Liquor License

An Avondale bar-owner was arrested early Sunday morning after police discovered 12 grams of cocaine in his "after hours club. " Police officials also said the bar was serving alcohol without a license and offering video poker machines without a license. According to the police report, Louis Rufin, 44, of the 3000 block of West Irving Park Road, was at his bar early Sunday morning when police officers entered with a search warrant. The officers searched him, and then his establishment, and found 15 bags of a substance they suspected to be cocaine.

Ever forget to buy bubbly to make mimosas for a Sunday BYOB brunch? Or want to pick up wine for dinner while grocery shopping early Sunday morning? You may be in luck. A measure, sponsored by six aldermen and introduced to the City Council on Wednesday, would allow supermarkets to start selling packaged goods of alcoholic liquor at 8 a.m. on Sundays.  Currently , retailers licensed to sell alcohol in Chicago can't do that until 11 a.m. on Sundays unless Sunday fell on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve when alcohol is allowed to be sold at 8 a.m. Licensed...

Some restaurants open without a liquor license, or without signage. When Bucktown's latest sushi restaurant opened its doors at 1613 N. Damen Ave. on Aug. 28, it did so without a name. Instead of debuting with its identity already set in stone, the restaurant launched a contest asking customers to submit their ideas for a name. Chicagoan Lindsay Krupa's entry, "Enso," was selected as the winning name. "[Enso] means 'circle' in Japanese and symbolizes the moment in which the mind is free for the body or spirit to create," said general manager Vassaly Sivanthaphanith.  Krupa's...

UPDATE, May 6, 2014: Founder Robert Finkel said the East Village Assocation voted on May 5 to support lifting a two-block liquor moratorium that would have prevented Forbidden Root from opening its taproom at 1746 W. Chicago Ave. He said the brewery already has received zoning approval and the stated support of Ald. Moreno. Moreno is expected to introduce legislation to lift the liquor moratorium during an upcoming City Council meeting.  A community meeting to a discuss proposed taproom in West Town drew an estimated 325 people to a historic building on Chicago...

Circuit nightclub, a Boystown mainstay for 15 years, has closed and its outlook for reopening is uncertain. Owner Michael Macharello said the club was closed by the landlord after years of arrears in rent. "Just getting through this economy and surviving it has been difficult," he said.  But the landlord for the property, Frank Friedman of Sterling Properties, said Macharello is not the leaseholder and that the club's closing resulted from Macharello permanently removing the liquor license from the property.

UPDATE, May 6, 2014: Founder Robert Finkel said the East Village Assocation voted on May 5 to support lifting a two-block liquor moratorium that would have prevented Forbidden Root from opening its taproom at 1746 W. Chicago Ave. He said the brewery already has received zoning approval and the stated support of Ald. Moreno. Moreno is expected to introduce legislation to lift the liquor moratorium during an upcoming City Council meeting.  A community meeting to a discuss proposed taproom in West Town drew an estimated...

The Bongo Room, the ever-popular American brunch spot with locations in Wicker Park and the South Loop , is planning to open a third outpost on Andersonville's Clark Street strip in early April. Owner John Latino said they'll be closing the deal on the building (5022 N. Clark St.) sometime tomorrow, Feb. 17. Latino said the retail space was constructed to be a sleek wood-burning pizza eatery that never opened, and that the interior has more modern touches than their other similarly-sized locations.

If all goes as planned (read: if the liquor license comes through), Tattoo Factory owner Paul Collurafici will open Drink & Ink (4443 N. Broadway) adjacent to the studio, an Uptown fixture since 1976. Although construction has yet to begin, plans have been in the works for more than a year, and zoning and building permits secured, for what Collurafici refers to as “the Seinfeld bar - the bar about nothing.” “There won't be any karaoke, there won't be any speed dating, there won't be any sports,” he said.

A local chef with a memorable name and a talent for making equally memorable doughnuts is opening his own restaurant. Enoch Simpson, most known for creating those addictive butterscotch-bacon doughnuts served during brunch at Nightwood, will soon open Endgrain in the space formerly housing Terragusto (1851 W. Addison St.). "We're featuring the doughnuts here every morning and as part of the daily brunch," said Simpson, who is running the business with the help of his brother Caleb.

