Hyde Park is about to get a shot in the arm when the Promontory, a new restaurant, bar and concert venue, opens in early 2013. Even more exciting is the team behind the project: Longman & Eagle owners Bruce Finkelman (Empty Bottle, Bite Cafe), Craig Golden (Evanston's Space and Union Pizza) and chef Jared Wentworth will helm the kitchen.

At this point, much of the details, including the type of cuisine, have not yet been revealed. But seeing as L&E is Michelin-starred and Wentworth has been much heralded, it stands that this new restaurant, with a "hearth-driven kitchen," will likely gain a lot of attention. Should we expect a lot of grilled and smoked meats?

The Promontory, named for the nearby Promontory Point in Lake Michigan, is set to be part of the 53rd Street revitalization project, which already has a new Clarke's diner and Five Guys Burgers, and adjacent Harper Court project. The addition of another quality restaurant attached to a music venue, will not only give South Siders (in particular University of Chicago folk) a place to hang, it could help make the area more of a destination.

Jared Wentworth [Photo: StarChefs]