The Southern

Cary Taylor

About three months ago, I sat down with James Lasky to discuss business at Chaise Lounge.  We were doing everything to get customers in the door – free drinks, cheap (delicious) dinners, inexpensive parties – you name it and we had done just about all we could think of.  Not even the three-star reviews, great spots on T.V. shows, Green City Market appearances or high priced consulting could get us out of a rut that we desperately needed to dig ourselves out of.

So we thought about what we could really succeed at.  Jimmy knows bars and I know food, so it shook down to a simple combination of our strengths.  With the conception of The Southern, a more approachable bar project that allows us to serve great drinks and tasty, affordable food, we’ll see just how strong we really are.

The biggest problems that encountered Chaise Lounge ironically were monsters created by the best attributes of the space Jimmy inherited.  The outside patio and the roof top deck were the real showstoppers at Chaise when it opened.

But, per Chicago city noise ordinance, we have to close those spaces by midnight.  Not a good thing when you are banking on drinkers to hang out at your establishment well into the night.   Plenty of people would show at 10 p.m. and then be forced to close their tabs at 11:30.  That’s a recipe for disaster and we felt it every night.

Aside from the ordinances, we still had to work around a dining room that was also not conducive to comfortable cocktailing and a bar that was too small and congested to accommodate people even if they did want to drink in an elegant dining room until 3 a.m.

The room just didn’t fit.

So we went out and found the best designer in town and the best architect and let them feel the place out.

We wanted a relaxed bar that served great food.  I think it’s what Jimmy wanted the whole time.  It just turned out to be a restaurant that served great food.  Just not enough to pay the bills.

We are currently on the third day of construction at The Southern, our laid back revamp of Chaise Lounge.  It is everything that Chaise never was but deep down inside always wanted to be.

We will feature food from the deep South, but with a more metropolitan edge that still makes the most of the classical skills I’ve picked up from culinary schools to James Beard award-winning restaurants.   The Southern will also feature a short list of Southern beers, including Atlanta Brewing Company’s highly-rated Blonde Ale and Abita’s Turbo Dog.  But I’m really looking forward to new takes on old standby’s like the Whisky Sour at the bar.

We are shooting to open this place in one week, and the pressure keeps me up at night, but I think it is going to be the best move we ever made.

In the meantime here are some fast food shots:

Johnny Cakes

Southern Poutine