LOGAN SQUARE — A husband and wife who worked under celebrity chef Rick Bayless for a combined 20 years are about to open their first Mexican restaurant in Logan Square.
Brian Enyart, who spent years as Bayless' right-hand man working at both Frontera Grill and Topolobampo, called Dos Urban Cantina a dream.
The upcoming restaurant has been in his mind for about five years now and is set to open in mid-November.
Dos Urban Cantina will be the latest addition to a hot stretch of Armitage that's been dubbed Chicago's other restaurant row and includes Osteria Langhe, Scofflaw, Sink|Swim, Table, Donkey & Stick, La Bomba and most recently Ugo's.
Dos Urban Cantina will replace Katakana Sushi Bar at 2829 W. Armitage Ave.
"This is a very exciting culinary scene right now in Logan Square, but this street in particular it’s got this really great community feel to it," Enyart said. "We plan on being here for the long haul."
Brian Enyart will head the kitchen along with his wife, Jennifer Jones Enyart, who was previously a pastry chef at Topolobampo.
Both chefs said they don't plan to emulate Bayless's restaurants, rather hope to take what they've learned and create their own takes.
"Rick has done such a good job," Brian Enyart said. "We don't really have a desire to replicate anything that he has done. We aren't Mexican at the same time. We don't have that familial heritage to pull from."
They do have years of experience under Bayless and knowledge of Mexican cooking from several trips a year across the border with Bayless.
On those trips with Bayless, Brian Enyart said they would take classes, take in the culture and learn to cook at the most immersive level.
"We are deeply trained in Mexican food. We love the flavors. We love the culture. We love the textures," Enyart said.
During one trip he recalled standing in the kitchen of an older Mexican woman's home learning to make tamales.
After his time in Bayless's kitchens, Brian Enyart spent two years with the Lettuce Entertain You restaurant group learning how to run a restaurant from the business side of things.
Enyart said Lettuce Entertain You's founder Rich Melman put him through a managerial crash course, working in 17 of the group's restaurants.
The goal was for Enyart to open a Lettuce Entertain You restaurant, but those plans fell through.
"When it came time to open a restaurant with Lettuce, it just wasn't quite the right fit for me so I decided to leave and try to do this on my own," he said.
Dos Urban Cantina, 2829 W. Armitage Ave., is a joint venture between Brian Enyart, Jennifer Jones Enyart, Erika Martinez Rotolo and Michael Rotolo, the former managing partner at Lettuce Entertain You's Joe's Seafood.
"Cooking a good plate of food is one thing. Learning how to manage a kitchen is another," Brian Enyart said. "Learning how to open up a restaurant is another thing. All four of us complement each other really well in that regard."
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