Local Beard nominees announced

Drive Thru has the Chicago nominees for the 2008 James Beard Awards, including Bin 36's Brian Duncan, Lettuce Entertain You's Rich Melman and Naha's Carrie Nahabedian. Good luck, all!

An Ultimate Insider tells me . . .

. . . that the hottest chick in the music game right now—Rhianna—will perform during an exclusive concert at Vision (640 N. Dearborn St., 312-266-1944) on Wednesday. The Girls Night Out! event benefits a local charity and Rhianna's Believe Foundation, which provides everything from medical attention to clothing for terminally ill and low-income kids.

Hot new fragrance Escada Moon Sparkle has teamed up with her label Island Def Jam in support of her latest album, Good Girl Gone Bad, for a three-city tour of this exclusive Girls Night Out! event that comes to Chicago first (!!!), then Los Angeles and finally New York.

Tickets are probably sold out, but you should call the club to see if anything is available.

More on VIAGGIO

Earlier today, we broke the news that Jay's Amore Ristorante & Lounge (1330 W. Madison St., 312-829-3333) in the West Loop closed today in order to reconcept. But now, we've got even amore:

They're expecting to reopen the first week of April as VIAGGIO, with a spanking new contemporary look and feel. And, according to management, they're aiming to "introduce a new concept of fine dining to Chicago." Hmmmmm, I cannot wait to see this one. They're going to remain Italian focused, of course, keeping their executive chef and bringing aboard two additional ones. It's going to be really interesting to see what they've got up their sleeves. Developing . . . .

Deal(s) of the day . . .

Shift Drink Mondays continues over at the Filthy Libertine (1615 N. Clybourn Ave., 312-654-1782), the weekly industry event that gets prominent Chicago chefs behind the bar. Tonight's offering is chef de cuisine and souf chefs from Alinea (1723 N. Halsted St., 312-867-0110): Jeff Pikus and Nathan Klingbail. They'll be schmoozing and pouring their signature cocktails. Also, half-price pizzas, complimentary amuse, $1 cans of PBR and $2 shots of Makers Mark for everyone wearing kitchen clogs.

Also happening tonight is A Taste of France, a wine and cheese pairing at the Whole Foods-Lakeview (3300 N. Ashland Ave., 773-244-4200). Whether you're looking to gain info about new wines, or you just need a Monday night buzz, you'll get expert direction from a specialist on a variety of vino. Reservations recommended. 7-9pm. $10.

And as alway, every Monday night is also Taste Food & Wine's (1506 W. Jarvis Ave., 773-761-3663) weekly tasting event. Who knows what they'll break out, but we suspect it'll be on point. 6:30-8pm. Free.

Sign of the times . . .

From the mailbag, via an Ultimate Insider:

"We at Jay's Amore Ristorante & Lounge, want to inform our very special and valued customers, that we will be temporarily closing on March 24th, 2008 for remodeling. Unless otherwise informed, we will be reopening on April 3rd, 2008 under the new name VIAGGIO."

The West Loop venue is located at 1330 W. Madison St., 312-829-3333.

Tips from servers to live by?

Read this before your next restaurant outing.

West Loop gets another one

Since we launched in November 2007, we've been on a roll with exclusives way before anyone else had them. And it's just gonna keep getting better!

312DiningDiva.com brought you scoops on Chicago Restaurant Week, Rockstar Dogs, Dirty, Schwa, Rustik, Berry Chill, Spy Bar (the reopening), Nia, Dana Hotel (and its incoming restaurants and bars), Rebar, Table 8, AK47, Soho House Chicago, ZED451 and more, more, more.

So ready for the latest?! One of my Ultimate Insiders told me that she spied signage for a new West Loop bar called Da Mark Lounge on Randolph Street. Working on getting that info, so this one is developing . . .

What the critics are saying . . .

. . . about:

Harry Caray's (33 W. Kinzie St., 312-828-0966). "Chicken vesuvio is a signature main dish, but it also scores as a hefty sandwich ($10.95). Served on sturdy tomato focaccia, the juicy chicken breast comes with a cup of vesuvio sauce and a choice of crisp steak fries or rather bland pasta salad. . . . For more zing and an athlete's portion, try the platter of five Italian sausages blanketed with grilled peppers ($15.95). I like these best tucked into crusty semolina rolls ransacked from the bread basket."—Laura Bianchi (Crain's Chicago Business) Read it all here

Nia (803 W. Randolph St., 312-226-3110). "Pata Negra, the famed Spanish ham, is on the menu, and it is frighteningly good; to make it even better, our excellent server encouraged us to pair it with the montelarreina, a Spanish sheep’s milk cheese."—David Tamarkin (Time Out Chicago) Read it all here

Union Pizzeria (1245 Chicago Ave., Evanston, 847-475-2400). "If you need a heartier meal, Union offers a single big plate each night – gnocchi or lamb stew or on Saturday nights, a rich duck ragu on a runny cushion of polenta that made me all cozy and gooey inside."—Christopher Borrelli (The Stew) Read it all here