Marquee Grill, in HP Village, Opens Thursday

Marquee Bar and Grill, Top Chef contestant Tre Wilcox’s new showcase adjacent to the Highland Park Village Theater building, opens for dinner Thursday, April 21.

It’s a sleek design, with enough retro artistic touches to feel both new and corporate, which makes sense given that Marquee’s owner,  Brian Twomey, also developed Loft 610, Common Table. Like Loft and 610–two restaurants not known for pushing the culinary envelope–Marquee is playing it safe, appealing to the masses with a strong cocktail program (Speakeasy author Jason Kosmas crafted the bar drinks), a cool vibe (there’s balcony seating atop the theater’s marquee), and a lunch menu featuring Asian flourishes (duck spring rolls, Kobe beef tar tare, spicy tuna rolls), simple salads (spinach with blue cheese and crispy oysters, a wedge with blue cheese and bacon) and entrees that include sandwiches (smoked turkey and swiss, brisket, a buger), and intriguing entrees like grilled wild salmon over bacon-scallion risotto.

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