The owners of Good Fortune hoped to open several months ago, but typical city hiccups snarled those plans. But victory is in sight as ownership said they’re opening the highly-anticipated Logan Square spot in less than two weeks.

Reservations are online and the opening date is pegged for August 15. The restaurant, 2528 N. California Avenue, fits into a stretch of Logan Square that includes a pair of acclaimed Mexican spots (Mi Tocaya Antojeria, Quiote) and spicy chicken wing slinger Landbirds.

Good Fortune started as a pop-up back in 2017 and focused on seafood. Don’t expect the same menu at the restaurant as chef Charles Welch and creative director Andrew Miller moved away from just fish. Customers will find meats fired in a wood-burning oven, Mediterranean flavors, and fresh pastas.

Welch gushes about the flavors a wood-burning oven can impart. A halloumi dish really benefits from the smokiness of the hearth, he says. Another menu highlight is a pork collar. The Good Fortune owners want to retain the ability to change its menu daily. It’s a way to keep things fresh and random. It’s also a way to occupy Welch.

“You can’t shut off a restless mind, and Charlie definitely has a restless mind,” Miller said.

Miller and Welch say Good Fortune is a come as you are neighborhood restaurant with a high level of execution. Miller wants to throw a nightly dinner party, capturing the same energy dinners at his home have. There are 52 seats in the space, which formerly housed the General, including eight at a bar.

Miller talked about how important it was to create an experience for customers. He feels restaurants, for many people, are their primary form of entertainment — not as many folks are going to the theatre.

“We want customers to remember where they’ve eaten for years,” Miller said.

Miller and Welch have a trio of upcoming projects right now. They’ve formed a company, Out to Lunch Hospitality. At the end of the summer, they will retool the longtime Ukrainian Village dive bar Happy Village, and they also have plans to open a bar called X in Logan Square.

The Chicago restaurant veterans worked together at Honey’s, an acclaimed spot in Fulton Market that closed in early 2018, and their experience there helped forge a strong bond. The two, who both live in Logan Square, have a level of trust that they hope sets Good Fortune apart from other restaurants in the area.

Stay tuned for more details on the space and menu in the coming weeks.