Deutsch spark? With the closings of Zum Deutschen Eck, Golden Ox, Salzburger Hof, and most recently Berghoff (after 107 years!), you'd think that the light had gone out of Chicago's once-thriving German restaurant scene. But sauerkraut be saved! Uberstein is open near Wrigley Field. The beer garden will serve homemade bratwurst, Bavarian pretzels, and schnitzel sandwiches with tap beer imported from the Hofbrauhaus in Munich. Partners Mike Matuschka and Joe Vartanian, who also own the clubs Crobar and Blu, claim their eatery is "über-German" If you want something done rightWhen it came to finding a beef supplier for his new namesake restaurant, David Burke's Primehouse, chef David Burke decided to breed his own livestock. He bought a $250,000 Black Angus bull named Prime, who now lives on a ranch in Kentucky where he studs cattle that will give birth to offspring fated for the plates of the new steakhouse. Burke even plans to showcase the pedigree papers on the back of the menu. Adios, Chicago: chef Generoso Bahena has closed the last of his restaurants, Chilpancingo. Bahena, who worked at Rick Bayless's Frontera Grill for 12 years, had opened the critically acclaimed (and hard to pronounce) Ixcapuzalco and Mi Sueño SuRealidad. He's now running the kitchen at Malverde in Lynwood, California, and is working on projects in Las Vegas and elsewhere. Thyme passes: It's been eight years since John Bubala began serving his take on French cuisine at Thyme, so he decided to spice up his life by relaunching the restaurant as Timo (Italian for "thyme"). Look for rustic dishes like spit-roasted rabbit with housemade papparadelle, and chicken with lemon, garlic, and barley in porcini sauce. Japas, a Japanese version of tapas, is the bill of fare at the newly opened Wakamono on north Broadway in the former Valhalla Wine Shop site. Menu items include prosciutto with ponzu sauce and red snapper sashimi with truffle oil, along with traditional sushi. Though chefs Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand are staying true to their popular eatery, Tru, they have also joined Cenitare Restaurant Group to launch more restaurant projects. Look for fall openings of Osteria di Tramonto and Tramonto's Steak and Seafood in a new Westin Hotel in Wheeling.