28-Jan-12 – It may be taking less time to build a restaurant at Marina City and Bar Louie certainly holds some sort of record. Three months and four days after signing a lease, the bar/restaurant will open Wednesday morning at 10 a.m.

In 2010, a Subway franchisee needed about two months to renovate a much smaller space. However, on October 30, 2008, when Dick’s Last Resort relocated to Marina City, it had been looking at the space for more than a year.

On Friday, the finishing touches were being made to Bar Louie’s interior as two groups of employees learned the menu, kitchen staff got organized, and general manager Tom Duffey darted from one task to another. On Monday and Tuesday, the restaurant will serve to “friends and family” for practice, according to Duffey, then open to everyone else on Wednesday at 10 a.m. After that, they will be open every day from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. for lunch, dinner, and late night dining. (Left) A new sign installed on the west side of the building. (Click on image to view larger version.)

This will be the 51st Bar Louie, the 11th in Chicago alone. BL Restaurant Operations, LLC, located in the Dallas suburb of Addison, Texas, plans to attract young professionals to its River North location. Far from ignoring similar spots, the company uses nearby House of Blues and Harry Caray’s to describe where its upscale bar/restaurant is located.

Expect “passionate bartenders” to “pour their heart and soul into their specialty cocktails,” reads a January 21 news release. “An extensive variety of beers, microbrews and over 20 wines by the glass are also available to round out their impressive beverage menu.”

(Above) Further in, another bar. In lower right, a circular saw awaits its next job while liquor bottles above wait to be put away. (Below) Reverse angle, looking southwest.

Another dining area around toward the back of the 11,591 square foot space. The restaurant will seat 260 people inside and 73 outside on a patio. Staff members at right were learning the menu on Friday. (Click on images to view larger versions.)

(Above) Outside, a large entry that extended away from the building has been removed, along with two large metal stairways, making the west side of the building flat and revealing more space for an outdoor patio – which the $675,000 renovation will include. Above the space is BIN 36. Harry Caray’s is next door to the north. (Left) What this area looked like on December 28, 2011.