Less than three years after opening, Shorewood’s Buttermint Finer Dining & Cocktails (4195 N. Oakland Ave.) will close on Saturday, July 27.
According to a press release from parent company Black Shoe Hospitality, shutting down the North Shore spot “is the best decision” for the restaurant group. The other properties Black Shoe owns and operates are Maxie’s, Blue’s Egg and Story Hill BKC. Before Buttermint, Black Shoe ran a second location of Blue’s Egg in that space.
“We have been very proud to serve Shorewood and the North Shore community, and this decision was not made lightly,” said partner Jason Kerstein in the press release. “We appreciate all the support we have received from our neighbors and friends over the last two and a half years.”
Kerstein owns Black Shoe Hospitality with Amy Kerstein, Dan Sidner and executive chef Joe Muench.
“Closing Buttermint will allow us to have a greater impact on our three West Side restaurants,” said Muench in the press release.
In a phone call after the announcement, Sidner elaborated on the decision to close and the company’s future: “Restaurants are far more than a job or an investment. People who own and operate restaurants literally go all in. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a passion. This is a big disappointment. But we have three other restaurants, and we have to think of the entirety of our business and give that same passion to those other restaurants. And getting smaller, that gives us the opportunity to do that.”
The Buttermint space will be available for lease – and Black Shoe will help the property owner find a restaurateur to replace it, “to continue the tradition of hospitality Buttermint fostered,” says Sidner.
Until it’s closing, the hours will remain the same: Mon-Sat 4-9 p.m., and Sunday brunch, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. And the restaurant is not planning to scale back anything in those last two weeks of business. “We’re not going to reduce the menu size between now and the 27th,” Sidner says. “We’re going to keep doing specials. We’re going to keep bringing in ingredients. We have a Wine Spectator award-winning wine list. We’ve got lots of wines, lots of cocktails. We want to go out strong.”
Reservations are accepted, and walk-in guests are welcome.
