Weekend Brunch Buffet at Newly-Opened Act One Café in Rogers Park

Act One Café (1330 W. Morse Ave., Chicago; 773-381-4550) now serves an elaborate brunch buffet each Saturday and Sunday. The Rogers Park dining establishment, which opened May 21, adds brunch to its menu of dining options.

The brunch buffet reflects Executive Chef Jimmy Madla’s commitment to seasonal and regionally sourced items in their weekly selection of comfort foods and innovative dishes at the 110-seat Act One Café. Weekly items include Thick Cut Bacon, Pork-Maple Sausage and House Made Turkey Sausage, “Triple-threat” Country Gravy and Buttermilk Biscuits and Scrambled Eggs. In addition to these staples, Madla plans to mix it up each week with a variety of other dishes including French Toast, Buttermilk Pancakes, Belgian Waffles, Chili Lime Pork Loin with Corn Salsa, Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder, Seasonal Vegetables, Salads, Smoked Salmon Lox with mini bagels and a variety of pastries, baked goods and fresh fruit.

Madla has been a prominent figure on Chicago’s culinary scene for nearly two decades, working in various kitchens before opening his own highly successful restaurant, Coobah, in 2002. Act One Café provides a second outlet for his creative cooking skills.

The hearty buffet is the perfect complement to the casual, welcoming atmosphere created by the management and service team at Act One Café.

Brunch is served from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The cost for adults is $12.99 and for children $6.99.

Guests can make it a more festive occasion with a Bloody Mary or Mimosa for $5 during brunch.

“Act One Café is the perfect place to meet friends for a relaxing weekend brunch before launching into weekend errands or just enjoying a leisurely day,” says Madla. “We look forward to being the place our neighbors and friends think of when they’re in the mood for a great weekend brunch.

Act One Café is located at 1330 W. Morse Ave. in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. It is open for dinner from 5 p.m. – 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. The bar is open until 10 p.m. weekdays and until Midnight Friday and Saturday. Brunch is served from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, or to make a reservation, call (773) 381-4550 or visit http://www.actonecafe.com/.

Act One Café brings New American cuisine to Chicago’s North Side

Act One Café (1330 W. Morse Avenue, Chicago, 773.381.4550) opens its doors on May 21, 2010 and looks forward to becoming a favorite place for casual dining in the neighborhood. The highly anticipated opening of the restaurant and adjoining Mayne Stage is an energizing addition to this north side community.

Executive Chef Jimmy Madla plans a unique menu of comfort foods and innovative items at the 100-seat Act One Café. Madla has been a prominent figure on Chicago’s culinary scene for nearly two decades working in various kitchens before opening his own highly successful restaurant, Coobah, in 2002.

Act One Café provides him a second outlet to create an entirely different menu with the assistance of his culinary team.

“The New American cuisine at Act One Café honors the melting pot of flavors that make eating and cooking so much fun,” says Madla, who has combined traditional techniques with creative twists in developing the menu.

Madla's dishes, which include regional specialties featuring sustainable ingredients wherever possible, are the perfect complement to the intimate, casual, welcoming atmosphere created by the management and service team at Act One Café.

The restaurant is open for dinner nightly except Monday and features an elaborate brunch buffet on weekends. Entrees range from $7- $20.

Appetizer selections include Seared Scallops, with garlic-brown butter sauce and herbed brioche crumble; Veggie Tater Tots, made with zucchini, red pepper and olive with whipped goat cheese; and Crispy Spring Rolls, filled with spicy jerked chicken, caramelized plantain and cabbage.

Entrée options include Berkshire Pork French Dip, slow roasted for seven hours, sliced thin and served on a Highland Bakery French roll with natural jus and very hot house-made mustard; Bistro Steak, Dietzler Farm 10 oz. hangar steak with Act One steak sauce and classic mashed potatoes; and Seafood “Booyah,” with shrimp, scallops, calamari, Fresno chili and black beans in a saffron-tomato broth.

Desserts are a welcome finale, with selections like Malted Chocolate Pot au Crème, Turbinado sugar brulée, brandied Chantilly and vanilla tuile; and Bread Pudding, white chocolate and pistachios with “Manhattan” hard sauce.

“Act One Café is the perfect place to join friends for a relaxing evening with great food and drinks any night of the week and for brunch on weekends,” says Madla. “It’s also ideal for cocktails and dining before or after performances at Mayne Stage.”

Act One Café is located at 1330 W. Morse Ave. in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. Act One Café is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. The bar is open weekdays until 10 p.m. and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. Brunch is served on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. For more information, or to make a reservation, call (773) 381-4550 or visit www.actonecafe.com.

Historic Rogers Park Entertainment Venue and Restaurant Opening this Spring

The management team of Mayne Stage and Act One Café (1328-30 W. Morse Ave.) announces its plans for a much-anticipated Spring 2010 grand opening of the historic theater in the Rogers Park neighborhood.

With a nod to the historic past of this grand facility, plans call for a restaurant and performance space that reflects the unique and diverse neighborhood of Rogers Park.

Mayne Stage and Act One Café offers up a powerful combination. Act One Café provides a welcoming dining experience with the great taste of New American cuisine on a nightly basis while Mayne Stage presents a variety of terrific entertainment on a regular basis in its 299-seat multipurpose entertainment venue.

In addition to the neighborhood crowd, Mayne Stage and Act One Café is a great destination for fans of live entertainment and those seeking a unique and welcoming dining experience from around all of Chicago through the convenience of the nearby Red Line “EL” stop; the venue also provides valet parking for guests.

The theater, on Morse Avenue at Wayne Avenue in Rogers Park, opened as The Morse in 1912 - a vaudeville and movie house. In the 1930s, the facility was remodeled using an Art Deco theme and renamed the Co-Ed Theatre because of its proximity to Loyola University. The Co-Ed closed in 1954, and from 1956 until 2008 the building served in various capacities from synagogue to a shoe repair store.

Now, with a recent multi-million dollar restoration and renovation project, the entertainment and dining venue is poised to be a magnet for significant development in this north-side neighborhood.

Booking and creative development of Mayne Stage is handled by longtime Chicago entertainment professional Denise McGowan of McGowan Durpetti & Associates. With nearly 30 years on the Chicago entertainment scene, McGowan has discovered, developed, booked and showcased talent from nightclubs including Byfield’s to Navy Pier where she served as Director of Entertainment for nine years.

“The possibilities in this venue are endless. Mayne Stage offers an amazing opportunity to present emerging and established Chicago and national touring artists presenting a variety of musical styles including jazz, pop, rock and classical as well as theatrical, variety and comedy performances,” McGowan says.

In addition to live performance, and utilizing its state-of-the-art audio and video systems, the venue offers space for studio recordings, rehearsals, educational programs, corporate events and private parties.

Jimmy Madla of the popular Coobah Restaurant on Southport Avenue in Chicago is heading up Act One Café. Madla is developing a welcoming and vibrant environment, the perfect platform for his New American cuisine. The richly wooded restaurant provides a perfect setting to showcase flavors from America’s melting pot with traditional techniques and creative twists.

“Act One Café is an excellent place to hang out for great food and drinks any night of the week. It’s also perfect for meeting friends before or after performances on show nights,” says Madla.

Madla’s enthusiasm for this project goes beyond cooking. While chef Madla finds creativity through cooking these days, many fans remember him as the drummer of the popular band Veruca Salt. He looks forward to the musical environment the space has to offer.

For additional information regarding entertainment and private events at Mayne Stage, contact Denise McGowan at (312) 988-9900 or at denise@mcgowandurpetti.com.