Noodlin' around with Scylla...
Acclaimed chef Takashi Yagihashi, of Noodles by Takashi Yagihashi in the State Street Macy's (he also clocked kitchen time at the now-shuttered Ambria, plus he's a James Beard Foundation Best Chef: Midwest award winner), has been scouting property for a new restaurant for about a year, and it he finally found it -- in Bucktown. Although negotiations are still in progress, it looks like Yagihashi will open Takashi Restaurant this November at 1952 N. Damen Avenue, in the Scylla address. We were kinda surprised when we heard the news; chef-owner Stephanie Izard has been raking in kudos from the local and national media since she opened Scylla in early 2005. Izard tells us that biz has been better than ever lately -- she's closing the restaurant so she can fit more travel time into her schedule, and she's considering relocating to Seattle. (If all goes well, Yagihashi will take over the space September 1; Scylla will close mid-August.) The new restaurant will feature contemporary French-American fare with Japanese influences --think organic chicken in a clay pot with shimeji mushrooms and Japanese eggplant or roasted NY strip steak with fresh wasabi, goose-fat frites and sweet pea gratin -- with entrees topping out at $25. He's enlisting designer Francois Geneve (Custom House, Spring and Green Zebra) to create a "contemporary chic" look for the 65-seat space. --Terri Mooney