Round Food: Part Two
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Jacobs had his first slice in his hometown of New Haven, Connecticut, and to oversee the kitchen at Piece he’s hired Ray Peck, an old high school friend who’s been in the pizza business in New Haven for the past 16 years. With the help of Matt Brynildson, former head of brewing operations at Goose Island Brewery, Jacobs is installing a microbrewery whose dramatically lit equipment will be a focal point of the decor. The restaurant is being designed by Jeremiah Johnson, a protege of architect Stanley Tigerman whose resume includes the nightclub Big Wig and the Wicker Park sushi restaurant Mirai; Piece will accommodate almost 250 customers and will feature dark wood surfaces, a skylight, a lounge, and a small stage for live music. Jacobs says he’s concentrating on the Wicker Park eatery for now, though he doesn’t rule out more outlets in the future.
Vicki Quade was surprised when Doug Bragan, owner of the Ivanhoe Theater, suggested in late March that she move her long-running play Late Nite Catechism to a new venue; the hit comedy provided the Ivanhoe with steady rental income for five years before Quade transferred it to the Royal George Theatre Center. But last week she and the rest of the city’s theater community learned that Bragan might sell the Ivanhoe to Atlas Development Company, which plans to demolish the property on Wellington near Clark and erect a high-rise condominium that could include as many as 60 units, a parking garage, and retail space on the ground floor. Bragan, who bought the Ivanhoe in 1982, says he’s been approached by developers many times before, but the amount of Atlas’s bid (which he would not disclose) makes the offer “irresistible.” If the deal goes through, he says, the theater will remain open through 2000 or possibly the first quarter of 2001.
Nederlander’s move into the Palace could be the beginning of the end for its other Chicago venue, the Shubert. With its cramped stage and unsalable second balcony, the theater isn’t cut out for the touring megamusicals that dominate every major market. One Nederlander attraction, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, has already jumped ship, moving its fall season to the Palace after a long association with the Shubert.
