If you ask Chef Dan Harris why Crosby's Kitchen's food is cooked over a wood fire, you won't get a food science answer. They will tell you that it has a unique taste that cannot be reproduced with a gas burner.
“It brings you back to the bonfire. It brings you back to the feeling of grilling at home,” he said.
Harris said Crosby's Kitchen's menu aims to offer familiar, approachable American cuisine. The restaurant, scheduled to open May 21 at 6480 W. Touhy in Niles, will be located at the northeast corner of Caldwell Avenues and Touhy Avenues. The menu includes turkey burgers, salads, steaks, ribs, and the classic rotisserie chicken.
Niles Restaurant features indoor seating for 200, multiple event and private spaces, an indoor and outdoor full-service bar, and an outdoor fire pit.
The Niles Crosby's is the ninth restaurant in the 4-star restaurant group, which operates eight other restaurants in Chicago's Downtown and North Side, including Frasca, Remington's and Smoke Daddy. The theme and concept of the Niles location is very similar to that of the original Crosby's Kitchen in Lakeview, said Derek Lettell, co-owner of the restaurant group.
Niles Crosby's Kitchen features multiple dining rooms that can be separated for private party purposes or integrated into the main dining room. The Executive Room can seat 14 to 16 people and can also be used for business lunches. A side dining room with booth tables can be closed off, while the main dining room revolves around a bar that seats up to 30 people. The main dining room also extends into what Mr. Labelle calls the “library room,” which can seat up to 40 people, with movable bookshelves acting as walls.
The outdoor patio features lounge chairs, a fire pit, a repurposed trailer that can be used as a dining room, and an outdoor bar. Rettel said he also expects live music, similar to the restaurant group's Wicker Park restaurant Smoke Daddy.
“This is a fun place to just come to eat, drink and socialize,” Mr. Labelle said. “The look and feel are really satisfying. It's definitely a neighborhood spot,” he said.
Harris, vice president of food and beverage for 4 Star Restaurant Group, said he started working in the restaurant industry at age 14 and knew it was what he wanted to pursue. He trained at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island and worked for Mario Batali for six years in New York City, he said.
“Restaurants have always been about family for me,” Harris said. “I grew up in family restaurants, so it's important to me to find people I want to work with every day, and that's what this restaurant group fosters.”
The restaurant group is also eligible for up to $1.6 million in tax-advantaged financing from the Village of Niles. Tax increment financing zones are typically created in areas considered blighted to give local governments the opportunity to incentivize developers by freezing property taxes for many years.
Many restaurants have tried and failed to succeed at this location. The most recent was Wildwood Tavern, which closed in January 2023.
