More openings, updates to keep you in the mix

Popular Edgewater café Pressure Billiards is adding a full-service bar soon.
(Photo: Pressure Billiards)


Here. Are. The. Latest. Updates. OK?!

Café Suron (1146 W. Pratt St., 773-465-6500) in Rogers Park has its last day of business on Monday, Jan. 14, and then it's closing for renovations, according to a manager. It will be turned over to new ownership and closed for four weeks to be transformed into a sleek, Mediterranean eatery and renamed Tas. In its new life, Tas will offer a full-service bar.

And speaking of new liquor licenses, Edgewater fave Pressure Billiards (6318 N. Clark St., 773-743-7665) is a big hit with the neighborhood crowd for its open-mic comedy shows, specialty coffees and pool. Now they're expanding the venue to offer alcoholic beverages, so the vibe will certainly change into a more nightlife-y crowd, but expect it to remain a friendly, neighborhood establishment.

J. Randolph’s and Grill, which closed at the end of 2007 with La Strada, plans to reopen across the street at 150 N. Michigan Ave. in the lower-level space once occupied by the Alumni Club. Look for it in the summer.

A new Southwestern restaurant is scheduled to open this winter in Lincoln Square at 4520 N. Lincoln Ave. No word on the name yet, but of course, 312 Dining Diva is working on that!

And I'm also on the lookout for the name of the new wine and chocolate shop opening on the 2100 block of West Division Street (if someone knows, let me know!) in upcoming months. Customers will be able to enjoy wine on premises as they shop for chocolates.

And also:

BBop Lounge (Sedgwick St., 312-981-1775), a BYOB Korean BBQ joint, has opened in the old Heat space in Old Town.

In Humboldt Park, look for NXXT Restaurant & Bar (2700 W. Chicago Ave., 773-489-6998) to debut in early February with an updated menu of comfort food. Word is that one of the partners was a former chef at Café Ba Ba Reeba! (2024 N. Halsted St., 773-935-5000).

And yet another rock 'n' roll spot, Par-Lounge (1415 N. Milwaukee Ave., 312-264-0669), quietly opened in Wicker Park in late December in the ill-fated Sweet Alice space.

If you can take the heat . . .

Ellee Pai Hong, weekend morning anchor of NBC-5 (Photo: NBC-5)


. . . get to Jake Melnick's Corner Tap (41 E. Superior St., 312-867-4908) and try the hottest wings in town. The lodge-like, Gold Coast sports bar is known for its delicious bar fare (burgers, nachos, Baby Back ribs), but now the Seriously. Ridiculously. Over-the-Top Hot Wings, made from the Guinness record-holding pepper Red Savina, are so hot that customers have to sign a waiver before they dig into them—due to the risks involved with direct consumption of the Red Savina (palate burning, eye damage and extreme discomfort, among them). Those who succeed in getting them down get a picture on their wall of fame.

One person who's certain to get her face on that space is NBC-5's weekend morning anchor Ellee Pai Hong, who chowed down on the super-spicy wings on her show Sunday morning during a segment with Jake Melnick's Chef d’Cuisine Robin Rosenberg. She ate several of the wings without batting an eye, while co-anchor Rob Elgas could barely get one down without gasping for breath and his eyes watering like mad.

Every order of the “Seriously. Ridiculously. Over-the-Top Hot Wings” is served with a personal fire alarm—a bell for the brave soul to keep on hand in case things get rocky. Jake Melnick’s staff has been trained to, at the sound of the alarm, come running with a full supply of tools for cooling off: sour cream, milk, ice cream, orange, sugar and white bread.

But, if you want to try those wings, you'll have to wait until Thursday, Jan. 17; Jake Melnick's is closed for renovations Jan. 14-16.

In the meantime, these places also offer some outstanding, but not that damn hot, wings:

Harold's Chicken Shack (1361 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-252-2424). The South Side sensation is known best for its sauces on the side. Order it HOT to really get the juices flowing.

Iggy's3 (800 N. Dearborn St., 312-573-070). The gourmet wings at the third version of this legendary lounge are just as good as ever.

