Tuesday, May 14, 2013
First it was Moderno. Then it was Royce. Now, it's gone. The John des Rosiers' restaurant in Renaissance Place has closed.
Only a few months after opening, Royce Restaurant in Highland Park has closed, according to an email from chef John des Rosiers sent on Monday. Rosiers helmed the restaurant, which began as a chef-driven Italian restaurant called Moderno last year. The space closed at the end of 2012 and reopened in January of this year as a classic American restaurant that focused on locally grown organic and sustainable ingredients . "We built a really good restaurant with Moderno, and we were really proud of it," des Rosiers said, "but it wasn't the right thing for Highland Park." It seems like Royce wasn't right, either. The restaurant got solid praise during it's short run, however. It was lauded by publications like Time Out Chicago during, which…
Monday, April 22, 2013
The Lake Bluff Village Board of Trustees may sign off on an agreement with a consulting engineers company to improve the village streets at its meeting tonight.
The Lake Bluff Village Board of Trustees may sign off on an agreement with a consulting engineers company to improve the village streets at its meeting tonight, according to the Lake Bluff Board of Trustees' agenda. One item listed beneath the other business part of the agenda reads: A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF A CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH GEWALT HAMILTON ASSOCIATES, INC. FOR THE VILLAGE OF LAKE BLUFF’S FY2013/2014 STREET IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM Other subjects to be discussed at Monday's meeting include outdoor dining at Inovasi and the purchase of two replacement police vehicles. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at 40 East Center Avenue.
Friday, January 4, 2013
John des Rosiers took a break from overseeing the transformation of Highland Park's Moderno into the American-styled Royce to explain what he envisions for the restaurant.
Over the sounds of drilling, moving wood and shuffling feet, John des Rosiers is explaining what's next for his Highland Park restaurant. The owner of Inovasi in Lake Bluff and Moderno in Renaissance Place in downtown Highland Park decided recently to close Moderno, an upscale Italian restaurant, and reopen it as a more approachable, family-friendly spot serving American cuisine. "We built a really good restaurant with Moderno, and we were really proud of it," Rosiers said, "but it wasn't the right thing for Highland Park." Moderno, the modern Italian restaurant that opened in Renaissance Place in April, closed on Dec. 22. It will reopen Jan. 10 as Royce, a chef-driven casual restaurant, with a reasonably priced menu that will include …
Monday, August 13, 2012
The Lake Bluff restaurant offers extremely creative dishes made with local ingredients.
Inovasi means Innovation in Indonesian, and adapting and changing the menu has been important to owner and executive chef John des Rosiers since the restaurant opened three years ago. “We're always changing to make ourselves better,” des Rosiers said. Those changes came rapid fire last month, with Inovasi beginning lunch service July 23. The restaurant had offered lunch when it first opened, but stopped in August, 2011, because it was too costly and didn’t allow enough time to train their staff. But when Noodle Bar closed, des Rosiers saw demand build. “There's no place in town to get lunch anymore,” he said. The menu is totally different from the dinner selections, offering sandwiches, salads, soups and small entrees meant to get diners …
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Here's the inside scoop on Highland Park's newest Italian restaurant. Our advice: Go there with an open mind.
Four months ago, I wondered aloud whether Highland Park was ready for Moderno. Today, we begin to find out, as Chef John des Rosiers and his crew officially open their doors at 1850 Second St. Des Rosiers boasts that Moderno is part of a "revolution" in North Shore restaurants, one he is personally leading. The word "revolution" even appears in neon, backwards, on the south wall of the new restaurant as well as the staff uniforms. His goal is to raise expectations among area diners, where -- if they leave themselves in the hands of the chefs -- our expectations of a nice meal out will be transformed and elevated to expect fresh, flavorful and creative meals. He believes that too many of the restaurants in the area try too hard to cater …
Friday, April 6, 2012
From egg hunts to Easter brunches and a wine tasting.
Looking for the closest Easter egg hunt or a restaurant serving Easter brunch? You may even get a glimpse of the Easter Bunny at area events. LAKE FOREST The Lake Forest Parks and Recreation Department will hold its annual Easter egg hunt from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 7, at Deerpath Community Park. The egg hunt will include pictures with the Easter Bunny provided by Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Patch and, of course, the exciting egg hunt. A special magic show will follow the hunt. Remember to bring your baskets to this free program. Christ Church of Lake Forest will hold a family Easter celebration, which includes lessons on the meaning of Easter using “resurrection eggs.” There also will be an egg hunt and cookie decorating. The free …
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Which place has the best live performance in northern Lake County?
Readers in Grayslake, Lake Forest, Lake Bluff and Libertyville have been telling us all week which places had the best live performance in the area. By 5 p.m. Friday, the results showed Inovasi of Lake Bluff winning with 8 of the 23 votes received. Genesee Theatre in Waukegan follwed in second place with six votes and The Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire was in third place with five votes. Stay tuned for next week's readers' choice for the Best Of in the area!
Friday, January 13, 2012
Lake Bluff-Inovasi owner talks about his new Italian restaurant, opening in May in Highland Park.
- OPINION
- Ed Brill
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Friday, January 13, 2012
John des Rosiers is a man with a mission. The chef and proprietor of Lake Bluff's Inovasi has announced plans to open Moderno, a "modern Italian" restaurant, in the former Rosebud space in downtown Highland Park. His goal? "We are going to change restaurants in the suburbs forever, even if I have to build every single place myself." I recently sat down with Chef des Rosiers exclusively to talk about the plan for Moderno. As a regular diner and fan of his work at Inovasi, I wanted to know more about his plan for Highland Park, and what exactly he means by "modern Italian." I was not surprised that des Rosiers has a grand vision for Moderno, though it (thankfully) doesn't include Caesar salad. Des Rosiers grew up in Waukegan, and has …
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Moderno will bring authentic Italian food to old Rosebud location.
It's a busy time for foodies in Highland Park, and it's about to get even busier. After 2011 saw new restaurants like M, Benjamin and 2nd Street Bistro open their doors, as well as new gelato and cupcake places, the city is about to get another new restaurant in a familiar spot (and from a familiar face). Chicago Eater reports that John des Rosiers, the owner of Lake Bluff's Inovasi restaurant, will open a modern Italian restaurant at the old Rosebud in Renaissance Place in May. "We are going to change restaurants in the suburbs forever," des Rosiers said about his new restaurant, "Even if I have to build every single place myself." Highland and Ravines columnist Ed Brill will bring Patch readers an inside look at what des Rosiers has …
Friday, November 25, 2011
Village Board approves modification to zoning regulation that prohibits lighted signage downtown.
Lake Bluff’s Inovasi restaurant is lighting up the downtown area this holiday season, but on a much smaller scale. The restaurant recently gained a green light to install a permanent digital, changeable menu message box outside the restaurant upon approval of the text amendments made to the village zoning regulations, which prohibits signs of this type. The village administrator’s office allowed a temporary version of the digital menu box to be displayed in early June so that members of the Architectural Review Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and Village Board would get a realistic grasp of the sign’s presence. During the time the restaurant was given the temporary accommodation, which can be determined a “probationary period,” it has been …
Vicky Kujawa
8:13 pm on Tuesday, May 14, 2013
With the way that things are headed shuttering businesses will be commonplace; no surprises here. Watch for the market to take a major dump soon too. more ›