ROGERS PARK — Towbar's new name is still a mystery, but the transformation of the Jarvis Square bar and cafe is well underway.
Owner Chris Casas, 44, of Evanston, has painted the walls blue and red and installed his and his wife's 60s-era racing motorcycles in the windows for a new look.
Casas said he still races the operational Honda bikes a couple times a year.
"Grit. I do grit," he said inside his new cafe, at 1500 W. Jarvis Ave., which he bought from Sandra Carter and Jamie and Debbie Evans. "I think the neighborhood was ready for a change."
Casas said a new menu would be revealed Friday and soon a new name will adorn the cafe's signage. New artwork and chandeliers will also be installed.
"Within a couple of weeks it'll be my place — not like I'm working in someone else's kitchen."
The menu additions include more salads and sandwiches, including a Cuban with slow-cooked pulled pork.
Casas also owns coffee roasting company Coffee Speed Shop, which roasts beans for restaurants, hotels and offices. He co-owns Evanston's La Macchina Cafe. He said he would be "aiming for the same feel" as La Macchina in Jarvis Square.
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