Bleeding Heart Bakery to return to West Town in 2011

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="Vinny and Michelle Garcia circa 2008, at the opening of the (now closed) Chaos Theory Cakes"][/caption]

This just in via our in-box: Vinny and Michelle Garcia, the enterprising couple behind the Bleeding Heart Bakery family of businesses, will return to their home turf of West Chicago Avenue in March 2011. The return to Chicago Avenue is in part due to a collaboration the couple has entered into with Greg Mohr and Scott Weiner, the owners of the Fifty/50. Around the same time the new Bleeding Heart opens, Mohr and Weiner will open a new concept, Roots, in the space next door. The address for both businesses: 1916–1924 West Chicago Avenue.

This is the latest in a series of openings (and closings) for Bleeding Heart. The Garcias moved their flagship from Chicago Avenue to Belmont some years ago, closing the Chicago store after a brief stint as a cafe didn't work out. They went on to open Chaos Theory Cakes, an upscale cake shop for adults, at 2961 North Lincoln Avenue, but that business fairly quickly morphed into Smash Cake, a cake shop geared toward kids. Smash Cake closed within a year of being open, and now the Garcias are out of that space completely, though an Oak Park outpost of Bleeding Heart is seemingly thriving.

The plan for the Chicago Bleeding Heart store is to make it a full-fledged eatery, with seating for 125 people. Ideas for the breakfast menu include hibiscus pancakes with warm lemon curd and five different riffs on eggs Benedict; lunch items will utilize what the Garcias hope will be an ambitious bread program that turns out baguettes, brioche, beer bread and more. Of course, all of Bleeding Heart's baked goods will be on offer as well.

Next door, at Roots, the beer will be exclusively Midwestern, 16 of which will be on tap. In keeping with that Midwestern pride, there'll be Quad City–style pizza. (According to the release, Quad City–style means the crust will be chewy and airy, of "regular" thickness, and contain a significant dose of malt. Quad City folks apparently are also partial to taco pizza, topped with pork sausage, cheddar cheese and tortilla strips, and a pizza that sounds as if it's topped with all the elements of a cheeseburger—including even the lettuce.)

Both Bleeding Heart and Roots will feature glassed-in kitchens so patrons can watch their food being made. But as far as I can tell, that's the only real similarity between the two.