Stars not shining on 4-star wonder

The famed French eatery Le Francais still stands along Wheeling's Restaurant Row, with little indication it's gone for good -- except, of course, for the empty parking lot.

But unlike in 2003, when the restaurant shut down for a few months, Le Francais' abrupt closing last June is likely permanent.

The restaurant once named by Bon Appetit magazine as the best in the Americas "is not coming back," said James Lang, Wheeling director of economic development. "Initially, there was some hope someone would come along and resurrect the restaurant, but that's not going to happen."

Owner Mike Moran, who bought Le Francais in 2003, said the restaurant wasn't profitable.

"The food was incredible and the service impeccable," Moran said. "But we didn't have sufficient volume to sustain it. You can't exist on a good Saturday night."

When Le Francais opened in 1973, there was no competition for that caliber of food, Moran said. But dining habits have changed, and costs have soared.

He's put the property at 269 S. Milwaukee Ave. on the market and hasn't disturbed a thing, not the spatulas nor the $500,000 worth of wine in the temperature-controlled cellar. Moran said he hopes it remains a high-end dining establishment.

Le Francais, which the Zagat Survey restaurant guide rated a 28 out of 30 in its 2006-07 edition, will be remembered for its stories -- anyone from the Rat Pack to Steven Spielberg dined there -- and the numerous top chefs it produced.

Four-star chef Roland Liccioni, who spent nearly 13 years at Le Francais, can now be found at the new Old Town Brasserie on Wells Street in Chicago, where he and restaurateur Bob Djahanguir are proprietors.

Versions of his Le Francais staples grace the menu. Patrons will recognize the duck consommé and artichoke and hearts of palm terrine, and at a lesser cost.

"The concept is to give people an experience of good food that is affordable," said Liccioni, who was born in Saigon, Vietnam, and raised in the south of France.

As for Le Francais, Liccioni said he never got a straight answer from Moran on why it closed. Liccioni wasn't involved in the decision, though he was, he said, "supposedly" a partner.

Moran "didn't say much about what happened," Liccioni said. "But the past is the past and I don't go back on that kind of thing. You continue on."

Liccioni did say his suggestions on updating Le Francais were disregarded when he resumed his post as executive chef in 2004. He'd left for Les Nomades in 1999 after a decade in Wheeling.

"It needed to be remodeled," he said of the 35-year-old Le Francais. "I know what it takes to build a customer base. But when they didn't, I just kept busy in the kitchen."

Moran said the 2-acre property for sale includes the restaurant and two houses, one of which is owned by original chef Jean Banchet.

"I dare say the Lettuce Entertain Yous and Levy Groups would certainly show interest," Lang said. "It's prime property, and there's no shortage of calls from restaurants looking to get on Milwaukee Avenue."

The establishment that eventually takes over will join neighbors such as Bob Chinn's Crab House, Don Roth's, Hackney's, Ram, Tuscany and Weber Grill.