6 New Restaurants Opening Soon in Evanston

With the new year comes a new crop of restaurants planning to open in Evanston, including a California-based healthy fast food chain, a Szechuan restaurant and an outpost of Chicago's DMK Burger Bar and Fish Bar.

Six new restaurants are coming before the city council next Monday for liquor license approvals and special use permits, according to city documents. Here's what Evanston foodies have to look forward to:

1. Boltwood: The farm-to-table restaurant with a full service bar will replace Lulu's, which is closing after 21 years in Evanston. Managing partner and Chef Brian Huston will serve up dishes like Slagel Farm roast chicken, suckling pig and tasting boards of seasonal grilled and marinated vegetables, meats and cheeses, according to city documents. Managing partner John Kim (who also owns Brothers K) told the city's liquor control board that he hopes to open in mid-May 2014, city documents show.

2. LYFE Kitchen: The new restaurant at 1603 Orrington Ave. will be the second location in Illinois for the California-based chain, which recently opened an outpost in River North. Menu items include fresh salads like the kale Caesar, grass-fed burgers and quinoa wraps as well as wine and beer. The owners say they hope to open in April 2014, according to city documents.

3. The Crystal Residence: Northshore Hotel owner Jeff Michael says he plans to rebrand the former North Shore Retirement Home as The Crystal Residence. Renovations to the building at 1611 Chicago Ave. include an expanded dining area with a restaurant, lounge and ballroom. Eventually, Michael says he hopes to open the dining area to the public or to guests of residents, city documents show.

4. Lao Sze Chuan: Chicago restaurateur Tony Hu hopes to open a branch of his Lao Sze Chuan restaurant at 1633 Orrington Ave. this January, according to city documents. The menu will feature the spicy Szechuan cuisine Hu is famous for, including some of the most popular items from Lao Sze Chuan’s Chinatown and Uptown locations, such as spicy hot pots and Ma Po Tofu (made with marinated pork, bean curd and mashed black beans). Hu operates 11 different restaurants around Chicago. 

5. Harold's Chicken Shack: The Chicago fried chicken chain is opening a location at 337 Howard St. in Evanston, near the red line station. Franchise owner Kelly Roberts told Patch she expects to open the restaurant in March, assuming she gets approval from the city. 

6. DMK Burger Bar and Fish Bar: The Chicago restauranteurs behind DMK Burger Bar, Fish Bar and Ada Street are opening a location at 815 Noyes St. in Evanston, filling the space vacated by Fraiche last January. The burger bar is known for its creative concoctions, like "The Gobbler," a Thanksgiving specialty that combines a turkey patty, mashed potatoes, celery and cranberry relish.

Editor's Note: This story was updated to include the correct name of the restaurant at 804 Davis St. HKK is the name of the LLC created to open the restaurant; it will actually be called Boltwood.