Will Raising Cane's En-Abel the Demise of Fulton Market?
Or does the 750-store chicken finger chain represent a shift in the dining demo to a neighborhood that was once just “hookers and tumbleweeds”?
A couple of months after I moved back to Chicago from San Francisco in 2003, I started working at Vivo. I felt lucky to get a job as a server at this busy Italian restaurant on Randolph Street. It had been open about 12 years at that point and was still super hot — even if the neighborhood was merely simmering. I remember telling my mom where I was working and she said, “Oh honey, there’s nothing over there but hookers and tumbleweeds.”
As Chicago’s long-standing meatpacking district, Fulton Market wasn’t a dining destination. During the day, trucks got loaded with freshly butchered ribs, chops, and steaks destined for restaurants around the city and suburbs. Workers stacked pallets high on forklifts and rumbled down the street. You’d smell flesh in the air and see blood in the streets. It was gritty. It was raw. It was real.
When Vivo opened in 1991, a year after Harpo Studios, it was a pioneer, ushering in a new era of upscale dining in a neighborhood that still looked grimy and dusty. Marché, a haughty French spot followed. Then Red Light and Tocco Follia (ed. note: thanks Graham for the correction; Tocco opened in Wicker Park later by the same owner, Bruno Abate). Blackbird would open a few blocks east, over the expressway. Avec, Publican, Girl & The Goat, and Au Cheval soon arrived.
“Oh honey, there’s nothing over there but hookers and tumbleweeds.” — my mom.
While the neighborhood was changing, it was exciting. It was fresh. It still had some of that grit coupled with a newfound energy. Maverick art galleries still flourished. Potholes still mangled the streets. The Green Line sounded like it might come crashing down at any time upon those meatpackers and the fishmongers selling fresh seafood at wholesale prices (god I miss Isaacson & Stein). And you could easily find parking — free parking.
Oh how the times have changed.
In 2014, Soho House opened, welcoming the glitterati. Then Google defrosted and replaced the Cold Storage building, ushering in the technorati. More stop signs and traffic lights got installed. The streets got repaved. Local real estate moguls were joined by those from New York and China to buy up all the old warehouses. Development soared (literally, it created a skyline where one never existed) and the Fulton Market District exploded into a swanky area, welcoming global travelers and suburbanites alike.
Over the years, so many wonderful spots have opened. And closed (I’m looking at you La Sirena and Sushi Wabi). Michelin started bestowing its stars up and down the neighborhood, from Smyth, Mako, and Ever to Sepia, Elske, and Roister. Upscale retail like Billy Reid, Lululemon, and Aesop opened down the street from the Hoxton and Nobu hotels. McDonald’s moved its headquarters from Oak Brook to a new building adjacent to a now-shuttered food hall (thrilled Thattu rose from those ashes). Nando’s, Roti, and Sweetgreen all set up shop. Old-time standbys J.P. Graziano and Jubilee Juice are, thankfully, still hanging on.
A new era?
Last week, I went to a pop-up dinner in the private dining room at Girl & The Goat. As we drove down Kinzie and approached the corner at Green Street, I literally gasped at the sight of yet another glimmering glass building that had seemingly risen overnight. “When the hell did that get there?” I asked Drew. Clearly I hadn’t been to the neighborhood in a while.
That exemplifies my Fulton Market experience over the last couple of years. It seems every time I’m there, more high-end retail shops, hip cannabis dispensaries, or swanky cocktail lounges sprout up like weeds.
So when I saw the news earlier this week that a Raising Cane’s, a place known for hardly more than fried chicken fingers (albeit pretty tasty ones), was possibly opening on Randolph, I had to wonder (in my best internal Carrie Bradshaw voice): Is this the start to the end of Fulton Market?
