Bleeding Heart Bakery Strikes Back . . . Again . . .

Michelle Garcia of Bleeding Heart Bakery (Photo: Bill Lambert)


From what I remember about Bleeding Heart Bakery owner Michelle Garcia, she's a fighter.

When some posters on the Chowhound message board went in hard on her Roscoe Village bakery in 2007, she immediately struck back.

Does He Have a Shot?!

(Photo: Rick Bayless)


Hold on to your seats, people.

GrubStreet reports the Beard Awards has added a Best TV Food Personality category this year.

Take Your 'Gate' To Glitter & Git Down . . .

"Will & Grace" cast (Photo: NBC Universal)


Just found out one of my favorite friends is coming to town this weekend.

He's got style, he's got savoir faire, and of course, he's impossibly cool.

Which means that he's probably going to be impossible to impress. Luckily, what's working in my favor is that he's pretty open minded, and doesn't want to only hang out in the gay bars.

That makes him the perfect Gate (Gay Date for a Straight Woman, but not this) for the second-ever Glitter party happening at Le Passage tonight.

Going down the third Thursday of each month, this Studio 54-esque bash feels almost as good as the real thing and brings back the type of crowd Le Passage was known for when it first opened 10 years ago.

Highlights of the first Glitter party included an endless parade of colorful drag queens, models sashaying around in barely there attire, DJ Zebo spinning deep disco hits, and a guy taking a bubble bath on the dance floor. Yeah, you read that right.

Now, what will they do for an encore?!

10pm-4am Thursday. Door cover varies (depending on how fierce you are on the red carpet).

More spots for a fabulous Gate. . .

Jam Starts Dinner Service in April!

East Village breakfast/brunch hang Jam now serves dinner. (Photo: Urban Daddy Chicago)


It's already mad crazy over at Jam for brunch and lunch, so expect the craziness to hit an all-time high when the Ukrainian Village spot starts serving dinner April 7.

Grahamwich Location Finally Revealed . . .

(Photo: Graham Elliot)


Chef Graham Elliot Bowles finally revealed the location to his highly anticipated sandwich/shakes/fries spot, Grahamwich, on Tuesday:

EXCLUSIVE: The Real Deal on The Shady Lady

Blue 13's Chris Curren will consult on The Shady Lady's menu. (Photo: Blue 13)


Here's a follow up to the story 312DD exclusively reported about the shuttering of River North Irish pub Garrett Ripley's.

Turns out the guys behind the popular spot are out and some legendary nightlife guys are in on what's soon to be known as The Shady Lady.

Top 10 Wine Ordering Faux Pas . . .

Remember the recent story on 312DD about the guy who accidentally ordered a $6,000 bottle of wine?!

He may have been able to avoid that embarrassing situation had the Chicago Tribune's Bill Daley had these Top 10 nifty restaurant wine ordering no-no's handy, particularly this one:

STAGE BITES: The Weekly Dining & Drinking Guide

"Celia The Musical" runs at the Athenaeum Theatre March 18-21.


Every Monday look for the week's top performances paired with the best deals before and after the show:

Celia The Musical at Athenaeum Theatre. Cuba's most sensational star—also known as The Queen of Salsa—is celebrated in this electrifying musical of her life. Only six performances: 7:30pm Thursday, Friday; 5 and 9pm Saturday; 3 and 7pm Sunday. Get tickets here.

404 Wine Bar: Work your magic and claim seats near the fireplace, then settle in for a couple of small plates (grilled flatbread with caramelized onions, beef tenderloin carpaccio) and one large plate of hearty veal osso buco ravioli. They also have an amazing wine list of bountiful choices you won't find at many venues.

Fritz Pastry: We could easily lose ourselves in this Euro-inspired sweet shop specializing in local and sustainably raised ingredients. Fritz closes every day at 7pm, so hit it up pre-show for beautiful bites of gingerbread poundcake, brown apple butter cake, chocolate-black pepper cookies or a variety of macarons. They're a little more expensive than your average bakery, but it's well worth it.

Harmony Grill: Surprisingly the menu will get you in the mood for the show with spicy, Latin-influenced items like the Chipotle hummus, potato & cheese empanadas, catfish tacos and a vegan burrito stuffed with grilled tofu, hummus, spinach, red peppers and black beans.