Even sports bars leave legacies

a game changer is closing up shop

Hi, everyone!

The brief break last Labor Day Weekend was really nice — stepping away from the screen from time to time does wonders for my mental health. We didn’t grill out as a family this year (things are so different without my father), but Davida and I took my mom out for a pleasant little bento box lunch at an adorable Korean-owned Japanese restaurant called Manooben, out in Glenview.

Today’s version of The Party Cut is a little different in that I’m not going to be recommending a mom-and-pop place for you all, but rather showing you what it was like to take one last visit to a restaurant during its final days of service. Closures are a natural part of any dining scene, so it’s important to acknowledge when places close their doors too.

This particular restaurant is notable because its existence served as a catalyst of change in my old neighborhood, flipping the switch from a hipster haven to more of a bro-friendly enclave, and it has definitely been interesting to see what it set off during the 16 years it was in business.