Hey all,

I was driving past the corner of Desplaines and Randolph in Forest Park the other day.  The new restaurant at the corner called M Hermanns looks like it has changed its' name to DK Bottega.  Does anyone have any insight on this?  Did they change the restaurant at all?  Curious.

A few days ago, a friend of mine who lives in Forest Park suggested that we meet at Louie's Grill on Madison Street. I'd walked past the old Louie's plenty of time an never even gave it as much as a second look. But I had noticed they'd been renovating the old spot so I was curious about giving them a try.

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. I don't remember what it looked like before…

When we went out to the Mid-Week Market I noticed that the storefront between Mancini's and Five Guys (I think that's the location) had a permit in the window that said the space was being built out for a restaurant. I don't recall reading about any new restaurants on Lake Street other than the place going into the Cosi spot, so I'm curious about what it might be.

In other food…

Stopped by the Chamber ribbon cutting for the opening of Best Vacuum today.  Happy to have a local place to purchase or service vacuums as well as buy Miele washer, dryer, dishwasher, etc..

A few weeks ago, I posted a message about a boutique on Marion Street called Gem. At the time, I had not had an opportunity to go inside, but it looked promising.

Well last Thursday night (plug for Thursday Night Out), I decided to go inside to check Gem out and I was pleasantly surprised. I assumed they were a jewelry store based on the name, but it turns out I was only half right. They also have a selection of…

Expanding and decreasing—perhaps better than any other word pairing, this captures the essence of project proposals set forth recently by the second graduating class of the Community Leadership Program.

Expand the coordination and potential impact of non-profit organizations…reduce the “expectation gap” between whites and minorities at the high school level…take a significant bite out of the growing obesity problem among children.

On Friday, June 17, those…

I notice that you have all offered suggestions regarding liquor laws.  If you wish to share these with the Liquor Control Review Board, please send an email with your suggestions to clerk@oak-park.us.  I will make sure that the LCRB gets your email.

Teresa Powell

Village Clerk

From time to time, I like to read Craiglist to see if there's anything interesting related to business for sale. There's always a bit of mystery though because it never says exactly which establishment they're referring to. So here's the most recent "business for sale" ad I discovered. Anyone want to take a guess:

ready to start your own business we have perfect space for you we are located…

The Oak Park Liquor Control Review Board (LCRB) will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, July 12, at 7:30 in Council Chambers at Village Hall (123 Madison Street) to seek input from residents and business owners regarding changes to the Oak Park Liquor Ordinance. Topics to be considered are listed below. Shall the Village:

1. Move alcohol service time to 9:00 am for brunch service on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
2. Allow option of early closing time for full kitchen service…

Since it's prom time, I thought I'd share the following announcement from the Oak Park Arms retirement community:

It’s Senior Prom time. Every weekend sees restaurants and event venues filled with high school seniors dressing up to the nines and enjoying this most special event. Well, it’s not all high school seniors ...



A different group of seniors will be “cuttin’ a rug” at the Seniors’ Senior Prom titled, “Evening Soiree,” from 6 - 9 p.m. Friday, June 17, at…

Last year, Forest Park started a bi-weekly, Friday night farmer's market. We were able to attend several times and enjoyed the treats that we bought. I was a little worried they would not be doing it again since I had not read any announcements. 

Two big changes for this year are the location and the fact that it occurs every week. The first market took place last Friday. Here's some more information:

Madison St. & Van Buren St.

7824 Madison Street,…

I've been following the Facebook updates for a new restaurant opening on Roosevelt Road called Autre Monde Cafe & Spirits because I'm always excited by the prospect of a new dining option. Here's how they…

We finally made it out to the Oak Park Mid-Week Market tonight. There wasn't a huge crowd, but we did make one very exciting discovery -- artisan marshmallows from 240sweet.

I enjoyed a salty caramel toasted marshmallow and bought three bags for the road. This was their only visit to the market so I'm glad we caught them. The moral of my story is that you never know what you'll find so please help support Mid-Week Market…

We live near Hatch Elementary School and every year around this time, we get a sweet gift from the students in one of the classes at the school. The first year we moved here it was a loaf of bread and signed note from the students thanking us for being nice neighbors. A few years later, we got a construction paper card with drawings from the kids. I took it to work to brighten up my office.

Today, I came home to discover our toilet had been overflowing all day while we were…

A $1,000 contribution to the Communityworks Endowment Fund turned into $2,000 on Sunday, thanks to more than 200 people who took part in the “Putting for Philanthropy” challenge at A Day in Our Village.

Even more remarkable, the 100-percent return on investment is simply par for the course.

Heading into the 38th year of the community event at Scoville Park, an anonymous donor pledged to give up to $1,000 to the Communityworks Endowment Fund. The…