Prost Chef Behind Eatery Opening in Former Brothel, Murder Scene

French bistro-style restaurant The Bentley is gearing up for a June opening on Southport and the storefront owner Brian Dohmen chose for his new venture certainly has some history.

The space at 2834 N. Southport Ave., one block north of Diversey Parkway, was most recently Palette Bistro. But before that, it was Lucca’s, an Italian restaurant where a man was murdered.

The then-restaurant manager Randall Hilderband suffocated when he was tied up with electrical cords and had tape placed over his mouth and nose during a 2008 robbery, CBS Chicago reports. David Sidener was sentenced to 60 years in prison for the murder.

While in business, Lucca’s menu detailed the odd history the storefront went through, including a funeral parlor in the 1800s and a grocery store in 1917, DNAinfo Chicago reports. It was followed by an accordion school, and “a well-known house of ill repute” called Le Pink Pussycat, the menu detailed.

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But now, Dohmen is telling Eater Chicago he and his executive chef Ian Flowers are hoping to create their own positive history. Flowers—whose claim to fame is working at Wicker Park’s LOKal, 676 Restaurant & Bar inside The Omni Hotel, and Lincoln Park’s Prost—plans to cook American food with a French feel.

The Bentley will draw inspiration from French brasseries, creating a low-key atmosphere. That’s including 50 seats on the tree-lined outdoor patio combined with 50 more in the interior.

Flowers will just serve dinner at first, dishing up higher-end entrees like a roasted duck breast with cheddar polenta and saba reduction, DNAinfo writes.

Eventually, they plan to serve brunch. 

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