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Politics & Government

Monarch Opens Friday in Former Uberstein; Lillie's Q Expands Beyond Bucktown

In this week's food and dining news, Andrew Brochu turns former sports bar, Uberstein, into a new restaurant; Lillie's Q is set to open a second location; and Intelligentsia Coffee is moving in nearby.

This week's big Wicker Park-Bucktown dining news involves a new coffee chain moving to the area, and an acclaimed chef turning a sports bar into his latest restaurant.

The Monarch Opens This Week

German sports bar Uberstein, 1745 W. North Ave., closed on Jan. 1 and is set to reopen as a restaurant under the direction of chef Andrew Brochu, according to a report from the Wicker Park Bucktown Insider's Guide. The initial news was based on a Dec. 5 Tweet from food writer Carly Fisher announcing the former Graham Elliot executive chef's plans to revamp the bar, but details have been scarce since then.

The restaurant, to be named "The Monarch," will have its grand opening at 5 p.m. on Jan. 11, according to a post on its recently-launched Facebook page.

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Lillie's Q Expands Beyond Bucktown

In other news, Bucktown barbecue eatery Lillie's Q has announced via its Facebook page that it would be opening a second Chicago location in the West Loop's Chicago French Market. The target is sometime in late January. The Bucktown location opened its doors in 2010, and the original Lillie's Q—which chef Charlie McKenna co-owns with his parents—opened in Florida in 2008.

The French Market site will serve about half of what's available on the Bucktown menu, according to a news release from Lillie's Q spokesman Dave Andrews. However, the new locations will exclusively feature a new dish of "scratch-made kettle chips dusted with either pimiento cheese powder or Lillie’s Q 'Carolina Dirt' BBQ rub," the release says.

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Wicker Park to Welcome Intelligentsia

Chicago-based Intelligentsia Coffee also announced a major expansion, with five new café's planned to open across the country in 2013, according to a report from coffee blog Sprudge.

All three will be on the city's North Side. A Wicker Park location is planned for the intersection of Ashland Avenue and Division Street, and will reportedly open in the fall. The Logan Square location, 2646 N. Milwaukee Ave., will open in the spring, while an Old Town location, 1233 N. Wells St., is slated for early summer.

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