By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy
A new Italian restaurant called Cavatappi, which means corkscrew in Italian, is opening soon in the former Mulchrone’s at 3020 W. 95th St. in Evergreen Park.
Co-owner Bill Mulchrone says Cavatappi is going to be a brick-oven pizza parlor and wine bar with other Italian dishes on the menu as well.
“We hope to open in the next couple of weeks,” says Mulchrone, who is part of the family that owned that owned the establishment in its former incarnation.
Mulchrone’s partner is Potito Conza, a chef from Torino in northern Italy.
“Our cuisine will be authentic Italian with a Torino flair,” says Mulchrone. “We’ll have Italian dishes ranging from $9 to $15.”
Mulchrone says Cavatappi will feature a wine bar with a decidedly Italian flavor. “I’d say about 85 percent of the wines will be Italian.”
The restaurant will take up the front of the building and have seating for 78 with room for another 18 at the bar. “We’re going to have parties in the back.”
Hours are going to be 4 to 10 p.m. weekdays and 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. on weekends.
For more information, call the restaurant at 708-576-3055. A web site is under construction and will be online soon.
Evergreen Park Mayor Jim Sexton says he’s excited an Italian restaurant is moving into the formerly vacant site.
Sexton also says he is on the hunt for a sit-down Mexican restaurant for Evergreen Park. “If there are any out there looking for a location in town, give me a call.”
Blockbuster closing in MokenaThe Blockbuster video rental store at 11230 W. Lincoln Highway in Mokena is closing. Its last day will be no later than Aug. 22. The store is selling most of its DVDs for $7.99 and Blu-ray videos are going for 10 percent off the marked price.
Pandora coming to Orland Square
A Pandora jewelry store is coming soon to Orland Square Mall in Orland Park. The company is now hiring employees for the new store. For more information, visit its website at http://www.pandora.net/.
Forman Mills opening in LansingA Forman Mills discount clothing store is opening at 8 a.m. Friday in the former Toys R Us store inside The Landings shopping center at 171st Street and Torrence Avenue in Lansing. It will be the first Illinois store for the 29-store chain that sells designer clothes at discount prices in a warehouse-style setting. The company says it hopes to open more stores in the Chicago-area. For more information, visit its website at http://www.foremanmills.com/.
Meet Your Hero Tour
White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski is coming to the FansEdge store at Orland Square Mall on Aug. 23 as part of the company’s Meet Your Hero Tour, which has Chicago sports legends appearing at different stores in different malls. Pierzynski is scheduled to appear from 6:30 to 8 p.m. For more information and to reserve tickets, call 708-873-1250.
Online deal of the weekOnline shoppers can save 10 percent at http://www.fansedge.com/ by using this code when checking out: FBMIDSUM. The code is good through Aug. 1.
Sox, Bulls chairman Reinsdorf to headline Southland Chamber luncheon
Posted On 7/26/2010 | | 0 comments
Jerry Reinsdorf, chairman of the White Sox and the Bulls, will headline the Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce Regional Consensus Luncheon at the Tinley Park Convention Center on Aug. 9. The event, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., is open to the public. Chamber officials expect a large turnout.
“There’s not another Chicago sports owner like Reinsdorf, and it will be interesting to hear how he made big decisions and brought such success to Chicago teams,” Chamber of Commerce Board Chairman Maureen Kelly said.
Reservations for the luncheon are $25 for Chamber members and $35 for non-members. They can be made by calling (708) 957-6950 or by visiting www.ChicagoSouthland.com.
The Tinley Park Convention Center is located at 18501 Harlem Ave. (entrance off 183rd Street only).
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“There’s not another Chicago sports owner like Reinsdorf, and it will be interesting to hear how he made big decisions and brought such success to Chicago teams,” Chamber of Commerce Board Chairman Maureen Kelly said.
Reservations for the luncheon are $25 for Chamber members and $35 for non-members. They can be made by calling (708) 957-6950 or by visiting www.ChicagoSouthland.com.
The Tinley Park Convention Center is located at 18501 Harlem Ave. (entrance off 183rd Street only).
By Southland Savvy
The Secretary of State driver's facility at 7200 W. 84th St. in Bridgeview will close Thursday and Friday while it moves to a larger location.
The new office will open Monday three blocks away at 7350 W. 87th St. in Bridgeview. The new office is larger and will offer more parking. Hours will remain the same, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
During the two days the office is closed, motorists can visit driver's facilities in Midlothian, 14434 Pulaski Road, and on Chicago's South Side, 9901 King Drive. An express office is at Orland Park Village Hall, 14700 Ravinia Ave.
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The Secretary of State driver's facility at 7200 W. 84th St. in Bridgeview will close Thursday and Friday while it moves to a larger location.
