The new kid on the block has a lot of local connections.
The grand opening for the D.S. Tequila Company, 3352 N. Halsted, is scheduled for Aug. 14-15. D.S. is located across the street from Minibar and next to Roscoe's in the heart of Boystown—with strong ties to both popular bars.
"We feel that Halsted Street was missing a neighborhood bar/restaurant. It has a good number of restaurants and a good number of bars, but not bar/restaurants," said John Dalton, 33, the owner of D.S. Tequila Company, which promises high quality food, drinks and service. "We will have daily specials and the food is very reasonably priced. We also are a completely a la cart menu, so you can order what you want and not waste [ any food ] ."
The D.S. Tequila Company—which will have its own brand of tequila made in the Guadalajara region of Mexico by the end of 2010—is a TexMex restaurant with flavorful and tasty burgers, tacos and more. Of course there are fresh-fruit margaritas and plenty of people-watching seats in the outside seating area that can accommodate 80. Inside, the facility can had about 100.
Dalton's business partner of five years, Stu Zirin, created the menu.
D.S. will have about 30 employees—gay, straight and bisexual, male and female. Dalton said there will be no crossover of employment between D.S. and Mini Bar.
D.S. certainly appears to be a, "fun, laid back, neighborhood bar and city food destination," as Dalton predicted.
Dalton, who has lived in Chicago for 15 years, said D.S. likely will attract gay and straight customers, particularly sports bar fans. He previously was the operations manager/postman/bartender at Roscoe's from 2001-2005.
"I've always wanted to be in this industry; that's why I started working at Roscoe's, but I was open to working anywhere as long as it was in this industry," said Dalton, who graduated from Northwestern University.
"We will have a full list of our promotions after our grand opening, slated for the weekend after Market Days. We are still operating in a 'soft opening mode.' We are still training new servers, bartenders and working hard with the kitchen to make sure that when our menu is complete, and when our promotions are in full swing, the experience is perfect every time."
Based on Dalton's past, D.S. should be an instant hit in Boystown.
