Lite Bites: What Your Favorite Chefs & Mixologists Are Up To Around Town This Week

Andrew Brochu (Photo via StarChefs.com)

Put on those sexy sunglasses.

• No big shocker here. Andrew Brochu has left the sports-oriented Monarch to return to his fine-dining roots with the Alinea restaurant group. He's joined Aviary's culinary team, as noted on its facebook page Wednesday afternoon.

• More great news, but this time from Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises (LEYE). Paul McGee's long-awaited tiki lounge, Three Dots and a Dash, is set to open in early June, according to partner R.J. Melman.


Endgrain owners chef Enoch Simpson (left) and brother Caleb Simpson (Photo: Endgrain)

• Apparently LEYE is taking over River North because a block away from Three Dots is Restaurant Beatrix, which is set to open early summer. No word yet on concept or menu, but chefs Susan Weaver, John Chiakulas and Rita Dever are behind the project.

• Former Nightwood chef Enoch Simpson finally has an opening date for Endgrain, located in Roscoe Village. Look for its debut the first week of June.

• And Sepia has locked in a new bartender to replace award-winning mixologist Josh Pearson. Griffin Elliott previously worked at Scofflaw and is considered a protege of former Boka head bartender Benjamin Schiller. Man, does he have some big shoes to fill!