Touching Trotter Tributes; More Culinary News

Colleagues, media and friends reflect on Charlie Trotter's incredible life and impact on the culinary world on Twitter.

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• Also, I talk to some of the country's top bar industry experts, including Mercadito's Tippling Bros., on secrets to increasing bar sales during the coldest months.

A Bongo Room Bigot Just Made Brunch Lines Shorter

(Photo: Bongo Room facebook)

Really, Mary?!

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

Paul Kahan in one of the kitchens of his many restaurants (Photo: Facebook)

Halloween is coming.

I've never quite looked forward to December as much until I found out the opening date for Nico Osteria, which opens Dec. 2, according to chef/partner Paul Kahan. That's the Italian-seafood concept by One Off Hospitality (avec, Blackbird, Big Star, Publican, Publican Quality Meats, The Violet Hour) on the lobby level of new luxury property Thompson Chicago. Former avec and Publican chef Erling Wu-Bower is at the helm.

Kahan also tells 312DD that plans are underway to expand the popular, taco-oriented Big Star. By next spring, there will be more outdoor patio seating in the parking lot adjacent to its property as well as more space for cooking, eating and drinking in a 1,500-square-foot storefront next door.

There's Nothing Scary About Chicago's Hottest Halloween Soirees

Redmoon's "table lady" (Photos: Al Sayed for Redmoon Theater)

If you haven't had a chance to check out Pilsen hot spot Punch House, it might come this weekend if you attend the annual Redmoon Theater Boneshaker bash. That's because the theater's new digs (2120 S. Jefferson St.) are not too far away from the lively new cocktail lounge.

Happening 9pm-2am Nov. 1, the post-Halloween party's produced and hosted by Youth Engineering Spectacle Committee (Redmoon's young professionals' board). You know those artsy, creative types plan to go all out with their costumes, so we advise you to do the same.

Look for them to also make great use of Redmoon's new warehouse studio, turning it into quite the spectacle for the soiree. In addition to Redmoon actors playing various characters throughout the space, expect imaginative uses of food and wine.

So Very, Very Hot Right Now.

The Pump Room's prime rib au jus with Yorkshire pudding, from the original 1938 menu (Photos: The Pump Room)

The glamorous Pump Room celebrates 75 years in October, and throughout the month, guests get the opportunity to dine on some of the original dishes from the 1938 menu.

Chefs Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Moosah Reaume along with pastry chef Kady Yon executed modern twists on the classics, resulting in dishes such as the juicy and flavorful prime rib au jus with Yorkshire pudding, flaming roasted chicken en brochette, and tempura fantail shrimp with sweet and sour sauce.

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

Chef Grant Achatz

What a great week for Alinea owners Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas. On Tuesday, they taped a food-focused episode for Katie Couric's show with culinary stars Art Smith (Table Fifty-Two), Ming Tsai, Rocco DiSpirito and Cat Cora. All the chefs are featured in Joseph Levy's award-winning documentary, Spinning Plates, which spotlights the challenges of owning world-class restaurants. The show airs Thursday on ABC.

To celebrate, the Alinea guys are hosting a few parties that take place at Aviary Oct. 25-27. Here are the details, which include hors d'oeuvres, an open bar and an opportunity to meet the players.

Mario Batali Finally Announces Opening Date For Eataly Chicago

Here's hoping that the Chicago outpost will be as successful as the original Eataly in New York. (Photo: Eataly NYC)

One of the most frequent questions I've been asked lately: When is Eataly Chicago opening?!

I knew it was happening this fall, but other than that, celebrity chef/Eataly partner Mario Batali and company have been mum on those details.

Nominations Underway For Annual 'Jean Banchet Awards for Culinary Excellence'

Acadia chef/owner Ryan McCaskey at the 2012 Banchet awards (Photo: 312 Dining Diva)

The Jean Banchet awards—the highlight of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's annual Grand Chefs Gala—doesn't take place until next winter, but nominations are now underway. That's the most glorious time of the year for Chicago's culinary community as they honor the best in the biz.

The nomination process is open to the public and runs Oct. 21–28. A committee will compile the results, and the top four names in each of the 11 categories will become the 2013 Jean Banchet nominees.