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

Barrelhouse Flat's top level (Photos: Barrelhouse Flat)

Diana Ross says there's a cure for this.

• BIG swingin' props go out to the talented bar staffs at The Aviary and Barrelhouse Flat, which were the only Chicago spots to make Esquire's annual Best Bars In America list. The section comes out in the June/July issue and here's what they had to say:

On Aviary, which clocked in at #12: "... if you're willing to put aside your 'This ain't a bar' instincts, an evening at the Aviary can be a blast. The drinks are fascinating and delicious. At the end of the evening, you feel as if you've had a fun night at a top restaurant, only to get this buzzed at one of them would cost you ten times more."

And Barrelhouse Flat, which came in at #13: "... this one specializes not in new drinks with a farm-to-table ethos or in updates on the classics wherein the update consists mostly of replacing tried-and-true ingredients with hit-or-miss ones made in the basement, but in simply making the many classic drinks on its enticing list as good as possible, with minimal ego."

Fantastic!


New Bread & Wine Executive Chef Michael Dean Reynolds (Photo: Leopold)

• Michael Dean Reynolds has a new job as executive chef at Bread & Wine. Previously he served as exec chef at the now-shuttered Leopold in West Town.

• Time Out Chicago's review of Carrie Nahabedian's new hot spot Brindille is enlightening: "Cost is tricky at Brindille, because the tab can easily rival that of a tasting-menu restaurant, but the experience isn't quite so pampering. You see, servings are small enough that if you order less than a three-course meal, you'll probably leave hungry. So you basically have to treat Brindille like the kind of place you go to for a long, wine-fueled meal." I doubt many people have a problem with that!

• Former Bavette’s/Gilt Bar bartender Zack Friedlander launches Barkeep Collective, "a company adapting a fresh approach to restaurant and bar consulting."

• And new Eater Chicago contributor David Hammond has more deets on Tanta, which is set to open in July by Peruvian star chef Gaston Acurio.