October 16th, 2009 01:26pm
Melissa Westphal
A new Asian restaurant is moving into the space recently vacated by The Breeze Sports Bar & Grill at the Perryville Square Shopping Center.
Mizu, 3801 N. Perryville Road, is set to open Nov. 1, and the menu will feature sushi, Thai food and hibachi-grilled entrees from the kitchen.
The owner is Jing Wu Lin, who has run similar restaurants in other markets. The 3,675-square-foot restaurant and bar will be open for lunch and dinner.
I’m scheduled to interview Lin next week, so stay tuned for more information.
September 25th, 2009 06:19pm
Melissa Westphal
A new kitchen design showroom is set to open by November within the East Riverside Retail Center.
Kitchens by Diane is the product of Diane Feuillerat, who has done kitchen design in the Rockford region for more than 25 years and worked at three other design stores in town.
Feuillerat, who lives in Rockton, said the store will feature several varieties, including contemporary and traditional designs, of cabinetry, countertops and flooring, as well as necessities for bathrooms and other living spaces.
“I want it to be the best kitchen design showroom in Rockford,” Feuillerat said. “I think the timing is going to be good. The focus is on great design, helping people accomplish their dream kitchens and bathrooms.”
Feuillerat hopes to have sections in the store designed by different interior decorators in town. She’s spreading the word about her business by contacting clients and customers about her new business venture.
She’s working on jobs now even before her retail space is finished. Call her at 815-633-7227 or e-mail diane@kitchensbydiane.com for more information.
September 25th, 2009 06:09pm
Melissa Westphal
Pho Square Restaurant, featuring traditional Vietnamese cuisine, is set to open next month as part of the East Riverside Retail Center on Riverside Boulevard in Loves Park.
The restaurant, 6338 E. Riverside Blvd., is owned by Thu Le, known as “Kammy” to friends and family. She said the restaurant’s name comes from the combination of “pho,” a Vietnamese national dish, and “square,” meaning a full and substantial meal.
“If you eat at Pho Square, that means you had a full and substantial meal,” Le said. “We want our customers to experience a taste of Vietnam and have an unforgettable and satisfying meal every time they come to visit.”
The menu features items like steamed rice with grilled pork chops, chicken or seafood, noodle dishes, traditional Vietnamese appetizers and tea and coffee drinks.
Pho (pronounced “fuh”) is the signature dish consisting of rice noodles with a choice of meat in a steaming, aromatic bowl of beef or chicken broth. The broths are made from scratch daily and simmered for several hours.
Le said the goal was to keep menu prices affordable, ranging from $5 to $10. She moved to the Rockford area from California 13 years ago, and this is her first foray into the restaurant business. She and her husband are originally from Vietnam.
Keep an eye out for the restaurant’s Web site at phosquare.com. It’s still under construction.
September 25th, 2009 06:02pm
Melissa Westphal
Register Star file photo by Scott Morgan
Owner Michele Bardell at Just Because Coffee in February 2008.
Just Because Coffee Cafe, 3963 W. Riverside Blvd., has closed its doors, and the space is available for leasing.
The cafe sits across Riverside from a Wal-Mart Supercenter in the same plaza as a U.S. Cellular store and several other empty storefronts.
Just Because opened in December 2007, selling soups, sandwiches, coffee drinks and bakery items.
September 25th, 2009 05:53pm
Melissa Westphal
A second Dog ‘N Suds restaurant is opening on North Main Street in Rockford.
The first opened in 2006 at 1421 Harlem Road near Alpine Road in Loves Park. It’s the same site of the original Dog ‘N Suds restaurant that opened in 1968.
A “coming soon” sign hangs in the 3000 block of North Main near a restaurant painted bright yellow, a signature color of the institution known for its hot dogs and root beer.
The space used to be a McDonald’s restaurant, according to city zoning reports.
September 25th, 2009 05:01pm
Melissa Westphal
Register Star file photo by Scott Morgan
Wicked Brew co-owner David Palmer talks about Chrysler in May at the restaurant and coffee shop.
