The Board Room is the latest entree on Libertyville's menu of restaurants
As the coronavirus raged in fall 2020, real estate broker Liz Turnbaugh moved a side business she started in her kitchen to a storefront in downtown Libertyville.
Her gamble on My CharCUTErie, which sells arrangements of small bite meats, cheeses and spreads, was so successful that space became tight. And when that location's landlord needed the space, Turnbaugh, a Libertyville native, relocated the business to Lake Forest.
That venture is still going strong, Turnbaugh says. But she always had a bigger picture in sight.
Now, she's all in on a full-service restaurant called the Board Room by My CharCUTErie opening Friday at 137 Lake St. in Libertyville, the former Tommy's Pizza & Sports Bar.
“There's not one thing left — I ripped it all out,” Turnbaugh said of the location. “There's no detail we wanted to go untouched. We want it to feel special when you come in.”
The transformation from sports bar to chic destination includes picture-frame TVs that display art when not in use, walnut table tops, and custom bar stools that are more like comfy chairs, along with other elements that contribute to the ambience.
Designer Hillary Spencer said a black-and-white color scheme was the foundation for a casual bistro with a swanky, glamorous feel.
“We needed to make this a space that stood out and I think we achieved that,” Spencer said. “We wanted to make sure it wasn't too intimidating. Color was a big part of this, but we wanted to give it a punch.”
The Board Room features a wine bar with more than three dozen offerings in addition to a hot and cold menu with dishes such as dry aged Angus beef carpaccio, smoked salmon crostini, chicken roulade, pan-seared scallops and flatbreads.
Turnbaugh described the Board Room as a “shared plate experience with a full and robust menu of entrees perfect for sharing with friends and family.”
Charcuterie also will be available in-house or to go. “I wanted to keep the thing that got us here front and center,” she said.
The restaurants features about 68 seats in the dining area, 18 in a separate lounge, 16 stools at the bar and 64 spots on a planned covered patio. The business will employ about 28 workers.
Besides the Board Room, several other eateries have opened or are in progress in downtown Libertyville.
“Libertyville has become a destination for eating, with small locally owned restaurants, much different than you'll find in other villages,” said Scott Adams, president of the GLMV (Green Oaks, Libertyville, Mundelein, Vernon Hills) Chamber of Commerce and a veteran village trustee.
The village has become known for single-specialty style restaurants but all the restaurants tend to feed off each other, Adams said.
Five venues have opened during the last year and eight are in progress, according to Heather Rowe, the village's economic development manager.
“The interest by restaurateurs in the Libertyville market has continued strong,” Rowe said. “Each new establishment brings unique cuisine, new energy and interest in the Libertyville dining market.”
In late August, veteran restaurateurs Angelo Eliades and Steve Coppolilo opened Coppolilo's Italiano in the space formerly occupied by Cafe Pomigliano on Cook Avenue. It's described as a gourmet Italian restaurant featuring a variety of traditional and modern dishes.
Singh's Kitchen, under construction at 620 N. Milwaukee Ave. in the space formerly occupied by Best Shoe Repair/Martha C's Alterations and Yo Froot, is scheduled to open by the first week in December.
The menu will be predominantly North Indian, a different flavor profile than the other two Indian restaurants in town, and features build your own bowls and other items in a fusion-style, said owner/operator Anmol Chandock.
Also pending is Hewn Bread, serving artisan bread and grab-and-go sandwiches. It will fill a vacant space at 348 N. Milwaukee Ave., in the historic Public Service Building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.