Monday, May 13, 2013
First it was Moderno. Then it was Royce. Now, it's gone. The John des Rosiers' restaurant in Renaissance Place has closed.
Only a few months after opening, Royce Restaurant in Highland Park has closed, according to an email from chef John des Rosiers sent on Monday. Want Highland Park news in your inbox every morning? Subscribe to Patch's newsletter. Rosiers helmed the restaurant, which began as a chef-driven Italian restaurant called Moderno last year. The space closed at the end of 2012 and reopened in January of this year as a classic American restaurant that focused on locally grown organic and sustainable ingredients . "We built a really good restaurant with Moderno, and we were really proud of it," des Rosiers said, "but it wasn't the right thing for Highland Park." It seems like Royce wasn't right, either. The restaurant got solid praise during it's…
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
John Des Rosiers' Royce isn't just a new menu, it's a new vibe. Read Ed Brill's review of the clubby, more 1930s restaurant that replaced the Italian restaurant Moderno.
There are a lot of good burgers on the North Shore. The Claim Company reclaimed my tastebuds when they reopened in Northbrook Court two years ago. Five Guys has crept closer and closer, with outposts in Wilmette, Glenview, and Vernon Hills. And the granddaddy of them all, Charlie Beinlich's, continues to grind them out every day, as they have for fifty years. Into this crowded meat patty market steps Royce, now in the former Rosebud and Moderno space in Highland Park's Renaissance Place. While I was a Moderno fan, they weren't doing enough business to pay the rent. Chef and Proprietor John Des Rosiers knew it was time to reboot, and out the other end -- after a quick three-week renovation -- has come his new concept. Royce isn't just a new…
Friday, January 4, 2013
John des Rosiers took a break from overseeing the transformation of Highland Park's Moderno into the American-styled Royce to explain what he envisions for the restaurant.
Over the sounds of drilling, moving wood and shuffling feet, John des Rosiers is explaining what's next for his Highland Park restaurant. The owner of Inovasi in Lake Bluff and Moderno in Renaissance Place in downtown Highland Park decided recently to close Moderno, an upscale Italian restaurant, and reopen it as a more approachable, family-friendly spot serving American cuisine. "We built a really good restaurant with Moderno, and we were really proud of it," Rosiers said, "but it wasn't the right thing for Highland Park." Moderno, the modern Italian restaurant that opened in Renaissance Place in April, closed on Dec. 22. It will reopen Jan. 10 as Royce, a chef-driven casual restaurant, with a reasonably priced menu that will include …
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Some readers are skeptical that the high-end Italian restaurant in downtown Highland Park will fare much better as a more family-oriented restaurant serving American cuisine.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
The Italian restaurant led by John des Rosiers that opened in April will close on Dec. 22 and serve reasonably priced American cuisine when it reopens in early January.
Moderno, the modern Italian restaurant that opened in Renaissance Place in April, will close on Dec. 22 and reopen in January as a more casual restaurant serving American cuisine. The chef-driven restaurant led by John des Rosiers received across the board critical acclaim earlier this year, getting rave reviews from Time Out Chicago, Chicago Magazine, The Sun-Times and here on Patch. In his glowing review of Moderno, however, Patch columnist Ed Brill predicted what may have been an insurmountable obstacle for the restaurant: its limitations on the guests control over their order. "The success or failure of [Moderno] will depend on whether or not Highland Park diners will accept a place without a Caesar salad or fried calamari, or if they …
Monday, August 13, 2012
The Lake Bluff restaurant offers extremely creative dishes made with local ingredients.
Inovasi means Innovation in Indonesian, and adapting and changing the menu has been important to owner and executive chef John des Rosiers since the restaurant opened three years ago. “We're always changing to make ourselves better,” des Rosiers said. Those changes came rapid fire last month, with Inovasi beginning lunch service July 23. The restaurant had offered lunch when it first opened, but stopped in August, 2011, because it was too costly and didn’t allow enough time to train their staff. But when Noodle Bar closed, des Rosiers saw demand build. “There's no place in town to get lunch anymore,” he said. The menu is totally different from the dinner selections, offering sandwiches, salads, soups and small entrees meant to get diners …
Friday, May 25, 2012
The new restaurant narrowly edges out M Restaurant in this week's Readers' Choice.
In one of Patch's closest Readers' Choice yet, Moderno inched out M Restaurant for a win for Best Outdoor Seating in Highland Park. Moderno, Highland Park's newest Italian restaurant, got 16 votes, beating M by just two votes. Bella Via, a late addition to the contest, placed third with nine votes. For more news and updates, "like" us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Moderno and M Restaurant are neck-in-neck for this week's Readers' Choice for best outdoor seating. Have you voted yet?
Friday, May 18, 2012
Why is the city seeing a spike in its restaurants and dessert spots? Can it sustain them all?
Earlier this week, Time Out Chicago asked if Highland Park was becoming the next Restaurant Row. Listing off new, upscale restaurants like Moderno and Benjamin and increasingly popular dessert places like Frost and Menchie's, the article made a compelling case for Highland Park's place as "the next big eating destination." (Of course, the article also mentioned Real Urban Barbecue and the city's dueling cupcake stores, but we covered both of those a while back.) So as someone who is always curious, especially when it comes to food, I wondered: Is this a trend? If so, why now? And how long can it last? Want Highland Park news in your inbox every morning? Subscribe to Patch's newsletter. According to Business Economic and Development …
Monday, April 30, 2012
Here's the inside scoop on Highland Park's newest Italian restaurant. Our advice: Go there with an open mind.
Four months ago, I wondered aloud whether Highland Park was ready for Moderno. Today, we begin to find out, as Chef John des Rosiers and his crew officially open their doors at 1850 Second Street. Want Highland Park news in your inbox every morning? Subscribe to Patch's newsletter. Des Rosiers boasts that Moderno is part of a "revolution" in North Shore restaurants, one he is personally leading. The word "revolution" even appears in neon, backwards, on the south wall of the new restaurant as well as the staff uniforms. His goal is to raise expectations among area diners, where -- if they leave themselves in the hands of the chefs -- our expectations of a nice meal out will be transformed and elevated to expect fresh, flavorful and …
Nancy Blum
2:23 am on Saturday, May 18, 2013
Alice how rude Cafe Central is one of the best restaurants in Chicago,great food great service also Inovasi in Lake Bluff......great and I am neither an aging boomer or their by the way who is they get a life you are bitter cheap come on girl go back to WI asap more ›