LINCOLN PARK — The former chef behind Baume & Brix and iNG will man the kitchen of a new restaurant set to take over the former Sprout.
The new ownership group behind Knife & Tine hopes to provide an upscale American restaurant that is approachable in an underserved part of the neighborhood, according to co-owner Carissa Shaffer.
Knife & Tine is scheduled to open June 10 at 1417 Fullerton Ave. after a quick turnaround of what was left of Sprout, Top Chef contestant Dale Levitski's former restaurant.
The idea is to bring fine dining feel and food with none of the pretension of Sprout, said Nate Park, who will lead Knife & Tine's kitchen.
"They used to do amazing food here, but so many people didn’t want to come here because they didn’t like the vibe," Park said.
The former restaurant banned children from its brunch, in what is largely a neighborhood of families.
"Not to beat a dead horse, but the idea of not being allowed to bring children to brunch seems crazy to me," Park said. "That was a real thing."
Knife & Tine will be open for dinner, lunch and brunch, and will serve some classic dishes but with creative twists Park picked up during his years working at Moto and iNG.
"The best thing Moto did for me, it inspired me with this attitude of 'whatever it takes to get it done,'" Park said. "Secondly I don't care that you've seen [a dish] a thousand times, how can you see it differently?"
Shaffer left her position as general manager of Perennial Virant to lead the new ownership group at Knife & Tine.
Shaffer, who sits on the board of the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce, sees the west side of Lincoln Park as a great opportunity for the upscale restaurant.
Knife & Tine will be next to Via Carducci, an upscale Italian restaurant, but other than that the area is lacking.
That stretch of Fullerton is also preparing to undergo streetscape improvements in the near future.
"We really feel like it's up and coming in this spot," Park said.
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