Two Landmark Restaurants -- Nick's Fishmarket and Blackhawk -- Closing up Shop

Chicago - It’s lights out for two longtime names in the Chicago area’s fine-dining scene.

Nick’s Fishmarket, which has been in the Loop for 32 years, closed after serving Friday’s dinner. And Don Roth’s Blackhawk will close at year end in Wheeling, ending a 90-year run of a Blackhawk restaurant in the region.

The closings come as consumers cut back on discretionary purchases such as a night out at fancy restaurants.

Nick’s owner Lee Suckow said the restaurant’s business was off 30 percent from a year ago. It leased its space in Chase Plaza, 51 S. Clark, from J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and the bank was unwilling to negotiate a break on the rent, Suckow said.

He said he will seek new space downtown and wouldn’t be surprised if Chase assigns his old space to a fast-food restaurant such as Chipotle, a burrito chain owned by McDonald’s Corp. A Nick’s Fishmarket in Rosemont will continue operating.

If he finds a new location, “There will be more emphasis on the grill. I don’t see fine dining coming back until 2011,” Suckow said. He said Nick’s downtown had 60 workers and a few are being moved to Rosemont.

Don Roth’s Blackhawk is closing at 61 N. Milwaukee, Wheeling, because owner Ann Roth concluded it was time. “With my 90th birthday on the horizon and none of my children in a position to assume responsibility for the family business, it will be better to close Don’s last restaurant while it is still a going concern,” she said in a press release.

Her late husband Don Roth opened the Wheeling site in 1969 in a farmhouse that’s now 150 years old. General manager Bob Vorachek said the farmhouse needs substantial upgrades to remain suitable for a quality restaurant.

It will be marketed for sale but the Blackhawk name will be retired, Vorachek said. He said the restaurant has 36 employees, with many having worked there more than a decade.

The original Blackhawk on Wabash was where Roth introduced his “spinning salad bowl.” It also was known for hosting Big Bands, such as the orchestras of Les Brown, Bob Crosby and Kay Kyser, with some performances broadcast nationwide on WGN Radio.

The downtown restaurant closed in 1984 and its Big Band memorabilia moved to Wheeling. Vorachek said some restaurant mementos will be given to longtime patrons when they come by the last time.