McGee's Tavern (950 W. Webster Ave., 773-549-8200). Get a dozen
of the jumbo-sized wings in Original Spicy or Hot Devil. And every Tuesday, it's 10 cent wing night.

Yakzie's Bar & Grill. (3710 N. Clark St., 773-525-9200 or 506 W. Diversey Pkwy., 773-327-1717). Go for the "Oh My Gosh!" hot wings at these Lakeview spots; Diversey location is open until 4am.

Also, check out Citysearch.com's 2007 poll results for "Best Hot Wings" in the city.

What the critics are saying . . .

The dining room at Crofton on Wells in River North. (Photo: Crofton on Wells)


about:

Atwood Café (1 W. Washington St., 312-368-1900). "Hearty potato gnocchi ($10) have never been better than here, playing off roasted tomatoes and mild ricotta cheese. Ditto the wild mushroom veggie burger ($13), undeniably the best I've had. A mellow, woodsy flavor, sweet tomato jam and Dijon mustard aioli make it hard to put down."—Laura Bianchi (Crain's Chicago Business)

Cafe Spiaggia (980 N. Michigan Ave., 312-280-2750). "One dish outdoes another at Cafe Spiaggia. Gnocchi al ragu di Cinghiale or, 'hand-crafted potato gnocchi with a wild boar ragu and Parmigiano-Reggiano.' Luxurious to the max, the gnocchi sporting a good chew (well-made gnocchi, because all too often potato gnocchi comes out too mushy), the incomparable flavor of the boar ragu gracing each nubbin of pasta just so, so that each part of the dish holds its own."—Pat Bruno (Chicago Sun-Times)

Crofton on Wells (535 N. Wells St., 312-755-1790). "Crofton’s seasonal American cooking is laden with comfort-food ingredients and a smattering of wild game, with the occasional spicy accent. Laid-back enough for a casual get-together and sophisticated enough for dress-up, Crofton’s satisfies on every possible level. Recommended: Quail with dried-cherry spoonbread, curried lentils with ginger crème fraiche, venison with tarragon sabayon, chocolate-banana plate."—Phil Vettel (Chicago Tribune)

Lito’s Empanadas (2566 N. Clark St., 773-857-1337). "For now, there are a half-dozen varieties of the crispy stuffed savory pastries, including a standout filled with beef, olives, raisins, onion, tomato and potato. And while Escalante may not have a culinary background—he formerly managed an auto-parts shop—he does have the empanada know-how, first learning the basics from a friend of his mother’s in his native Colombia, then perfecting his recipes over the last two years while using friends and family as guinea pigs."—Lisa Shames (Time Out Chicago)

Piatto (5304 W. Devon Ave., 773-467-2000). "In the spirit of the season, I tackled one of (Maurizio) Fonda's specials, a super-tasty pumpkin tortellacci dish with shittake mushrooms and fresh herbs in a mascarpone cream sauce. The pasta was surprisingly light, with its savory flavors balancing out the sweetness of the cheese and pumpkin."—Daniel B. Honigman (UR Chicago)

Wilde Bar & Restaurant (3130 N. Broadway, 773-244-0404). "The standout dish here is the baked macaroni and cheese—and I consider myself something of a connoisseur. Served bubbling hot in its own little crock, this lily is gilded: beneath a layer of toasted bread crumbs, the creamy heart of the dish, corkscrew pasta mixed with bacon and red peppers in a just-right sauce, is damn near perfect."—Rob Christopher (Chicago Reader)

Rockit Ranch guys go Asian

Rockit Ranch Productions partners Brad Young (from left), Billy Dec and Arturo Gomez.
(Photo: Rockit Ranch Productions)


The guys behind Rockit Ranch Productions (Arturo Gomez, Billy Dec and Brad Young) have been mad successful with Rockit Bar & Grill (22 W. Hubbard St., 312-645-6000) and their late-night sensation, Underground (56 W. Illinois St., 312-644-7600), which opened in 2006.