Ever forget to buy bubbly to make mimosas for a Sunday BYOB brunch? Or want to pick up wine for dinner while grocery shopping early Sunday morning? You may be in luck. A measure, sponsored by six aldermen and introduced to the City Council on Wednesday, would allow supermarkets to start selling packaged goods of alcoholic liquor at 8 a.m. on Sundays.  Currently , retailers licensed to sell alcohol in Chicago can't do that until 11 a.m. on Sundays unless Sunday fell on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve when alcohol is allowed to...

Former Sepia general manager Chris Pappas and The Dawson designer Dan Sheehy are partnering to open The Winchester in Ukainian Village. Located in a building Pappas owns at 1001 N. Winchester, the restaurant will begin serving breakfast and lunch before Christmas and eventually will also offer dinner. “There was a hole in the neighborhood for what we want to do here -- basically a cafe by day with some nice grab-and-go breakfast items that rolls into lunch and dinner,” Pappas said.

Does the ever-popular River North neighborhood, home to hotspots including the Underground, Bull & Bear and Three Dots and a Dash, have too many bars? The City Council Committee on License and Consumer Protection on Wednesday is expected to consider an ordinance as listed on its agenda that would limit the number of liquor licenses in a certain section of the trendy neighborhood. The ordinance, which was introduced last month by Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd), calls for no additional licenses to be issued for the sale of alcohol for consumption on...

An alderman on Wednesday proposed to regulate "social clubs" two weeks after a man was arrested at one in Logan Square where allegedly drugs were found, alcohol was sold without a license and video poker machines were operating without a license. The proposal introduced by Ald. Roberto Maldonado (26 th ) at the City Council meeting calls for a limited business license if the premises allows alcohol and automatic amusement devices. Exemptions would include any business that holds a valid liquor license, public place of amusement license or...

An Avondale bar-owner was arrested early Sunday morning after police discovered 12 grams of cocaine in his "after hours club. " Police officials also said the bar was serving alcohol without a license and offering video poker machines without a license. According to the police report, Louis Rufin, 44, of the 3000 block of West Irving Park Road, was at his bar early Sunday morning when police officers entered with a search warrant. The officers searched him, and then his establishment, and found 15...

NOV. 20 UPDATE: Though Circuit partner Mike Macharello has moved the club's weekly parties to other venues such as Evergreen (809 W. Evergreen Ave. ) and House (1675 N. Elston Ave.) since the closing, he told RedEye that he still has hope for Circuit in its Halsted Street location. “I have every intention to negotiate with the landlord to try and come to amicable terms that would be beneficial to all parties involved,” he wrote in an email. According to landlord Frank Friedman of Sterling Properties, Macharello is not the leaseholder...

If saving money is important to you but staying sober isn't, a BYOB restaurant might be your best bet for dining out. In the past few months, five new spots with a liberal DIY libation policy have opened their doors. To take the guesswork out of your booze buying, we asked staffers to suggest what beverage would best match each eatery's most popular dishes. The Lazy Parrot 2257 W. North Ave. 773-227-5299 What to bring: Pinot grigio would partner well with this tropical Bucktown eatery's shrimp fiesta dish ($18)

An alderman on Wednesday proposed to regulate "social clubs" two weeks after a man was arrested at one in Logan Square where allegedly drugs were found, alcohol was sold without a license and video poker machines were operating without a license. The proposal introduced by Ald. Roberto Maldonado (26 th ) at the City Council meeting calls for a limited business license if the premises allows alcohol and automatic amusement devices. Exemptions would include any business that holds a valid liquor license, public place of amusement license or retail food establishment license.

A local chef with a memorable name and a talent for making equally memorable doughnuts is opening his own restaurant. Enoch Simpson, most known for creating those addictive butterscotch-bacon doughnuts served during brunch at Nightwood, will soon open Endgrain in the space formerly housing Terragusto (1851 W. Addison St.). "We're featuring the doughnuts here every morning and as part of the daily brunch," said Simpson, who is running the business with the help of his brother Caleb.