July 14--Amy Morton, owner of the hit Evanston restaurant Found Kitchen and Social Club (1631 Chicago Ave., Evanston, 847-868-8945), is working on a second Evanston restaurant.
Morton signed a lease on an alley-entrance building attached to 1016 Church St.; the brick building was a horse stable in the late 1800s, and a garage after that.
"But the space hasn't been used since 1920," Morton said. "This will be a full buildout."
Morton, Found executive chef Nicole Pederson and Found general manager Stefen Bosworth will be partners in the new venture.
The restaurant, which Morton said will debut in early 2016, has yet to be named.
"My pet name for it is 'the Barn,' but I'm pretty sure it's not going to be called that," she said. "I'm really excited by what I think will be the name, but I'm not ready to say yet."
Morton is equally reticent about the restaurant's concept.
"It's something that, on a very personal level, speaks to my family and is a nod to my family in a way," said Morton, the daughter of legendary restaurateur Arnie Morton. "The other key piece in the concept is Nicole and who she is and who she's grown into."
The space is only 1,800 square feet but has 20-foot ceilings. "I loved the space when I walked in," Morton said. "It has the drama of the high ceilings but the intimacy of a small space. And I hope to have a wonderful gas lantern outside the front door.
"Overall, I'm really excited to do something very different," she said. "The space calls for it, and there's nothing like this anywhere on the North Shore."
Phil Vettel is a Tribune critic.
