More food news besides a brewpub opening in the West Loop: Sinha’s Elegant Cuisine, the home-style Brazilian restaurant and catering business located at 2018 W. Adams St. on the Near West Side, was hired to provide the food for the international musicians who played this summer’s soon-to-end-for-the-season Music Without Borders series at Millennium Park.

“We try to do the type of food that brings them back home,” said Jorgina Pereira, Sinha’s proprietor. “When they come over here … they’re eating sandwiches all the time. I think that makes them unhappy.”

For a Malian band, Pereira said, she would use Malian spices on chicken (Mali’s most famous “desert blues” group, Tinerawin, played Millennium Park on June 17). For a Columbian ensemble, she’ll make empanadas.

“The whole idea is to make it homey,” Pereira said.

Down at the edge of the South Loop, meanwhile, Chef Luciano’s is undergoing renovations that will close the restaurant until Aug. 3.

Rocky Gupta, son of founder Dave Gupta (aka Chef Luciano — or just aka The Chef — the highly opinionated and longtime owner of the restaurant), is overseeing a $400,000 construction project, $150,000 of which is being paid for through Michigan-Cermak Tax Increment Financing District’s small business improvement fund.

One of the biggest changes to the restaurant will be a new façade.

The younger Gupta said the oblique window angles seen along the Cermak Road façade will be straightened, adding around 250 square feet. One door, down from the two available currently, will lead customers inside. A small alcove for dining will remain. But the signage out front will change. Gone will be what Rocky Gupta called the hodge-podge of signs, replaced by a clean, stainless-steel look.

“As the place was built, it was kind of thrown together out of necessity,” Rocky Gupta said. “This is the first time in, honestly, 30 years, we’ve taken a step back and said what do we need to do to help, and what do we need to do to function better and better utilize what we have here.”

During the renovation, new walk-in coolers will also be installed.

“We hope that this’ll open some more doors for us,” Rocky Gupta said. “You have an old building and you put a lot of effort and time and money into maintenance.”

The building, at 49 E. Cermak, was White Castle’s first Chicago location.

Finally, one of the most anticipated new restaurants for high-concept restaurants will arrive to the Fulton Market area later this year.

Grant Achatz, much-lauded for Alinea, the temple to “molecular gastronomy” in Lincoln Park, is building out Next Restaurant at 953 W. Fulton Market, the restaurant’s Facebook page shows.

The space was previously occupied by the Fulton Lounge.

Next, according to a video posted online, will explore various cuisines during different moments in history — Paris in 1912, say, or Hong Kong in 2036. Four menus will be offered annually.

Aviary, a bar run by the same team, will open adjacent to Next.

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By Solo from Motor Row
Posted: 07/25/2010 3:15 PM

Chef Luciano - Finally! Great food, but have not been able to bring friends or family there since there was no seating. Also, the initial reaction to the 'look' of the place did not help. Looking forward to making this my new favorite South Loop hang out.