The Wicked Brew restaurant in downtown Belvidere is closing its doors for a second time at the end of business on Wednesday.
David and Linda Palmer reopened the cafe, 506 S. State St., in August 2008. It opened in November 2006 under the ownership of Sarah Jane Gamble and Sarah Jane Bruneau, but the women closed Wicked Brew on July 1, 2008, saying they couldn’t weather the rest of a tough economy.
Linda Palmer keyed in on some of the same issues, saying the restaurant wasn’t seeing enough traffic even though their “regular customers are amazing.”
The Palmers also own the nearby Buchanan Street Pie Co., 107 Buchanan St. Linda Palmer said business there is booming, and they’re looking to open a second location in Rockford.
Developer Ed Marx, who renovated and owns the building where the Wicked Brew space is located, said he hopes the cafe will reopen, and said he might partner with another person to reopen the business if need be. Anyone interested in the cafe should call Marx at 815-243-4094. You can also find him on Facebook and Twitter.
September 25th, 2009 04:31pm
Melissa Westphal
A new Physicians Immediate Care clinic is set to open in November at 6585 E. State St. in Rockford
The new 5,200-square-foot walk-in clinic will feature eight exam rooms, two trauma rooms and on-site X-ray and pharmacy services.
This is the third Physicians Immediate Care location in Rockford. The group, founded in 1987 in Rockford, also has locations in Loves Park, Machesney Park and Belvidere.
There are also Physicians Immediate Care clinics in Chicago, Elgin, Joliet, Niles, Bolingbrook and Oklahoma.
August 31st, 2009 01:19pm
Melissa Westphal
KATY MULL | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR
Bamboo co-owners Amanda (from left), Vinay, and Lao Phommachanh are shown Friday, Aug. 28, 2009, in their restaurant at 514 E. State St. in Rockford.
Here’s a bit more about new restaurant Bamboo, which we featured in a Saturday story about the local restaurant industry.
Bamboo is scheduled to open Oct. 1 in the old Zambuca restaurant space, 514 E. State St.
It’s the project of Vinay Phommachanh, his wife, Amanda, and his mother, Lao. Vinay is a financial adviser, so he’s in charge of the paperwork. Amanda will manage the restaurant (she just graduated with her business degree) and Lao will be in the kitchen (she has experience catering for friends).
The inspiration for Bamboo came from Vinay and Amanda’s time living in Chicago for eight years. They loved dining at busy local restaurants that served authentic food portions for the right prices.
They moved back to Rockford two years ago and said they had trouble finding the same kind of places. So the idea for opening a restaurant was born.
The menu will feature Southeast Asian fare such as Thai, Laotian and Vietnamese dishes. Vinay listed examples of noodle and curry dishes, ingredients like mussels and smaller tapas-style entrees.
He said the goal is to offer inexpensive authentic foods, saying a family of four could nosh on tapas dishes for $20 to $25.
Planned hours for Bamboo are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
July 20th, 2009 05:18pm
Melissa Westphal
Register Star file photo/Georgette Braun
The Breeze Sports Bar & Grill, 3801 N. Perryville Road, has closed and is up for sale.
The business opened in July 2007 and closed a few weeks ago. Owner Chad Misslich wanted to move on to other projects, said Doris Weir, a real estate broker and consultant with Commercial Associates of Illinois LLC representing the landlord.
Weir said she has several prospects for the space, which will be sold and/or leased out with all of the kitchen equipment in place.
Call Weir at 815-986-9092 for inquires about the space.
And just for fun, here’s a 2007 video of former Register Star reporter Nate Legue trying The Breeze’s huge BLT sandwich:
July 17th, 2009 03:52pm
Melissa Westphal
A new Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches restaurant is being built near Alpine and Sandy Hollow roads.
The store, 3416 S. Alpine Road, will be the first Jimmy John’s in the area with a drive-thru, said Brad Kemp, one of the partners involved with the project. The region has three other Jimmy John’s locations: two off of Perryville Road and one near Illinois 173.
Kemp said the partners involved with the project hope to open the restaurant within the next month or so.
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