New Restaurant Downtown Waukegan

[Blackdiamond]

I caught a glimpse of this in the paper online, but couldn't find the article. Anyone know anything about it?

[julia]

The News Sun has the article on the inside of the front page. Same people are opening a steak house, have taken over & opened Bistro 17 (New name Bistro A....?something) & are opening a coffee shop. I wonder how much money way thrown their way to make this happen?

[fedupinwaukegan]

I'm looking forward to this. If the steak and service is good we will be regulars -have dining dollars to spend and hate going to Gurnee.


'Destination dining'
Steakhouse to open in downtown Waukegan
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November 1, 2008
By Long Hwa-shu special to the news-sun

WAUKEGAN -- A steakhouse, the first of its kind in downtown Waukegan, is set to open in mid-December across from the Genesee Theatre.

The 250-seat Jack's on the Park will anchor the $6-million, two-story 42,000-square-foot Academy Square which is already a head-turner for downtown visitors.

"We want to make Waukegan a destination dining experience," assured John Grbac as he led visitors on a tour of the interior of the restaurant Thursday.

"This will be the bar designed to serve a large crowd that comes all at once from the theater," he said of the 27-foot service area to be staffed by seven bartenders.

Grbac noted that the restaurant's success will, in a large measure, depend on the bookings of the theater.

"When there's a date, we're going to fill," he said, adding: "We need your support, everyone of you."

Grbac of Chicago and Ray Vanagas of Naperville are partners in the restaurant venture. Between them, they have more than 40 years of experience in the restaurant business, according to Vanagas, formerly of Lake Forest. Grbac owned and operated Cairo Blonde and several restaurants in Chicago. Vanagas managed Leona's restaurants in Chicago and also Café Alexander in Naperville and Aurora.

The two partners have already opened Bistro Amalfi, formerly Bistro 17, and will open Foam, a coffee house, next to the steakhouse in two weeks. Amalfi which specializes the Amalfi coastal region food grand-opened Thursday.

"Waukegan with the revived downtown has so much to offer. There are 1,400 boat slips in the harbor," said Vanagas, an actor who is a founder of the Chicago Actors Studio and appeared the movie "Shut Eye," which was filmed in Waukegan.

"People don't seem to know enough about Waukegan. Nobody pushed the cart enough to make it take off. But we're going to make it happen," he added.

The new steakhouse will have as its executive chef George Ramirez ,who has been a chef at Lovell's in Lake Forest nine years.

"We're going to age our steaks to give them the good flavor," promised Vanagas.

The steakhouse, which will occupy 9,500 square feet, will have a piano bar, a banquet room and also a private dining room.

The two partners are leasing the space and also the building housing Bistro Amalfi from Revolution Investment Partners of Waukegan.

"We know they can make this take off," said a confident Charles Herbst, Revolution managing director.

With the new anchor tenant, Herbst is bullish that the development, which was started in 2006, will finally start to pay off.

"I'm looking for tenants for the upstairs. There are 7,600 square feet of office space here," he said as he pointed to courtyard down below featuring a sculpture carved from a hunk of Kansas limestone. It is by Fritz Olsen, an artist from Sawyer, Mich., titled "Prosperity."

"That's what we need downtown, prosperity," he said.

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A limestone sculpture titled "Prosperity" in the courtyard of Academy Square lights up at night. Developer Charles Herbst said the courtyard may include patio dining for Jack's on the Park in warmer months.


John Grbac, co-owner of Jack's on the Park, and Bistro Amalfi give a tour to Waukegan officials and guests Thursday. Grbac shows where a huge bar will be built inside the steakhouse across from Genesee Theatre.

[s.wonder]

"A steakhouse, the first of its kind in downtown Waukegan, is set to open in mid-December"
Yeah, but of what year? This is nothin other than election hype crapola to help make the Hyde Administration look less lame than they really are, and at the expense of the poor abused Waukegan Taxpayers. I expell putrid gas in their general direction.

[Snoopy]

"A steakhouse, the first of its kind in downtown Waukegan, is set to open in mid-December"
Yeah, but of what year? This is nothin other than election hype crapola to help make the Hyde Administration look less lame than they really are, and at the expense of the poor abused Waukegan Taxpayers. I expell putrid gas in their general direction.

