I'm Outta Here!

Hey, this isn't really goodbye.

It's more like farewell from blogspot. It had gotten to a point where I found this space a bit constraining for what I really wanted to do, plus I couldn't connect directly with you.

Also: I've been incredibly busy with many other projects, including for Chicago Travel for about.com, Priceless Chicago for MasterCard and The Pursuit of Good Food for Lexus/WXRT-FM.

I have continued to post as 312 Dining Diva, and you can find me on the official 312 Dining Diva Facebook page (Sign up to see what's going on!), where I am regularly covering local and national stories as well as the usual dining and drinking trends.

So, I hope to see you soon!

CHEERS!

Brendan Sodikoff Drops 'Italian Bar' Concept From Cocello, Opens April 22 With 40 Percent Off

Photos courtesy of Hogsalt Hospitality

"It's feeling really good!" exclaims Brendan Sodikoff about his latest project, an Italian-focused eatery named Cocello, which 312DD exclusively told you about in March.

What's different is that the concept is no longer an "Italian steak bar." "We ran out of room on the menu and dropped the steak focus," explains Sodikoff. "I fell in love with the lighter feel and emphasis on classic regional Italian food, Negronis, great coffee and Italian wines."

Negronis?!

A sneak peek of the opening menu revealed that the restaurant will feature four plays on the traditional Italian aperitif: classic (gin, campari, sweet vermouth), white (gin, cocchi, dry vermouth), rye (rye, campari, sweet vermouth) and cognac (cognac, sweet vermouth, chartreuse).

The food menu features a number of hand-made pasta, seafood and vegetable-focused dishes. We're especially looking forward to the whole-roasted turbot as well as porchetta of stuffed pork belly, rosemary and roast garlic. There will be limited availability on both items.

Cocello soft opens on April 22 and through Thursday it will offer 40 percent off food. It officially opens to the public Friday, April 25.

Here are the first-ever images of the interior, food and drinks:

Nouveau Tavern Makes Racial Claims Against Chicago Police Dept.; Says They Were 'Shut Down' Because Owners Are Black

Nouveau Tavern's intimate interior (Photo: Nouveau Tavern)

The New Orleans-inspired Nouveau Tavern opened in River North only six months ago, yet it was abruptly shuttered last Friday by the Chicago Police Department, according to Eater Chicago:

"Sources say that current Nouveau ownership is ineligible for a liquor license because of a felony conviction and the establishment was operating under previous ownership's expired licensing. Police responded to a complaint last week which lead to an investigation and the subsequent closure."

NT consultant Teddy Gilmore—who admits to a tax evasion felony conviction from the late 1990s—tells 312DD that the restaurant's partners do not have felony records. He adds that Nouveau, which re-opened Monday, is being unfairly targeted because the neighbors and police do not want an influx of African Americans frequenting the neighborhood.

Additionally, partner Marsette Magnum released a full statement regarding the situation exclusively to 312DD:

'Bar Rescue' Star Jon Taffer Gets Shut Down By Three Dots and a Dash's Paul McGee

Jon Taffer (left) and Paul McGee

I get frequent pitches from the publicists behind Jon Taffer—the acerbic host of Spike TV's "Bar Rescue"—who push him as "an internationally recognized, award-winning hospitality expert, highly respected management guru, author of the ultimate guide to running a bar/restaurant/nightclub entitled 'Raise The Bar,' and a esteemed tastemaker and go-to source for the newest trends in the food, beverage & nightlife industries."

With those credentials, you'd think he'd know which spots to target for his show—which claims to "give failing nightlife establishments one last chance at success."

Apparently not in Chicago.

Only One Chicago Chef Makes The Cut For Food & Wine's Annual 'Best New Chef' List

Dave Beran photo via James Beard Foundation

It's that time of year again, and Food & Wine announced Tuesday its annual list of what it considers "the culinary superstars of the future."

On that list is Dave Beran, the hot shot chef who first worked under Grant Achatz at Alinea before he went on to take over the reigns as chef de cuisine at Achatz's ground-breaking Next restaurant when it opened in 2011.

