Grand opening for Orland sushi restaurant

Yucca Asian Cuisine will hold its grand opening this week in Orland Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Yucca Asian Cuisine, a new restaurant that features sushi and Asian fusion dining, will hold its grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, at 16081 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park, behind Houlihan's.

The restaurant, which has been open for a couple of months, specializes in traditional sushi but also features dishes such as walnut shrimps, kungbao chicken, orange chicken,   Macau curry,  Singapore  beef and yucca special fried noodle.

Its chef, John Zhao, has 20 years experience at five-star hotels in China including Hyatt Macao as well as Peninsula in Chicago.

Grand opening festivities will take place from 5:15-6:30 p.m. Thursday.

Hours for Yucca are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Yucca is offering a grand opening discount through April starting at $10 off a $50 bill.

For information, call 708-460-4778 or visit Yucca Asian Cuisine.

Ford City AMC to get star treatment

AMC Theatres has plans to give the Ford City 14 theater the same kind of renovation it gave the Chicago Ridge Mall AMC theater a couple of years ago.

The company is seeking bids on a $4 million makeover for the 68,000-square-foot theater complex at Ford City Mall at 76th Street and Cicero Avenue, according to bidclerk.com.

Changes will include new seats with power recliners, new screens, upgraded food and drink menus and possibly the addition of a MacGuffin's Bar, which AMC added at Chicago Ridge and has been adding to theaters ever since.

At theaters with a MacGuffin's Bar, which is named in homage to noted director Alfred Hitchcock, patrons can take their cocktails into the theater to enjoy while watching the movie. 

The mall was taken over by iStar Financial Inc. last year from Chicago real estate investor Sam Zell as part of a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure.

There is no timetable for the construction.

Jacob's Ladder closes in Brookfield

Jacob's Ladder, a gift and collectibles shop in Brookfield, closed at the end of January because its owners  wanted to retire.

Bobbi and Bruce Jacobs opened the shop 37 years ago and bought the building it was located in 29 years ago.

Bruce Jacobs is in his late 70s and said running the store was getting to be too much for the elderly couple.

Smokehouse reopens

Smokehouse restaurant has finished its remodeling and reopened recently in the Chicago Ridge Mall food court in Chicago Ridge.

If you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop me a line at bobbong@hotmail.com.

You can also catch up on Comings & Goings in other parts of the Southland at www.southlandbusinessnews.com.