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Scratch Kitchen And Lounge

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Scratch Kitchen is a Neighborhood Favorite in the Making

Scratch Kitchen and Lounge in Forest Park is open for business with the restaurant's grand opening to come later this month. Patch took a seat the bar recently for a burger and some mac and cheese. Here's what we thought.

The name says it all at the newly opened Scratch Kitchen and Lounge, 7444 Madison St. in Forest Park—even the ketchup and mustard is made from scratch, in-house. Although only sporting a preview menu before their grand opening in mid-February, Scratch has the potential to become a neighborhood favorite with its focus on locally sourced, house-made burgers and mac and cheese. Owner and chef Patrick O'Brien has deep roots in the area, having grown up in River Forest. Although Scratch is his first foray into the restaurant business on his own, he's helped launch several popular local spots, including Avenue Ale House in Oak Park and Francesca's in Forest Park. O'Brien has big plans for his new establishment, even if those plans call for …

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Nancy Bauer

8:38 am on Monday, February 11, 2013

Great news about the door! We'll come back and try again, especially for the fries and mac and cheese.   more ›

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Scratch to Get Liquor License: New Business

Forest Park's newest restaurant Scratch Kitchen and Lounge will get a liquor license after all.

Scratch Kitchen and Lounge will get its liquor license after all. Commissioners unanimously voted Jan. 15 that the new restaurant, located at 7445 Madison St., will get a Class A liquor license so it can open a bar and serve mixed drinks. Approval did not make it on the first go-around because a motion to vote on the matter died for a lack of a second. The establishment cannot earn more than 50 percent of its gross annual sales from the sale of alcohol. Scratch serves up house-made items such as manicotti, grinds all of its burger meat in house and serves them on house-made pretzel buns. They even   house-brine their pickles and make their own ketchup and mustard. Getting the liquor license comes at a good time. The restaurant opened  …

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