Frankie Knuckles Passes Away at 59

The legendary deejay/music producer/house music innovator Frankie Knuckles has passed away in his Chicago home, according to a number of media outlets.

Chicago Tribune rock critic Greg Kot writes in an obit Tuesday:

Travelle Hosts Internationally Renowned Mixologist; Best Chicago Steakhouses For Cocktails

London-based bartender Alex Kratena (Photo courtesy of Wagstaff Worldwide)

He's best known for his beautiful drinks, and Chicago imbibers will get their first opportunity to meet the award-winning mixologist Alex Kratena when he conducts a two-day residence at the Langham Hotel's Travelle.

Kratena holds down the fort at Artesian Bar at The Langham in London, and March 27-28, we will get to find out why his accolades include “The World’s Best Cocktail Menu” at Tales of the Cocktail (2011), “World’s Best Hotel Bar” and “International Bartender of the Year” at Tales of the Cocktail (2012), and “The World’s Best Bar,” an award sponsored by Drinks International Magazine (2012).

Brendan Sodikoff Replaces Dillman's With 'Italian Steak Bar' Concept Named Cocello

Expect more delicate cuts like Bavette's filet mignon when Cocello opens in April. (Photo: Bavette's Bar & Boeuf )

Whatever you do, do not call Cocello a steakhouse concept. The latest dining-and-drinking project by Brendan Sodikoff and his group Hogsalt Hospitality, Cocello is described by the red-hot restaurateur as an "Italian steak bar."

On April 14, Cocello takes over the venue currently housing Dillman's, which specializes in classic Jewish deli fare. Sodikoff tells 312DD exclusively that he will close Dillman's on April 6 and reopen it as Dillman's Pastrami Shop in a next door space this summer.

But where did the name and concept for Cocello (pronounced "co-chell-o") come from?!

Esquire Writer Pisses Off Chicago's Pastry Chefs In 'Pointless' Essay

A simple, yet sophisticated raspberry cake from Cafe des Architectes' pastry chef Leigh Omilinsky (Photo: Leigh Omilinsky)

Oh, boy. Controversial Esquire editor-at-large Josh Ozersky is at it again. This time his target is pastries—and the people behind them.

His latest essay is so venomous that it makes me wonder if he hates puppies and babies and ponies, too. Especially this gem: "Why would any restaurant have a second kitchen—with a second kitchen staff—in order to present abstract art at the end of meals? What need is there, really, for anything more complex than a scoop of sherbet?"

Metro Owner Joe Shanahan Battles Cancer

The Chicago Tribune reports that legendary music club owner Joe Shanahan is battling tongue cancer.

He shared the news with staffers at his venues such as Metro, Gingerman Tavern and Double Door on Tuesday, reassuring them it would be business as usual.

You Can Now Re-Create GT Fish & Oyster's Famed Mussels At Home

I've always gushed over GT Fish & Oyster's garlic-and-tomatoes infused mussels, so you can only imagine my glee when I learned I'd finally be able to re-create the dish at home.

GT chef/partner Giuseppe Tentori announced Tuesday that he contributed to the newly released cookbook, Lodge Cast Iron Nation: Great American Cooking from Coast to Coast. The book showcases a number of easy-to-make recipes using cast-iron skillets, pots and Dutch ovens.

Tentori says about his contribution: "I love this recipe because it is the way we used to eat mussels in Italy."

Here's The Complete List For The 2014 James Beard Foundation Award Nominees

Grace owner/chef Curtis Duffy was nominated for JBF's "Best Chef Great Lakes." (Photo: Michael Muser)

Tuesday at Publican was a big day for Chicago's culinary community as a number of folks were recognized for their work in 2013 with nominations for the annual James Beard Foundation Awards.

The biggest honor is the induction of Paul Kahan (One Off Hospitality) in 2013 Who's Who of Food & Beverage In America (Alinea's Grant Achatz was inducted in 2012).

Highlighted Chicago nominations include:

One Chef's Hilarious Take On 'Chicago Chef Week'

Here's the funniest quote to date from a chef regarding Chicago Chef Week:

"Just walked in the door from work....god damn what a Sunday. One would think if something was called 'chefs week' it would also be known as vacation."

