LOGAN SQUARE — The long-awaited Catalpa Kitchen hopes to open in the next week or two.
The restaurant, 2800 W. Logan Blvd., will serve brunch six or seven days a week and have dinner service with a full bar.
The food is new American with some Mediterranean and Latin influences, according to executive chef Bryan McClaran.
"I want to be the kind of place that people can come in in jeans and a T-shirt and get an awesome meal," McClaran said.
The restaurant was slated to open this weekend, but has pushed back the date until sometime next week.
The name Catalpa comes from the surrounding neighborhood, as many of the trees that line the boulevards are Catalpa trees.
McClaran said he views the concept as the middle ground between between Cozy Corner and Longman & Eagle.
The brunch menu features specialty pancakes and French toasts such as a Nutella-stuffed French toast, omelets and fresh juice.
Brunch will be served until 5 p.m.
"There are a lot of industry people in this neighborhood who want to get steak and eggs or a benedict when they wake up from their hangover on a Wednesday afternoon," McClaran said.
The lunch and dinner menu features salads, sandwiches, a selection of grass-fed beef burgers and dinner plates such as a spaghetti Bolognese and a catch of the day offering.
The bar will pour mostly local beers, a selection of cocktails and, most importantly, nitro coffee.
The restaurant has seating for about 50 inside and an additional 30 people in a patio along Logan Boulevard.
Owner Lynn Malec previously ran the French bistro, La Tache, in Andersonville.
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