UPTOWN — Andy Kalish is close to realizing the “culinary gathering hub” he’s envisioned along Wilson Avenue in Uptown.
The restaurateur is wrapping up some final changes for a new menu, new bar services and expanded hours at Longacre, the eatery he opened in the former Baker and Nosh space at 1303 W. Wilson Ave. earlier this year.
Kalish and his wife Gina also run the adjacent Pizza Squared by Longacre and Kal’ish restaurants, as well as the Ravenswood Event Center.
Longacre closed at the beginning of the month to prepare for the menu refresh and light facelift, and is slated to reopen on Wednesday, Oct. 24, Kalish told Block Club.
Longacre, which previously served Detroit-style pizzas from the next-door pizzeria in addition to appetizers and brunch fare, is swapping out the pies for new small-plate menu items and a full list of boozy beverages. The new dinner menu will focus on “Midwestern tapas” dishes made from pork, salmon, Lake Superior whitefish and duck confit tacos.
Longacre will still serve brunch as it did before, but only on Sundays.
Diners can also choose from local beers, wine, hard cider and a list of six to eight crafted cocktails, all thanks to a liquor license Longacre obtained in late September.
Food prices will run in the “mid-teens,” with no item expected to cost more than $18, Kalish said. Beer, wine, cider and cocktails are expected to cost between $8 and $14.
The restaurant’s evening hours are also expanding to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. In anticipation of staying open longer, Kalish said he hired eight new staffers.
In addition to the menu revamp, Longacre’s dining room is getting a light facelift. The refresh includes a seated bar with stools and a new fern canopy in the dining room for a little extra greenery.
“We’re darkening it, making it more intimate,” Kalish said. “I really want this to sort of be the culinary gathering hub of Sheridan Park. And really, a shining star in Uptown.”
Longacre isn’t the only one of Kalish’s restaurants sporting some new changes.
Pizza Squared will also debut some new menu items this week, such as a chicken piccata sandwich with lightly breaded chicken, arugula, pickled fennel, red onion and roasted garlic aioli; and a charcuterie sandwich with locally produced meats, French cheeses, and a few pickled ingredients for flavor.