Not only was a Raising Cane’s reportedly coming (sources couldn’t definitively say, according to a Crain’s article), but it was going to take over the former home of Little Goat Diner from celebrity chef Stephanie Izard (she moved it to the Southport Corridor in Lakeview). Why does a chicken finger restaurant need nearly 9,000 square feet? Will it become a Raising Cane’s Cantina, like Taco Bell? (Yes, there’s one of those over there now, too.) Will the upstairs turn into a nightclub with dance parties? Given the neighborhood, it wouldn’t surprise me.
Sure, Fulton Market still teems with people as places like Frenchy spot La Serre, Sunda New Asian, and Coster Cocina Tulum have all recently opened giving the area a River North circa 2014 vibe. But when a prime location in the heart of what has been called Restaurant Row for the better part of 15 years gears up to serve baskets of fried chicken fingers, is the rooster ready to crow?
This isn’t to say one company coming in will be the fall of the empire that is Fulton Market, but perhaps it signals a shift. When kid-friendly, lower-range chains start to open, others will surely follow. Is this what’s set to become of the Fulton Market District? Only time will tell.
Maybe these are reasons I don’t really go over there much anymore. I canceled my Soho House membership (yeah, I was one of those people) a couple of years ago because heading down there became more of a hassle than fun. I have a hard time not voicing my frustrations at the crowds, the businesses seeking a cash grab, and the countless cranes towering in the sky. I miss the days when you truly felt like an urban pioneer uncovering an area of the city people were afraid to visit. I miss the grit and the energy produced back then. Hell, I miss Vivo.
Will pricey, well-designed restaurants continue to dominate or will a Hardee’s or Arby’s be next? Who knows for sure. But I would love to see a tumbleweed roll by a prostitute. Maybe as they enjoy some chicken fingers.
SG List: Things I’m high fiving this week
Chicago claims 3 of North America’s 50 Best Bars
While Mexico City and NYC dominate the top 10, Chicago made a decent showing in the latest release of North America’s 50 Best Bars. Kumiko, celebrated mixologist Julia Momose’s Japanese dining bar in Fulton Market, placed highest at 19. Meadowlark and Best Intentions, both in Logan Square, landed at 32 and 48. It’s been a minute since I’ve been to any of these places; gotta change that. Big high fives all around.
Alma del Jaguar reposado tequila
Made sustainably by fifth-generation tequilero Sergio Vivanco, Alma del Jaguar is bottled unfiltered by hand using materials all found within 85 miles of the distillery — the glass, labels, recycled cork and cardboard for the packaging. The taste? Yes, you do get a bit of vanilla from three months aging in American and French oak, but it also has a woodiness and cooked agave mingling with cinnamon and black pepper and baking spices. It makes for a delicious Oaxacan Old Fashioned. But what’s really cool is they support the Northern Jaguar Project to help preserve the world’s northernmost wild jaguar population and its natural habitats. Pick up a bottle for Cinco de Mayo.
Chicken soup at Best Intentions
Speaking of the laid back dive bar, which has a very chill backyard patio, Naomi Waxman at Eater has an excellent article about the story behind Best Intentions’ matzo ball soup. It’s fun to find something out of the ordinary on a bar menu — and looking at theirs it’s not alone. They also serve pickled eggs, burrata, calf liver mousse, a burger, Reuben, and more. It’s almost like a Jewish deli and a Wisconsin supper club came together to make this menu.
Hersh is ALIVE!
Wednesday morning, a video circulated online showing Hersh Goldberg-Polin, my friend’s son who I wrote about after he was kidnapped on Oct. 7. For 201 days, no one had heard anything about Hersh, whose left arm was blown off below his elbow by a grenade at the Nova Music Festival. He spoke directly to his family, referenced 200 days and the holiday, meaning Passover, which is happening now. Just seeing him in the video, albeit still in captivity, allowed for a bit of relief just knowing he is alive. I am not posting the video, but instead a link to a message Matisyahu recorded for him. For some reason, Substack doesn’t allow me to embed it here (and believe me, I tried to find a way) so please click through or scan the QR code to watch.
A trip down memory lane - - Thanks for all the old name drops, gone but not forgotten!
Love !!!