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HYDE PARK — 14 Parish, a Caribbean fusion restaurant formerly located in the South Loop, will take over the former Bibliophile site in Hyde Park beginning April 11.
Crews are finishing up renovations at the site at 1644 E. 53rd St. ahead of its grand opening next month, owner Racquel Fields said.
Executive Chef Jerrod Jackson oversees a menu featuring fusion entrees from all over the Caribbean, including Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas.
Credit: Facebook
Credit: ProvidedA new feature not included at 14 Parish’s South Loop location will be a rhum bar with 100 different types of the beverage, Fields said.
Rhum, short for rhum agricole, is distilled from pressed cane sugar and typically hails from the Caribbean island of Martinique. It’s finer and smoother than rum, which is distilled from fermented molasses, Fields said.
Credit: ProvidedFrom a classic rhum cocktail to the 14 Parish Punch with guava and passionfruit, the restaurant will offer “the finest rhum experience in the city,” Fields said.
A planned “Havana Nights” summer series would bring live entertainment and an outdoor bar to the restaurant’s back parking lot, according to Fields.
The South Loop space was “doing well” in its third year of operations, Fields said, but she was forced to move in September when the landlord died and his sons declined to renew her lease.
Credit: FacebookFields, a graduate of Kenwood Academy High School, said she knows the area well from her days as a “snot-nosed kid from South Shore.” Her friend, who owns beauty bar Posh Lash and Laser, recommended the restaurant’s move to Hyde Park.
Hyde Park is “a very nice mashup of different people and different cultures that come from all different walks of life,” she said.
Credit: ProvidedPosh Lash and Laser — which was located a block from 14 Parish’s South Loop location — intends to open at the former Fabiana’s Bakery site at 1658 E. 53rd St., Fields said.
The former bakery hosted a Tony’s Sports pop-up shop during All-Star Weekend in February.
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