On the table: Stephanie Izard's The Little Goat and Brendan Sodikoff's Ox Diner

Two diner-inspired restaurants are in the works. For now (and always), there's Diner Grill.

Diner Grill

Photo: Ben Pier

In the last twelve hours, Stephanie Izard (of Girl and the Goat) and Brendan Sodikoff (of Gilt Bar, Curio, Maude's Liquor Bar and the soon-to-open Doughnut Vault) both announced their next projects. Izard hinted a couple months back that she had something else in the works with Boka Restaurant Group's Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz, whereas Sodikoff has been opening restaurants with such rapid fire that his announcement came as more of a surprise. But the most unexpected aspect of all is that the two chef-owners will both be drawing inspiration from the same source: the classic diner. And they'll both be opening in the same burgeoning neighborhood (set to house Paul Kahan's butcher shop, Jared Van Camp's "bohemian" restaurant and, of course, Grant Achatz's restaurant and bar): the West Loop.

Still, with styles as divergent as Sodikoff's and Izard's, there will be much to set the diners apart. Eater.com has the details on Izard's diner, which will be named the Little Goat; will have 100 seats; serve breakfast, lunch and dinner; as well as house Girl and the Goat's bread program and a photo booth. 312 Dining Diva broke the news about Sodikoff's, which sounds more like a diner-inspired restaurant; it will have a full bar and won't launch with breakfast. Since neither of these spots has yet ventured an opening date, here's a great piece from the archives about some of the city's diner treasures worth a visit in the meantime: White Palace Grill, Don's Humburgers, Diner Grill and more.