Kornick optimistic about outlook for new mk North

Nation's Restaurant News, Nov 12, 2001 by Carolyn Walkup

NORTHFIELD, ILL. -- Michael Kornick and his partners in mk North, the Chicago chef-owner's newest restaurant and first suburban venture, are convinced that it will be received here as the right concept in the right place despite dour economic and political times.

Kornick, who has made a name for himself at high-profile urban restaurants, opened his first mk in downtown Chicago three years ago. The sophisticated, contemporary American restaurant has won critical accolades and a loyal following. Raised in the city's North Shore suburbs, he now returns to familiar territory with mk North.

The new restaurant is one of the first to open in the Greater Chicago market since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks reduced business in most high-end restaurants. Industry friends have told Kornick that they expect their sales to be off at least 20 percent for the rest of this year.

"Downtown will be harder lit," Kornick said. "Suburban people would rather finish their business day and go home. The suburban market that caters to nonbusiness residents will not be affected as much."

Because he and his partners -- his wife, Lisa Koch Kornick, pastry chef Mindy Segal and Caryn Bobrowski -- have been planning and building out the restaurant space for many months, the thought of not opening it after Sept. 11 was not an option.

"This is as affluent a market as we can get in the Chicagoland area," he said, adding that Northfield's demographics are expected to work in mk North's favor.

In spite of the area's affluence, Kornick knows that residents are value-conscious and do not want to overspend on dining and entertainment. He is pricing his food considerably lower than the menu at the Chicago ink, which benefits from business entertaining. He predicted that the mk North dinner check averages will be about $40 on weeknights and $55 on weekends, compared with an all-week average of $76 downtown.

Kornick and Jon Novak, mk North's executive chef, will be doing more bistro-style dishes than downtown, since mk North has a wood-burning oven and a rotisserie in addition to a wood-burning grill. Some of those bistro dishes are rotisserie-roasted chicken with herbes de Provence and garlic puree; roasted and grilled rack of pork with butternut squash and an apricot thyme natural sauce; and grilled salmon with Chinese mustard glaze and stir-fried vegetables.

The suburban outpost also offers a children's menu and plans to add carryout service, which downtown does not offer. Kornick observed that many other Chicago-based north suburban restaurants do between $500,000 and $1 million annually in carryout alone.

For the majority of customers who will dine in the restaurant, Kornick's designer created an ambience similar to that of the original restaurant. The 150-seat dining room features a floating ceiling, exposed brick and neutral hues of brown and tan. One corner area can be closed off with curtains to create a semiprivate section.

Kornick is positioning mk North in a niche between the top north suburban fine-dining restaurants, such as Le Francais, Carlos and Le Titi de Paris, and the more casual dinnerhouses where customers must wait inline for tables. "We have a casual environment, where you can wear jeans but in a sophisticated setting," he explained, adding that the restaurant takes reservations.