Thursday, August 6, 2009

(Out Of) Lucks Foods Closed By Health Department

"City Closes North Side Bakery. For the second time in about 13 months, city inspectors ordered a North Side bakery to close because of pest problems and other health code violations. Conditions were so bad at Luck Foods, 1109-1111 W. Argyle St., that a fly flew up the nose of one of the inspectors from Mayor Daley's Dumpster Task Force checking out the bakery, according to a news release Wednesday from the Department of Streets and Sanitation." Read the rest of the story - if you dare! - here.

5 comments:

  1. How many times does a food establishment have to be closed by the Health Dept before it finally closes for good? This may sound mean and outlandish to some, but I wouldn't eat at ANY of the establishments on Argyle — even if someone held a gun to my head. The whole area smells like a public restroom and the storefronts don't exactly scream, "Eat here! We're a clean establishment!" I'm just sayin'.

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  2. I'm a bit confused by the 'Argyle Strip' between Sheridan and Broadway. There are so many wonderful restaurants in the area....but I remember a few years ago ? that businesses refused to remove the menacing security gates, despite resident's wishes? It bears no relation to health code violations, but wasn't this an issue?

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  3. DaDNAn, I live at the Argyle strip and can vouch for the terrific (and cheap!) food with BYOB options at a lot of the restaurants here. The propietors are friendly and the entire stretch from Broadway to Sheridan is one of the coolest places to escape the world of cookie cutter chains and boring American cuisine. (Having said that, I don't go to Lucks because it seems like a definite aberration, cleanliness-wise.)

    If you're willing to give Argyle a shot, start with Hai Yen, and then try Sun Wah. Pho 888 is great, as is Ba Le for
    sandwiches. Avenue Thai is also a great meal. Tank's is always a popular choice too.

    If you haven't explored Argyle, you're missing out on one of Uptown's coolest areas!

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  4. Argyle Street between Sheridan and Broadway is not pleasant or charming. No chains is fine, but basic upkeep would make all the difference. It would take minimal investment (broom, hose, paint, paintbrush). With few exceptions, there are a shocking number of dilapidated properties in such a small stretch. As for the restaurants, anything that looks like Luck's on the outside (and inside) certainly doesn't require a health inspector report to know to stay away.

    On a related note, what’s up with the 4 storefronts next to the Argyle CTA that burned LAST August? Why hasn't the City required demolition? Empty lots would be a massive improvement and might actually generate investment interest once the economy turns around.

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  5. I was unlucky enough to stumble into 'Lucks' just once. This was before the public smoking ban. It was full of men of an indeterminate age just sitting and sipping coffee from styro-foam cups and smoking cigarettes. This was four years ago and I left because of the flies. I also remember the windows were super dirty and greasy. I take the alley way behind Argyle Street to the Red Line frequently and many of the "eateries" use the alley to dump the grease from their fryers, I'm sure that doesn't help the fly situation much.

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