By: Deborah Johnson Wood
The Red Jet Café
plans to help patrons enjoy the great urban outdoors – on a new
sidewalk patio where they can sample some new taste sensations and sip
an adult beverage of choice.
The Red Jet, 1431 Plainfield, was formerly dubbed Red Ball Jet Café. Owners The Gilmore Collection
dropped the "ball" due to copyright infringements involving Red Ball
Jet sneakers, but they have not dropped the ball on anticipating what
customers want.
"We've
had people stop in for dinner and they assumed that because we're a
Gilmore restaurant we served liquor," says Rick Sauber, manager. "When
they found out we didn't, they'd get up and leave."
The café needed 100 seats to qualify
for the liquor license, and the new 45-seat patio along the Coit Avenue
side of the café brings seating up to 106. The patio, which opened last
Friday, accommodates diners through three seasons – open air dining in
warmer weather, and Plexiglas-enclosed, heated dining in cooler seasons.
Beginning next week, the cafe will offer twenty wines, six beers on tap including New Holland, Bell's and Founders, bottled beer and cocktails.
As a warm-up, the café launched a new menu this week, adding five appetizers, two new entrées and three desserts.
The appetizers, a first for Red Jet,
include hummus with pita chips, and an arugula, spinach and artichoke
dip with bagel chips. The entrées are a jerk-marinated pork chop and
three-cheese ravioli in a pesto cream sauce.
And for dessert? How about Retro
Tiramisu made with Twinkies, or cannoli filling laced with chocolate
chips and wrapped in a sweet crepe?
"We've been trying to get the liquor
license approved for two years through the liquor control commission,"
Sauber says. "We're really looking forward to these changes."
Source: Rick Sauber, Red Jet Café
Photo:
Red Jet Café
Photo by Joshua Tyron -All Rights Reserved
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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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