'I Thought This Day Would Never Come'

That was North Pond's Bruce Sherman on Monday in New York as he accepted his first-ever James Beard award for Best Chef: Great Lakes. He had been nominated previously for the prestigious award five years in a row, and this year he was up against exceptionally strong contenders in Chicago's Stephanie Izard (The Girl & The Goat), Andrew Zimmerman (Sepia) and Michael Carlson (Schwa).

He told ABC-7's Steve Dolinsky in his first post-win interview:

"The most difficult part of doing what we do is keeping it up. It's persistence, stubbornness, whatever you want to call it...and it's maintaining standards and keeping it up."

Sherman was one of three Chicago winners this year.

Mercer One Thirteen Opens Thursday

Mercer's interior boasts an "earthy" atmosphere. (Photos: Mercer One Thirteen)

This weekend, Mercer One Thirteen joins a jam-packed block of trendy favorites that range from the Asian-focused Slurping Turtle to fashionable steakhouse Epic.

It's owned by Roman Sanchez, who's been tinkering with sports-bar ventures lately with Social 25 and Moe's Cantina). Though it'll have televisions for sports viewing, Mercer promises to be a lot more glam, with a plushy, yet earthy setting and focusing more on food.

Here's a sneak preview of the menu:

Hot Chocolate Reopens This Week

Hot Chocolate's Mindy Segal. (Photo: Mindy Segal)

In mid-April, 312DD reported that Hot Chocolate was closing for a few weeks to undergo some renovations.

It's been open for more than 10 years and owner Mindy Segal (freshly crowned James Beard's Outstanding Pastry Chef 2012) decided it was time for an update. As scheduled, the Bucktown mainstay reopens in time for Mother's Day. Segal told 312DD Monday that she's "planning to reopen Wednesday."

What to expect?!

La Madia Goes Late Night

(Photo: La Madia)

One of the challenges for night owls is getting some decent after-hours fare, and La Madia aims to fill the void.

They've extended hours for late-night noshing for 10:30pm until 1am Thursday-Sunday with a prix-fixe menu for two. You'll get a choice of antipasti or salad as well as one of their specialty Neapolitan-inspired pizzas for $19. You can also get items a la carte.

Check the menu below:

Rick Bayless Is Apparently Not Alone!

Frontera Grill's Rick Bayless. (Photo: Frontera Grill)

Following S. Pellegrino's annual World's 50 Best Restaurants announcement earlier this week, celebrated chef Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill, Topolobampo) boldly questioned its selection process, according to Eater Chicago.

While some might think he has a case of sour grapes, a prominent restaurant professional (who wanted to remain anonymous) agreed with him, saying that "lots of chefs don't like the Top 50 list."

Freebie Alert: The Bedford!

The Bedford's interior. (Photo: The Bedford)

You gotta get a load of this deal . . .

So The Bedford fetes its first anniversary, and to honor this festive occasion, they're doing it up pretty hot on Thursday.

Executive Chef/partner Mark Steuer has gathered some of his favorite chef friends (Matt Troost, Three Aces; John Manion, La Sirena Clandestina; and Mindy Segal, Hot Chocolate) for a three-course feast that should be quite memorable.

Here's the menu:

'Andersonville Wine Walk' Returns . . .

Cross your fingers for good weather when the Andersonville Wine Walk returns on May 20.

That's your chance to shop, sip, shop, sip at all the cute little retail stores in the area, as you learn all you can about vino.

Arami To Open Second Location in River North

Ukrainian Village's Arami interior photo via metromix.com.

If you know sushi in Chicago, then you know Ukrainian Village's Arami is a serious power player.

It's garnered all types of accolades with industry insiders and the media, so it wasn't a surprise when an Ultimate Insider told 312DD the partners were planning a second location in River North.