Chicago's Bar Louie, famed for its martini recipes, is coming to Newport on the Levee this fall, the riverfront development said Friday.

        “Bar Louie is going to fit right into the Levee scene,” said David Wechsler, executive vice president of Steiner and Associates, the Levee's developer. “The menu is hip, the atmosphere is soothing.”

        Newport will be the restaurant's 18th location — 13 are open or under construction in Chicago, two in Pittsburgh and two in Arizona. Another is planned for Easton Tower Center, another Steiner and Associates property, in Columbus.

        The Bar Louie at the Levee will seat 250 inside and 100 outside on a courtyard patio. It will be across from Dewey's Pizza in the $210 million riverfront development in Northern Kentucky.

        The Bar Louie locations are tailored to — and named — for the neighborhoods where they are located. Martinis are created and named in honor of locations.

        Bar Louie Evanston, in the Chicago suburb that is home to Northwestern University, has a martini called “The Wildcat” on the menu (vodka, peach schnapps, cranberry and pineapple) in honor of the school's mascot.

        Also on the Evanston menu is the “Purple Haze” and the “VCR.” In Tempe Ariz., martinis called the “TempeTini” and the “Valley of the Sun” are on the menu. At Bar Louie Wrigley, drinkers can get the “Bleacher Bum” martini in the team colors of their Chicago Cubs.

        Levee spokeswoman Genine Drozd said martini names and recipes would be determined closer to the Newport club's opening.

        Bar Louie is one of several restaurant concepts by Chicago's Restaurant Development Group. RDG also has several Nick & Tony's Chophouse Italian restaurants and is opening its new Red Star Tavern restaurants.

        Liza Lathouris, spokeswoman for RDG, said the partners who run the restaurant group were not deterred from interest in Greater Cincinnati by last year's April riots.

        “They know Cincinnati very well. We actually opened the Redfish there,” said Liza Lathouris, spokeswoman for RDG.

        Redfish, offering Cajun food, was originally an RDG restaurant concept, with the first location opening in Chicago, she said.

        After opening the Redfish location at Seventh and Race downtown and running it for a few years, RDG entered into a joint venture with another restaurant group, eventually selling the concept to that group.

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