HB Home Bistro (3404 N. Halsted St.), will close at the end of June; owners Victor Morenz and Emily Gilbert, who have owned the restaurant for eight years, announced the closing on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
A letter posted on the site read in part:
“Emily and I appreciate each and every one of you, the people who have made HB what it is. All of this is leading up to the fact that our time here has come to an end. My dream, for a very long time now, has been to return to my hometown of Cleveland and open up a place that embodies Home Bistro there. We are finally turning that dream into a reality.
“After talking about it long and hard, we decided we were ready to move on. We are making this decision on our own terms, which is not something a lot of small business owners can say. We want to thank all of you, our friends, for all of your support over the years. You genuinely mean a lot to us and we will miss you dearly.”
HB Home Bistro’s history dates back to 2005, when it was opened (original name HB: A Hearty Boys Spot) by Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh (aka the Hearty Boys — caterers, restaurateurs, cookbook authors and winners of Food Network’s “Food Network Star”). Executive chef Joncarl Lachman eventually bought the place from his employers, adjusted the name and gave the menu a bit of a Dutch accent (as he did more thoroughly with his followup restaurant, Vincent). Morenz worked for Lachman before buying the place.
Reached via email, Morenz said the future of the space is undecided, though there are “possibilities” for the location.
“We are not selling the business,” he said. “We want to retain the name and history and for this old girl to die with us.”
Twitter @PhilVettel
