Chef comebacks! Yusho and Goosefoot opening soon.

Sometimes, in the culinary world, you've got to strike while the iron is hot (or at least before your stove has been given too much time to cool). Chefs Chris Nugent and Matthias Merges, both of whome recently left jobs at prestigious and iconic restaurants, are now welcoming December with respective restaurant openings of their own.

Nugent, coming off of seven years at Les Nomades, will unveil his new culinary venture Goosefoot on December 11th. I know what you’re thinking. Of all the anatomical parts, of all the fine-feathered flocks, you came up with “goosefoot”? Really? But set the snark aside for just a second. This dining spot on Lawrence Avenue actually gets its name from a plant genus that includes Chioggia beets, Swiss chard, Bordeaux spinach, and quinoa. Apparently the red veins of beets look like the feet of geese, or so thought some oblivious originator of nomenclature. This name actually seems pretty apt, once you know its etymology, since Nugent’s focus is on partnering with local farms (Three Sister’s, Genesis, etc) to bring only the freshest, most seasonal ingredients to his customers. And, by the way, there are no goosefeet on the menu (though the menu is strictly not vegetarian). In fact, there aren’t any feet on the menu—at Goosefoot you get an ankles-up dining experience.

Now that we’ve got that all cleared up, the first thing you might notice upon entering the restaurant are its more classic touches—three tiny Rodin sculptures of the infamous mangled-intertwining-body-parts type sit in the front of the restaurant, prints collected by Nugent on trips to France and Italy line the walls. However, the dining hall itself is very minimal and clean, stressing Nugent’s desire to marry classic influences with modern tastes. Goosefoot will start off serving a $90 8-course tasting menu, as well as a $140 12-course tasting menu once the restaurant hits its stride.

But before diving feet first in Nugent’s BYOB fresh-fest, you might want to check out Chef Matthias Merges’ first restaurant since leaving his fourteen-year tenure at Charlie Trotter’s in 2010. Yusho, opening on December 3rd in Logan Square, will focus on Japanese street food, specifically yakitori (grilled birds), yasai (grilled vegetables) and kushiyaki (grilled meats and seafood). In other words, don’t go to this Japanese restaurant expecting a fabulous raw bar. The main dinner menu will be divided into three mini-menus, each focusing on one of Yusho’s grilled specialties. The restaurant will also offers extensive wine, beer and sake lists and a late-night menu, served until 1am. The interior is streets-meets-suppressed—exposed brick and flashes of loud neon contrast with stark industrial felts and gray tiling.