RIA Dinner On Twitter Auction Block . . .

It feels like it just came out of the blue, but RIA chefs Jason McLeod and Danny Grant launched a Twitter auction Tuesday afternoon for dinner at their fabulous restaurant.

This is right on time, seeing how the Elysian hotel's highly regarded resto just reopened after being closed for the holiday season. Check out some of the new menu items here.

Is Your Mouth Watering Yet?!

(Photo: The Doughnut Vault)

I'm still anxiously awaiting the arrival of The Doughnut Vault—set to open in River North in a few weeks—but I just came across these drool-enticing photos the owner (who's also behind Gilt Bar, Maude's Liquor Bar) recently posted on the shop's blog.

Check it out for updates on tasty menu items and cool tidbits on the history of doughnuts. Plus, sooner or later they're going to have to reveal the actual location . . .

Epic's New Chef Unveils Fresh New Menu

Michael Shrader during his N9NE days. (Photo: Myspace)

Now that he's settled into his new digs at Epic, Executive Chef Michael Shrader has had time to work his own signature styles into the lunch and dinner menus.

We just got a copy of it and it's chockful of American-centric dishes certain to keep the River North resto on the hot list.