March 29--If you happened to be driving around the Fulton Market district last weekend, you might have noticed lights on (behind papered windows) and people congregating at 951 W. Fulton Market.
It seems that Roister, the long-awaited restaurant by the Alinea, Aviary and Next people (Nick Kokonas and Grant Achatz), is very close to opening.
Kokonas still won't announce an opening date, but he did confirm that Roister, which will feature Andrew Brochu as executive chef, is in the "friends and family" stage.
For the uninitiated, "friends and family" dinners are practice runs, a chance for the kitchen and front room staff to get their respective rhythms settled by serving nonpaying guests for a few nights prior to opening.
(And to answer the question you're thinking, these dinners are invitation-only.)
"For Next, we did a few friends-and-family dinners," said Kokonas. "For Aviary, we did a few weeks. So while I can say we are doing friends-and-family practice, I'm not sure exactly when we will be opening."
Phil Vettel is a Tribune critic.
