'Gather' Aims for Contemporary, Neighborhood Feel

Small flags and a cozy dining room mark the start of Lincoln Square’s newest restaurant.

Gather, located at 4539 N. Lincoln Ave. will specialize in contemporary American food with a choice of more than 60 different wines.  

Gather opens Tuesday, but will have a grand opening celebration on Friday from 6 to 8 p.m.

“When conceptualizing Gather, we wanted to create a place that would suit friends wanting to share killer food and drinks after an evening out, as well as couples looking to enjoy a nice dinner and a great bottle of wine without having to go downtown and drop a lot of cash,” said owner David Breo in a press release.

The restaurant’s chef—Ken Carter—is formerly of the fine-dining staple Charlie Trotter’s that closed in August. He’s also served as the Chef de Cuisine at Cibo Matto, Chicago Magazine’s 2010 Restaurant of the Year. 

Carter’s menu will focus on local ingredients with an approachable wine list, according to the release. 

The main dining room will have two large communal tables with modular tables for groups of various sizes. A back room for large groups and bar seating with an open kitchen will also be available for customers, according to the release. 

Gather is the first in the new restaurant group, Community Food + Wine, owned by Breo and his partners Geoffrey Euston, Pat Jacobs and Jack O’Brien.

Menu highlights include:

• Brandade: roasted garlic, lemon confit, potato blini
• Hamachi Crudo: peekytoe crab, grapefruit, sunchoke
• Pan Seared Walleye: parsley purée, oat risotto, creamy molé
• Tagliatelle: maitake mushroom, lemon garlic butter, romano
• Sticky Buns: ooey gooey glaze, toasted walnut

Hours:

Sunday-Wednesday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. 

Thursday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. to midnight