June 30--My standard advice for getting into a popular restaurant is, go on a holiday weekend, when most potential diners are distracted by other things.
Fourth of July weekend would seem a perfect time for this strategy. Independence Day is Saturday, creating a much-desired three-day weekend, perfect for getaways and picnics and anything besides sitting down to a fancy dinner.
Funny thing, though. Some restaurant operators have figured out the same thing and are seizing the chance to skip what would be a low-revenue weekend and grant their employees a little bonus time off.
"We decided to close on the 4th and 5th and let our teams have a long weekend," said Nick Kokonas, co-owner of Alinea and Next restaurants. "A very popular decision for our staff."
As it happens, some restaurants were planning to be closed all along. For mk, July 4 falls during that restaurant's annual vacation month; mk is already closed and will remain so through Aug. 5. And this is the week that Rick Bayless picked for his staff's annual trip to Mexico, which means that from July 4 through 8, you can forget about dining at Frontera Grill, Topolobampo and Xoco.
In all, we found more than two dozen restaurants that are taking all or part of the weekend off. Plan your dining accordingly.
Berkshire Room: 15 E. Ohio St. Kitchen closed July 4; bar will be open.
Boarding House: 720 N. Wells St. Closed July 4.
C Chicago: 20 W. Kinzie St. Closed July 4.
County: 1352 W. Taylor St. Closed July 4.
DMK Burger Bar: 2954 N. Sheffield Ave. Closed July 4.
Fish Bar: 2956 N. Sheffield Ave. Closed July 4.
Found Kitchen Social House: 1631 Chicago Ave., Evanston. Closed July 4-6.
Henry's Swing Club: 18 W. Hubbard St. Closed July 4.
La Sirena Clandestina: 954 W. Fulton Market. Closed July 4-5; no lunch July 6.
Mott Street: 1401 N. Ashland Ave. Closed July 4-8.
Nightwood: 2119 S. Halsted St. The restaurant will close for good (sniff) on July 11, but is still taking July 4 and 6 off. Sunday, though, brunch will be served.
North Pond: 2610 N. Cannon Drive. Closed July 4.
Prairie Grass Cafe: 601 Skokie Boulevard, Northbrook. Closed July 4.
Presidio: 1749 N. Damen Ave. Closed July 4-5.
Rack House Kitchen Tavern: 222 E. Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights. Closed July 4.
Ruxbin: 851 N. Ashland Ave. Closed July 4-5.
Sepia: 123 N. Jefferson St. No lunch July 3; closed July 4-6; no lunch July 7.
Tete Charcuterie: 1114 W. Randolph St. Closed July 5.
Tortoise Club: 350 N. State St. Closed July 3-5.
Unite Urban Grill: 1450 W. Chicago Ave. Closed July 4-6.
