EDGEWATER — The long-awaited Income Tax wine bar and restaurant on Broadway is being dressed with its finishing touches in anticipation of opening by the end of the year, owners said Tuesday.
The transformed spot at 5959 N. Broadway will focus on "old world classics" in both wine and food that will change seasonally, executive chef Ryan Henderson said. He said the restaurant hopes to bring a new interest in wine to a "beer and cocktail kind of town."
"It's meant to be delicious and fun," Henderson said. "We're having a lot of fun creating dishes and trying wines to pair with it. ... It's going to be a really serious food program, you probably won't find these [iterations] on dishes anywhere else."
Entrees, slated to be priced in the $20 range, will both play up unique and modern flavors alongside traditional cooking techniques and tastes from regions around the world. Smaller shareable plates and snacks for individuals will be available, too, owner Nelson Fitch said.
Part of the reason the menus will change is because Henderson said he plans to put an emphasis on using as much locally-sourced food items as possible, depending on what is fresh and available at the time.
Similarly, Fitch and Moody said they would like to bring some of their favorite wines from small-batch producers into the city for the first time.
The goal is to create an atmosphere and menu that is accessible in flavors, price range and convenience for both a couple or family looking for a meal, to an individual stopping by for a snack and drink on the way home from work, general manager Collin Moody said.
"It's important to us to make a space for different personalities and different nights," Fitch added. "To be part of a neighborhood, that's an essential thing to think about."
Fitch and wife Veronica Roth, author of the "Divergent" series, formerly lived in Edgewater.
Inside the restaurant, diners will have the option of sitting at a 10-seat custom-made bar or being seated at a variety of booths and bistro-style tables — some of which will include tops made by Fitch himself.
A partition sets a semi-boundary between the bar side and primary seating side.
Though still under construction, the space is one "meant to be lived in," the trio remarked, saying they want to create a sustainable design and menu that can last the test of time.
"It's meant to be lived in," Moody said. "It's meant to last and age, we want to be a cornerstone in the neighborhood and be here 10, 15 years from now."
The custom bar and Broadway-facing windows. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
The space has been completely transformed at 5959 North Broadway. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
One side of the restaurant will primarily feature the bar, while the other will have more seating. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
Exposed brick and wooden studs that were part of the original building will stay, the group said. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
Once finished, the seating side will feature table tops made by Fitch. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
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