This is a step in the right direction to bring downtown back to life. Looks serious this time around. I do not credit city govt for any of this, other than the insight to torch the old Academy theatre . Unless they can pack Genesee, I wonder if this group has the capital to sustain itself for a couple of years?

[Blackdiamond]

Are they going to be open when nothing is happening at the Theatre? What about parking, will that be free and where?

[Danno]

I have heard the city (we the taxpayers) are subsidizing this to the tune of $12,500 a month. I support subsidizing but only for the right kind of pioneering enterprizes. As far as Mr. Herbst goes, it's a little puzzling why he has risked so much here in little ol Waukegan. He's either very brave, very stupid or very paid off to be risking so much . So far his plans for the two restaurants (Blackjack's and Jack's on the Park) have failed and for unknown reasons. Nothing was said about those failures. Why?

Even more lame is the fact that Blackjack's being advertised to the public as open for business:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.superpages.com/bp/Waukegan-IL/Blackjacks-Restaurant-L2079537835.htm?SRC=portals&C=Food+%26+Dining&lbp=1">http://www.superpages.com/bp/Waukegan-I ... ning&lbp=1</a><!-- m -->

The Hyde administrations ineptness, lack of creative thinking and failure to recognize and exploit Waukegan's true assets leads to desperation and that desperation leads to compromise and that compromise leads to failure. We are on that path now and have been on that path since the Durkin years.

[Snoopy]

I have heard the city (we the taxpayers) are subsidizing this to the tune of $12,500 a month. I support subsidizing but only for the right kind of pioneering enterprizes. As far as Mr. Herbst goes, it's a little puzzling why he has risked so much here in little ol Waukegan. He's either very brave, very stupid or very paid off to be risking so much . So far his plans for the two restaurants (Blackjack's and Jack's on the Park) have failed and for unknown reasons. Nothing was said about those failures. Why?

Even more lame is the fact that Blackjack's being advertised to the public as open for business:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.superpages.com/bp/Waukegan-IL/Blackjacks-Restaurant-L2079537835.htm?SRC=portals&C=Food+%26+Dining&lbp=1">http://www.superpages.com/bp/Waukegan-I ... ning&lbp=1</a><!-- m -->

The Hyde administrations ineptness, lack of creative thinking and failure to recognize and exploit Waukegan's true assets leads to desperation and that desperation leads to compromise and that compromise leads to failure. We are on that path now and have been on that path since the Durkin years.

Say it ain't so, Danno?

[Guest]

I have heard the city (we the taxpayers) are subsidizing this to the tune of $12,500 a month....

Taxwise we've supported this "town" a long-long-LONG time.
If so, how about subsidizing OUR taxes :evil:

[marshmellow]

I have heard the city (we the taxpayers) are subsidizing this to the tune of $12,500 a month. I support subsidizing but only for the right kind of pioneering enterprizes. As far as Mr. Herbst goes, it's a little puzzling why he has risked so much here in little ol Waukegan. He's either very brave, very stupid or very paid off to be risking so much . So far his plans for the two restaurants (Blackjack's and Jack's on the Park) have failed and for unknown reasons. Nothing was said about those failures. Why?

Even more lame is the fact that Blackjack's being advertised to the public as open for business:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.superpages.com/bp/Waukegan-IL/Blackjacks-Restaurant-L2079537835.htm?SRC=portals&C=Food+%26+Dining&lbp=1">http://www.superpages.com/bp/Waukegan-I ... ning&lbp=1</a><!-- m -->

The Hyde administrations ineptness, lack of creative thinking and failure to recognize and exploit Waukegan's true assets leads to desperation and that desperation leads to compromise and that compromise leads to failure. We are on that path now and have been on that path since the Durkin years.

Why is Herbst risking so much? Well that's open to a lot of speculation. (Of course, I never speculate ) .

You might also want to know why the City keeps on accomodating Herbst and his pals by allowing them to continually acquire formerly city-owned properties when they can't even make good use of their existing properties.

If someone could peel back the veneer, there is rot somewhere underneath. When an unknown speculator with little experience gets one piece of downtown property after another, with plenty of help from the City, something else is going on here. The failures, tax 'incentives', delays after delays... all by the same characters...there is something very fishy going on, and I don’t mean the perch platter.