French Bistro The Blanchard Closes In Lincoln Park

CHICAGO, IL — The popular French restaurant The Blanchard in Lincoln Park has closed its doors, owners announced. The bistro at 1935 N. Lincoln Park West has been open for three years. The restaurant has already been listed for sale.

The restaurant won several awards, including the Jean Banchet award for Best New Restaurant in 2015. The bistro was also a James Beard Foundation semifinalist in the Best New Restaurant category in 2016.

The bistro's executive chef Jason Paskewitz was sued by The Blanchard's owner in 2016, according to court documents. The lawsuit alleged that Paskewitz misappropriated $548,000 of the restaurant's money.

The suit was settled out of court, and Paskewitz retained minority ownership of the restaurant, according to a 2016 report by Crain's. He also remained the bistro's executive chef. Few details were released about the nature of the settlement.

"We mutually agreed to settle to preserve the business partnership, and to get our focus back on creating the best possible restaurant experience for our diners," Duffy and Paskewitz said in a written statement to Crain's.

The Blanchard also received awards from the Chicago Tribune, Chicago magazine and Time Out.

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