Now word comes that they're teaming up with world-renown designer Tony Chi to open a 13,000-square-foot Asian concept this summer. The as-of-yet unnamed venue will be in River North—within walking distance of Rockit Bar & Grill and Underground.

Developing. . .

New chocolate boutique opens in the Loop

Just in time for Valentine's Day, another Ethel's Chocolate Lounge
opens, and this time it's going into the Loop's Renaissance Hotel (1 W. Wacker Dr., 312-372-7200) in early February.

It's certain to be the new chill-out space when you want to settle in their cozy lounge atmosphere with gourmet chocolates and more. In the meantime, the following locations are open: 520 N. Michigan Ave., 312-464-9330 and 900 N. Michigan Ave., 312-440-9747 on the Mag Mile; and 819 W. Armitage Ave., 773-281-0029 in Lincoln Park.

First-ever Chicago Restaurant Week is coming soon

NAHA is just one of many local eateries participating in the first-ever Chicago Restaurant Week, happening in late February.
(Photo: NAHA)


Save for Valentine's Day, winter is a pretty rough time for the local dining scene. So in order to drive traffic during the slowest season, the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau (CCTB) is sponsoring the first-ever Chicago Restaurant Week.

It's scheduled for Feb. 22-29, with participating restaurants offering a three-course, pre-fixe lunch and/or dinner (excluding all beverages/alcohol, taxes and gratuity) either for non-weekend (Sunday through Thursday) or for the full promotional period (Friday through Friday).

At this time, they've signed up 25 restaurants, but 312 Dining Diva will keep you updated and in the mix!

Here's a partial list:

Bistro 110 (110 E. Pearson St., 312-266-3110)

Blue Water Grill (520 N. Dearborn St., 312-777-1400)

Brazzaz (539 N. Dearborn St., 312-595-9000)

Café des Architectes (20 E. Chestnut St., 312-324-4063)

David Burke’s Primehouse (616 N. Rush St., 312-660-6000)

Devon Seafood (39 E. Chicago Ave., 312-440-8660)

Fulton’s on the River (315 N. LaSalle Dr., 312-822-0100)

NAHA (500 N. Clark St., 312-321-6242)

Nick’s Fishmarket Grill (51 S. Clark St.,312-621-0200)

Park Grill (11 N. Michigan Ave., 312-521-7275)

Pump Room (1301 N. State Pkwy., 312-266-0360)

Roy’s (720 N. State St., 312-787-7599)

Shula’s (301 E. North Water St., 312-670-0788)

Smith & Wollensky (318 N. State St., 312-670-9900)

Sushi Samba Rio (504 N. Wells St., 312-595-2300)

Jazz Showcase returns to its glory

The city's first nonsmoking jazz lounge finally gets a new home since it closed its doors on Dec. 31, 2006.

Jazz Showcase, whose last home was at Grand and Clark, plans an opening at 47 W. Polk St. by month's end. Look for owner Joe Segal, who's been operating the venue in various locations for almost 50 years, to offer the same outstanding local and national talent Jazz Showcase has become famous for.

Risque Cafe is open and ouch!, a 'review' is in

So a poster from LTHforum.com just checked out the new smokehouse Risque Cafe (3419 N. Clark St., 773-525-7711) in Wrigleyville, from the team behind the recently closed Meritage, and it sounds like they may want to tighten it up a bit:

"Unfortunately, the bbq did not measure up, although there is some hope. I tasted the brisket, pulled pork and baby back ribs (no spare ribs offered). Let me first start by saying that they offer dinners and sandwiches. Strangely, although the only difference between the two is that the dinners (at least for the pork and brisket) come with coleslaw and a piece of bread, the dinners are about $5 more (again, if I recall correctly) than the sandwiches. In fact, it seemed as if the sandwiches contain more meat. The dinners themselves offered inexcusably tiny portions and this must be changed for me to consider returning. I refuse to pay $18 (the approximate cost of my brisket and pork combo) for a few slices of brisket and tad bit more pork. I would have expected to pay a little more than half of that amount at Smoque for a slightly larger portion."

Here's the full post.