HopScotch & Vine's Back in Business with New Owners, Philosophy

Two months after it suddenly closed, is back with new owners, a new menu and new hours.

The opening weekend was a success, with a packed house Friday and Saturday night, co-owner Cassie Vaughn said.

The goal is to create a "neighborhood place with a city feel," Vaughn said, and to come up with menu items you can't find in downtown Plainfield or elsewhere in the village.

To that end, she and husband Mike have developed a menu with their chef, Trinidad Z, featuring such specialities as stuffed burgers, five types of loaded baked potatoes and, coming soon, fondue, Vaughn said.

They have also opened a small store to sell wine and cheeses to go, she said, and they will be open for both lunch and dinner. Their hours are 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday, and 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Vaughn acknowledges the size of the restaurant/bar, located at 24047 Lockport St., is somewhat limited, but that's also a selling point, she said.

"It's very small and intimate," she said. "We wanted more of a quaint feeling."

The centerpiece of HopScotch remains the lit-from-within bar top, which Vaughn said she likes because it's the kind of thing you'd find in Chicago or other large cities.

That was the brainchild of Tim Murphy, who converted the space from a morning coffee shop into Thomas Albert American Wine Bar and Lounge in May 2010. He sold the business to Michelle Kosiek and Bryce Jordan, who reopened it as .

Vaughn said she didn't think they would have trouble making a go of it. Both she and her husband have hotel management experience -- Vaughn is a regional manager for Country Inn & Suites -- and they have helped with managing Bin 48, which is located further down Lockport Street.

"This is a great location," said Vaughn, a 9-year Plainfield resident. "We are coming in with the intention that we are here for the long term."