New St. Charles restaurant coming to East Main Street
When McNally's Irish Pub pulled up stakes and found a new home in the First Street Plaza in downtown St. Charles, most onlookers felt it moved from a pretty decent location.
“It's a great spot, said St. Charles businessman Sean Williams, who will open another restaurant at that 201 E. Main St. location near the parking garage and St. Charles Heritage Center.
Work is taking place now on what will be called The Office, which is likely to open early next year. The name comes from the fact that Williams bought that building in 1997 when it was St. Charles Office Supply.
“We don't really have a target date, and it will open when it is ready and right, Williams said. “There is no reason for us to rush, and if we open after the holidays, then it is a slower dining season and it will allow us to get things straightened out.
When The Office is ready for its debut, the city will be welcoming what Williams refers to as a moderately priced “charmed neighborhood restaurant that will have the feel of entering someone's library or office.
The building has plenty of history, having been built in 1849 by Ira Minard, one of St. Charles' founders, and serving as the city's first bank. Minard lived next door, in an area in which Williams will be setting up outdoor dining.
Williams also envisions his new venture as an “American Gastropub and a comfortable place for families to dine.
No gas guzzling: It's a little bit late, but congratulations should be sent to Northern Illinois University student Joe Monteleone of St. Charles.
He designed an aerodynamic car as part of a team representing NIU's College of Engineering and Engineering Technology for an event last summer called the Supermileage Competition.
It was a Society of Automotive Engineers International event in Marshall, Mich., and it was all about creating a vehicle that would get incredible gas mileage.
So how did Monteleone's vehicle do? It came in first among competitors from the United States, and third among those from around the world.
Oh yes, the gas mileage. This carbon-fiber-shelled vehicle with a Briggs and Stratton engine more suitable for a weed whacker, came in at 1,265 miles per gallon. You read that correctly. And in the meantime, all of our cars are horrific gas guzzlers by comparison.
Before you get excited about that feat, consider the competition champion a team from Quebec, Canada, bringing a car that posted mileage of 2,340 per gallon.
Sometime in the not-too-distant future, one would think we should be able to make Middle East oil barons very nervous about their future.
Hunt and ‘97': Those interested in what former American Idol contestant Leslie Hunt has been up to can get a chance to see her perform with her new band, District 97, in a concert at Chord on Blues in downtown St. Charles this month.
Hunt enjoys coming back to her hometown, and she's been excited about the music her new band produces, which will be available on a CD released at the concert on Oct. 22.