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RECENTLY OPENED RESTAURANTS
The following is a sampling of some of the new restaurants
that have opened in the last few months in the western suburbs.

Seasons 52
1770 E. Higgins Rd., Schaumburg
847 517-5252

By T.R. Witom 

Seasons 52, a fresh grill and wine bar restaurant opened in May at 1770 E. Higgins Rd., Schaumburg (847 517-5252).
Capitalizing on its name, the 300-plus-seat restaurant focuses on what’s seasonally fresh at the farmers’ market.

Specialties include steak and cremini mushroom flatbread, wood-roasted pork tenderloin and blackened mahi mahi. Dinner entrées range from $12 to $27. An extensive list features more than 100 wines, including 60 by the glass.

Gibsons
2105 Spring Rd., Oak Brook
630 954-0000

By T.R. Witom

Serious meat eaters gained a new venue for steaks and chops in late May with the long-awaited debut of Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse in Oak Brook (2105 Spring Rd., 630 954-0000). It’s the third such outlet; other locations are in Chicago and Rosemont.

“We took our time finding the right location and this site was ideal,” says Gregg Horan, managing partner in the newest restaurant. The facility accommodates 200 in the main dining room and 200 on an outdoor patio, plus more in a banquet space. A pianist provides music nightly.

Gibsons’ menu features U.S.D.A. prime beef, mostly from Black Angus cattle. A number of seafood entrees also are available. Dinner entrées run from $17 to $45.

Prasino
51 S. First St., St. Charles

By T.R. Witom

A mid-summer opening is planned for Prasino at 51 S. First St., St. Charles, says Peggy Maglaris-Kopley, general manager of the eco-friendly restaurant that will emphasize locally grown organic fare.

The family-owned business opened its first Prasino in late 2009 in LaGrange (93 S. LaGrange Rd., 708 469-7058) and already is scouting a third site for “sometime next year” in Chicago’s Bucktown/Wicker Park neighborhood.

Like its sister restaurant, the new outlet will be open seven days a week and serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. It will seat 200, plus more guests at an outdoor patio. Le Cordon Bleu-trained Executive Chef Scott Halverson has forged ties with organic produce growers, sustainable seafood purveyors and
antibiotic- and hormone-free meat suppliers. Through the apiary at Heritage Prairie Farm, he keeps two bee hives expected to supply 300 pounds of honey this season.

Entrées average $8 to $12 at lunch and about $15 at dinner, and vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free selections are interleaved throughout the menus. The bar stocks organic beer and is expanding its wine list of organic or bio-dynamic wines from $11 to $30.

Rita's American Roadhouse
1211-A Butterfied Rd., Downers Grove
630 515-1177

By T.R. Witom

Food, drinks and the opportunity to kick up one’s heels are all part of the scene at Rita’s American Roadhouse in Downers Grove (1211-A Butterfield Rd.,
630 515-1177), which opened in early June.

The concept is designed as an “adult playground,” and all guests must be 21 or older. The enterprise is the brainchild of Larry Spatz, managing partner of Small World Entertainment and founder of Baja Beach Club, and Chef Patty Romanow, previous owner of the Spaghetti Bowl in Western Springs.

Romanow’s creative pizzas, specialty sandwiches and homemade pasta dishes — lasagna, ravioli, tortellini, among others — are all part of the menu at Rita’s, where appetizers range from $5 to $9 and pizzas, depending on size and ingredients, from $7 to $19.

The 12,000-sq-ft roadhouse has four full-service bars and can accommodate 700 guests who can take a turn on a hardwood dance floor or a challenging ride on a mechanical bull. Rita’s American Roadhouse is open Tuesday-Friday from 4 p.m. to
2 a.m., and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Las Palmas Mexican Restaurant & Bar
1518 E. New York St., Aurora
630 585-6179

By T.R. Witom

When Effraim Lopez opened the first Las Palmas Mexican Restaurant & Bar in 1984 he had no way of knowing how rapidly the business would grow. Still family-owned, the restaurant group continues to thrive.

In mid-April, it opened its newest outlet at 1518 E. New York St., Aurora
(630 585-6179), which is managed by Effraim’s son, Hector. The new location joins other west suburban spots in Naperville and Westmont.

Traditional Mexican fare, including enchiladas with mole, shrimp quesadillas, various iterations of fajitas, broiled chicken and grilled steak, dominates the menu. Dinner entrées average $10 to $18, and there’s a full bar.

Lopez says there’s live entertainment on weekends, including a guitar trio on Fridays from 6 to 9 p.m., a harpist and guitarist on Saturdays from 6 to 9 p.m. and a mariachi band Sundays from 2 to 5 p.m. Las Palmas serves lunch and dinner seven days a week.

La Tosca Ristorante & Pizzeria
123 E. St. Charles Rd., Villa Park
630 832-5300

By T.R. Witom

Traditional Italian favorites are the mainstay at the recently opened La Tosca Ristorante & Pizzeria in Villa Park (123 E. St. Charles Rd., 630 832-5300), says owner Russ Grazzano, whose family has had 45 years’ experience in the restaurant business and continues to run Sorrento’s Village in Melrose Park.

“We’re from Sicily, but our food is a mix of cuisine from both northern and southern Italy,” says Grazzano.

La Tosca zuppa de pesce and homemade pasta, including wide-ribboned pappardelle, are signature dishes. Many desserts such as cannoli and tiramisu are made in-house by Grazzano’s wife, Giovanna. Other family members also are active in the operation of the 120-seat restaurant.

Entrées range in price from $13 to $17, and reservations are accepted.

Mad Mark's Mystic Pizza
871 E. Algonquin Rd., Schaumburg
847 397-3100

By T.R. Witom

Restaurant space long known as the Alumni Club (and before that, the Snuggery) at 871 E. Algonquin Rd., Schaumburg (847 397-3100) has had a thorough makeover and reopened in June as Mad Mark’s Mystic Pizza.

Ala Carte Entertainment continues to own and operate the property, says Shaun Doherty of Ala Carte. And while Mad Mark’s retains its status as a late-night venue, “we’re broadening the emphasis on families,” Doherty says.

Mad Mark’s offers casual dine-in, carry out and curbside pick-up. The group-friendly place seats 750 in the dining room and bar areas and can accommodate birthday gatherings, showers, graduation parties and corporate events. Its menu features pizzas, panini and wraps, prime burgers fresh ground daily, organic salads and an array of appetizers.

Sports fans can find more than 30 large-screen TVs and stadium-surround sound and a variety of high-tech games. Outside, Mad Mark’s offers patio seating for 350 customers who also can entertain themselves on a sand volleyball court, six bags courts and a basketball court.

Taste Menu Guide 2010
Peruse sample menus from many of the top
restaurants in the western suburbs.

(View the full menu guide here)