GrubHub Wants Restaurants To 'Pay Up' For Better Placement

Popular online takeout service GrubHub (which acquired takeout biz Seamless in 2013) filed to go public in February, which means a bunch of changes are on the way to make the company more profitable to investors.

According to a Chicago bar/restaurant owner, one of those changes includes "demanding money from restaurants to get better placement (on the website)."

That sounds a little Yelp-ish to me. I use GrubHub on the regular, and when I'm feeling especially lazy, I type in "burgers," "pizza," etc. to conduct a search to see what restaurants come up. Once all the results appear, you can organize choices by "the best (or highly rated)," "cheapest" or "closest." If you look closely, the restaurants are NOT listed in alphabetical order, so those paying for placement will always be prominently displayed.

Here is the note my contact received:

A Fried Chicken Pairing You'll Never Forget . . .

Cocktail and fried chicken pairing (Photo: Coppervine)

Lincoln Park's latest sensation flirts with your palate with perfect pairings.

We dig the Modern Man’s Manhattan teamed with a Maine lobster BLT or Port Wipeout IPA complemented by double-fried chicken with Sriracha mayo. Find out what else pleased our palates right here.

City To Crack Down On St. Patrick's Day Festivities

The line outside of Celtic Crossings during a past St. Patrick's Day party. (Photo: Celtic Crossings)

A few Chicago bar owners tell 312DD that the city's aiming to tame the rowdy St. Patrick's Day crowds by issuing some exorbitant fines for those infamous "all-you-can-drink" packages.

"It started with New Year's Eve and all the '$100 open bar' ads," says one tavern owner, who asked to remain anonymous. "No on-site enforcement; the city just mailed you court hearing dates and fines of $3,500. Then they decreased them to $3,000."

He adds that the city liquor commission "reinterpreted" the happy hour law to suit their needs. "If an advertisement does not state how many drinks are included, they assume it's unlimited and are ticketing them."

Nico Osteria Named One of GQ's '25 Most Outstanding Restaurants of 2014'

Nico's cocktail lounge (Photo: One Off Hospitality)

What an achievement in two months!

GQ just released Alan Richman's annual best new restaurant guide and One Off Hospitality's Nico Osteria was the only Chicago eatery to make the cut.

Brendan Sodikoff Takes Over Waldorf Astoria Dining, Plus More Red-Hot Dining & Drinking News

Photo via the Chicago Tribune

The man just doesn't stop.

Now the tireless restaurateur behind such cult favorites as Au Cheval, Bavette's and the newly opened Green Street Meats is taking over the dining program at the Waldorf Astoria, according to Eater Chicago:

"(Brendan) Sodikoff will reconcept Balsan, but details on what it will become are currently unavailable. His company will also handle Bernard's Bar, in-room dining and special events, putting his design stamp on the hotel as a whole."

I'm Gushing & Crushing Over These Fabulous Things In February And You Should Too

(Photo: Protein Bar)

I'm pretty serious about this, and it makes up for all this horrible weather we've been experiencing lately.

If you can hold off until Feb. 15, you'll get a chance to witness one of the most spectacular Chicago restaurant openings I've heard about in a long time. It's not as though the new Lincoln Park location for Protein Bar is even all that fancy, it's what owner Matt Matros is doing for the public that's got me all geeked.

On opening day, the store will first host a sunrise yoga class at 6am, then the doors officially open at 11am when the first 100 customers will receive $500 gift cards (Yes, that is $50,000 in gift cards).

One public relations veteran exclaimed about this promotion: "I have done a lot of openings and anniversary PR, including the Potbelly's 20th anniversary free giveaways, but this is one of the best I have heard of in a long time. It's good idea for new and repeat diners; and good for the hood."

Something tells me that folks will be lining up overnight for this opportunity, so don't forget to set your alarm clocks!

'Balls' Was Secret Password To Get Into 'Chicago Fire' Party Where Lady Gaga Was Guest

And once word got out, the party wasn't so exclusive anymore, according to my Ultimate Insider.

My source was going for the free cocktails, so it was only until he arrived at Chop Shop on Saturday did he find out that it was also a birthday party for three of the cast members of "Chicago Fire," which airs on NBC.