Skrine Chops to Reopen Next Weekend

If you've been hankering for blue cheese potato salad and a slab of ribs, you won't have to wait too much longer to lick your chops.

Skrine Chops is looking to open Sept. 2—the one-year anniversary of the fire that damaged much of the more than 100-year-old structure at 7230 Madison St.

It's been a trying time for Steve and Mary Rita Skrine since the fire, which started when lightning struck an electrical line that fed the building, Steve said. The when fire crews arrived at 4:30 a.m.

The entire upstairs was burned off and had to be rebuilt. The first floor sustained water damage.

To look at other photos from the fire, log on to Skrine Chops Facebook page.

It took longer than anticipated to demolish the building. Other issues like insurance flared up, Steve said, he added.

The catering business in the interim was running out of the downtown Chicago restaurant at 400 S. Financial Pl.

When the renovated restaurant opens next week, patrons will get a bit of a different feel in the downstairs and all of the upstairs.

The restaurant and second-floor party room will have a true rustic feel as wood from southwest Wisconsin barns was used for the paneling, the longer bar, bar stools on the first floor and a lot of the second floor.

Wooden trusses now bolster the second-floor ceiling. The upstairs fireplace was created out of bricks charred in the fire.

A train, which captivated the young set before the fire, will run again along the wall on new tracks on the first floor. The original tables and chairs will be put into service.

And emblematic of Steve Skrine's love of taxidermy, a full-sized stuffed bear will grace the bar. Folks, knowing his passion, have been bringing in other "relics" for the new place, Mary Rita Skrine said.

"We have to do something with that boar's head," Mary Rita said. The head glares at guests as they arrive.

One thing that won't change is the menu with its famous pork chops, ribs and sides. A comedy night will begin anew; music acts might be brought in as well, Mary Rita said.

The community has been incredibly supportive of the Skrines' efforts to reopen.

Mary Rita said they'd meet at Starbucks just across the street and people would ask how the renovations were going.

"It's been really encouraging," Mary Rita said. "When people see the doors open they poke their heads in and ask when they're opening."

People would try to peek in and see what was going on through the paper-covered windows. Steve said they could hear their comments.

"They'd wonder when we'd open and some said they can't wait," he said.

Recently a couple from Seattle and a couple from Maine, who'd met on a Frank Lloyd Wright tour, planned to meet and eat at Skrine Chops. They didn't know about the fire. They said they could not wait until the place opened and planned to come back at some point, Steve said.

Brian Herman from Oak Park was walking down Madison Street, got curious and asked when the restaurant would re-open. Steve told him the plan was next weekend. Herman looked around a bit of the first floor and nodded his head in approval and walked out.

"Everyone in the community's been really supportive," Mary Rita said. "This is more than a building; it's really part of us."