The new office will open Monday three blocks away at 7350 W. 87th St. in Bridgeview. The new office is larger and will offer more parking. Hours will remain the same, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
During the two days the office is closed, motorists can visit driver's facilities in Midlothian, 14434 Pulaski Road, and on Chicago's South Side, 9901 King Drive. An express office is at Orland Park Village Hall, 14700 Ravinia Ave.
By David Kolata
Executive Director, Citizens Utility Board
The best calling plans in the Land of Lincoln just got better thanks to consumer advocates in Springfield — and that could save AT&T customers nearly $200 a year.
AT&T customers could cut those costs roughly in half, the study found, by switching to AT&T’s standard pay-per-call rates or the Consumer’s Choice plans for local calls (to places within about 15 miles from home). CUB designed those plans to fit the needs of the average caller.
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Executive Director, Citizens Utility Board
During the recent rewrite of Illinois’ Telecommunications Act, phone-industry lobbyists pushed for the eventual elimination of AT&T’s low-cost Consumer’s Choice plans, which were created by the Citizens Utility Board under a legal settlement back in 2006. But CUB, the Attorney General’s Office and AARP-Illinois fought to save the plans and freeze their low prices through at least June of 2013, when lawmakers revisit the act.
As we hold phone clinics across Illinois, one thing is certain: A lot of people are chained to bloated calling plans. In fact, a CUB study last year estimated that Illinois consumers were overpaying by more than $1 billion a year on their local, long-distance and cell-phone service.
- Consumer’s Choice Basic, ranging from $3.05 a month in downtown Chicago to $9.50 per month in the rest of Illinois, includes AT&T’s Line Charge and 30 local phone calls. Local calls beyond the first 30 are billed at 6 cents per call.
- Consumer’s Choice Extra costs $9 to $15 per month and includes unlimited local calls. It’s best for someone who doesn’t want extra features, but makes roughly 100 local calls or more per month.
- Consumer’s Choice Plus, costing $16 to $19.70 per month, is popular because it includes two calling features, such as Caller ID or Voice Mail, along with unlimited local calls.
So what plan’s best for you? Call CUB at 1-800-669-5556, for a free phone-bill analysis. Or, visit the online Phone Savings Center, at http://www.citizensutilityboard.org/. There, AT&T customers can use the Local Phone Cost-cutter to find out the best local option based on their calling habits. The online tool has shown 40,000 customers how to save a total of $7.8 million a year, or $194 per customer.
The Phone Savings Center also has the details on extremely low long-distance rates, sweetened with an automatic $10 credit. Of course, a lot of people don’t have landlines. That’s why the center features the CUB Cellphone Saver, which has shown people how to cut costs by $300 a year on up.
There are few household costs that are as easy to cut as your phone bill, and that’s good news in any economy. So, pick up your phone bill and call CUB.
By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy
Ryan Tosh is looking forward to a long run as owner of the Entrée Ale House and Eatery at 695 N. LaGrange Road in Frankfort.
Tosh, 30, who owned Scott Patrick’s Grill and two breakfast restaurants in Crete, opened Entrée on June 24 in the former Kosta’s restaurant. Before that, the building was longtime home to Mary Todd’s Café.
“At first, I was looking to open a new place in Indiana, but nothing caught my eye,” Tosh says. “So, I looked west instead. Found Kosta’s was available and fell in love with the place and bought it.”
Tosh says Entrée is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and features American family dining. The restaurant is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with the bar staying open until 1 a.m.
Sunday hours at present are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. with the bar closing at 11 p.m. “We may tweak the Sunday hours,” says Tosh.
The patio is open but Tosh hopes to redevelop it in late summer or early fall.
Entrée also has a room suitable for banquets and private parties. “I’ve booked quite a few parties already,” he says.
Tosh has plans for live bands, karaoke, comedy shows and open mic nights. “We just had a band last week and I plan to bring in Brasago, which was the house band when I owned Scott Patrick’s.”
Also coming are daily breakfast specials and Friday night fish frys. “We’re going to do cod and lake perch with my special breading.”
Tosh says he has carryouts and will deliver catering jobs.
For more information, call Entrée at 815-469-9922 or fax to 815-469-0599.
A website is under construction and will be up soon at http://www.entreefrankfort.com/.
Coming soon
A Spirit Halloween store is set to open in the next month at Westfield Chicago Ridge Mall in Chicago Ridge.
A CVS pharmacy is under construction at College Drive and Southwest Highway in Palos Heights.
Stanley Cup deal
Blackhawks No. 36 Dave Bolland will be signing copies of the 2010 Stanley Cup DVD at the new Meijer store at 15701 S. 71st Court in Orland Park from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday.
