Marcus Samuelsson’s C-House pushed back

Those waiting for acclaimed Ethiopian chef Marcus Samuelsson (New York's Riingo, Aquavit) to make his Chicago debut will have to wait a little longer.

A call over to Streeterville’s Affinia Chicago Hotel (166 E. Superior St., 312-787-6000), where his Scandinavian-style cuisine will take centerstage at C-House, rewarded 312 Dining Diva with the latest and greatest info. Turns out that the hotel is still renovating and running behind schedule, so the restaurant will not be opening in early 2008, as other media outlets have been reporting.

At this point, they’re looking for C-House to open in late March or possibly sometime in April. Really, who knows, as you know how these things go. As usual, we’ll keep you posted.

Soiree opens this weekend

There’s absolutely no relation between the two, but Soiree Bar and Bistro (2438 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-477-8880) just opened in Lincoln Park and Soiree Bar and Restaurant recently closed over at 4539 N. Lincoln Ave.

That’s where the similarities end as the former replaces The Gramercy—an overrated Lincoln Park college bar masquerading as a Miami-esque lounge. New owners have replaced the all-white interior with lush colors of crimson and purple hues. And they’ve added a menu of French-American bites, which is targeted toward those who sit in the front section.

It’ll be interesting to see if the young, post-collegiate crowd that frequents this Lincoln Avenue strip warms up to the idea of this pretty sophisticated concept dropped in the middle of frat boy heaven.