The Mint

Asian Mint,the well-rated Asian-fusion restaurant at Forest and 75, is opening a second branch in the Oak Lawn shopping strip that's home to Aurora and across from the offices of D Magazine, as reported by SideDish.

This new branch will be called, simply, The Mint -- no "Asian" -- and will open September 3rd, 2008 in the space that was most recently occupied by The Green Pepper, says owner Nikky Phinyawatana. It'll be "similar in feel but different," she says, and will not have the Forest Lane's signature green-and-white color scheme, gasp.

"The style and feel will be the same, but not the same materials or chairs or tables, and no green and white," she says. "The menu will be very similar but with a twist, and some new dishes we want to introduce to Highland Park, such as seared tuna salad and confit of duck -- more Highland Park-ish."

It's a smaller space, so there'll be no room for the dessert bar featured at the Forest Lane branch.

Phinyawatana hadn't been actively seeking to open a second branch but she says that realtors kept approaching her with locations and that customers in the Bubble were making requests.