LOGAN SQUARE — After a 20-year run in Chicago and a sudden closing in June, Webster’s Wine Bar is set to reopen in Logan Square Thursday.
Webster's will open July 17 in the former Telegraph, 2601 N. Milwaukee Ave., after owners of both wine bars announced it would close to “reconcept” June 17.
Husband-and-wife team Tom MacDonald and Janan Asfour opened Webster’s Wine Bar in 1994 boasting a modest wine list of primarily new-world wines. MacDonald was the bartender, Asfour was the server and a close friend, Jerry Michel, cooked in the kitchen with an electric pizza oven and a hot plate.
Webster's now features more than 500 global labels in its cellar and an experienced staff, many of whom have been with Webster's for more than a decade, according to the wine bar owners, in addition to sommelier Jeremy Quinn, who was awarded 2012 Sommelier of the Year from Food & Wine magazine.
Former Telegraph sous chef Aaron Mooney will oversee the wine-focused food at Webster's, featuring small plates ranging from $6 to $16 and desserts from $6 to $10.
"It's been an amazing adventure, for certain," MacDonald said in a statement, "and it was a difficult decision to move on from all the memories of our original location. But we've grown so much over the years and really wanted a chance to start fresh, bringing along everything we learned over the years into a new location where we could raise the bar."
Webster’s occupies a "coveted corner location" offering two sides of floor-to-ceiling windows and a view of the Logan Square monument. In a nod to the community, the wine bar will feature one Logan Square artist to hang an installation of work each season, according to the bar owners.
“We’re thrilled to have expanded out from our original Webster’s location because it brought us to Logan Square. We’re excited to spend more energy on supporting this great neighborhood with our two locations sitting right next to one another — our little corner of Logan Square,” said MacDonald, who also co-owns Reno restaurant next door.
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