moved to the east side of S. Wabash near 14th. We put in a call to 311 yesterday and we’re happy to see they made sure the truck was moved.

What we're seeing on S. Wabash these days

What's the 311?
South Loop Connection still hasn’t been able to get any information on how long the water main work will take. The signs say call the 311 operator for information, which we did this afternoon. The 311 operator was very polite, but the work seemed to be as big a surprise to her as to us. She checked with her supervisor, but she was not able to provide any additional information.

"Work on S. Wabash and S. Michigan"

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Timing is Everything
The timing couldn’t be worse for the restaurants along S. Wabash offering alfresco dining, just when the weather is finally getting nice. We called Gioco, but there was no one available to speak with us before this piece was posted. Zapatista’s had their answering service on.

There is also sewer work going on along Michigan Ave., which seems to be another surprise to most of us.

13th and Wabash: Dangerous Crossing

Water Main Construction
The water main work currently going on S.Wabash Ave. may be snarling traffic, but it’s also creating a hazard. A truck loaded with pipes is obscuring the stop sign to vehicles traveling south.



Traffic snarls during construction

Walk This Way
Walking across Wabash this afternoon, I was almost run down by a tracker-trailer truck barreling through the stop sign, honking as he went. Obviously, he thought he had the right of way.

"13th & South Wabash"

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Be on the Alert
South Loop Connection put in a 311 report and also contacted the Alderman’s office. Please be aware of this obstruction while you’re walking and/or driving down S. Wabash, just south of Jewel. If you don’t see any action being taken to correct this situation, please call 311 yourself and/or contact the Alderman’s office.

Opera Is No More...

Well, it's been gone since December of last year, but the "Opera" sign came down yesterday. Moving into the space at 1301 S. Wabash is much-anticipated The Scout Waterhouse & Kitchen. The new gastro-pub opening soon should be pretty spectacular. Last week, I posted pictures of the interior under construction. Inside you'll be hard-pressed to remember what the old space looked like. Outside, the bottle glass is being removed and replaced with more traditional see-through glass windowpanes.

The "Opera" sign is no more.

Around the South Loop

Progress at the new Firestone service center,  at S. Wabash and 16th, seems to have picked up.

True Rock Ministries, 16th and S. Wabash,  is having a "Harvest Community Day" on October 23, 2010.

When you look south on Michigan Ave. near 16th St., it's hard to believe the Marathon was just yesterday; the city did a great job cleaning up.

Around the South Loop: The Firestone Store is Under Construction

The sign says it all: Progress is being made on the new building at 16th and S. Wabash.

Masons work on the brick facade yesterday (Sunday)

A view from 16th St. by the L