LINCOLN PARK — It's out of the alley and down to the river for Interurban Cafe.
Christine McCabe's alley pastry shop is moving to 1438 W. Cortland Ave., former home of the fondly remembered Joe's Fisheries.
McCabe, a Charlie Trotter's alum, already had been named Pastry Chef of the Year by Bon Appetit magazine and had helped launch Glazed and Infused when she opened a small pastry shop of her own five years ago in an alley off Armitage Avenue with an address in the rear of 2008 N. Halsted St.
At the time, she explained her humble ambitions for the spot by calling it "a food truck in a permanent location."
Now it's moving to a more permanent location just on the west side of the Cortland Avenue bridge across the north branch of the Chicago River.
Along the way, McCabe started offering sandwiches and other savories to encourage a lunch trade, and as it prepares to move it's now known as Interurban Sweets & Savories.
The guiding principle suggested by the name has remained constant, however. Interurban was the name of a rail line linking the city and the country, and the Interurban website proclaims: "That’s Christine’s idea for Interurban Sweets & Savories — using natural ingredients that can be found in the country and putting an urban spin on them to meet 21st century tastes."
The menu now includes not just Interurban's signature pop tarts and cupcakes ($2.75), but also soups, salads and sandwiches ranging from a Cubano to a caprese panini — all priced under $10.
It also applied earlier this month for a liquor license at the new location.
Crews were working on the new site Wednesday, but McCabe could not be reached for comment on when she expects the new shop to open.
