Did Puffy Forget Where He Was Supposed to Go Last Night?!

Sean "Puffy" Combs at Dream Friday. (Photo: Dream)


This shows that high-profile celebrities will do whatever the hell they want.

Even though Sean "Puffy" Combs was in town Friday for a highly publicized party at Excalibur/Vision, turns out that he never showed up. (Could it be that he got word that fights were breaking out in the club?!)

Nbcchicago.com as well as several other media outlets had photographers waiting for his arrival until 3am, but they left before the 4am party was over. Even the club's deejay kept shouting out on the mic: "Diddy, where you at?"

Puffy instead decided to take his entourage elsewhere. Emails are rapidly coming in to 312DD on sightings of him at Crimson Lounge for a birthday bash for local music industry star George Daniels ("he only stayed for five minutes!") as well as hip-hop lounge Dream.

Whatever, Diddy.

The Wild Pear: In Your Glass, On Your Plate

There are 10 primary varieties of USA Pears, each with its own color, flavor, shape and texture.


December's been declared National Pear Month by the U.S. Department of Agriculture because it's the best time of the year to indulge in the juicy fruit.

So with record numbers of crops reportedly being grown this season, don't be surprised to see the pear on menus everywhere.

312DD rounded up some delicious drinks and dishes you might want to check out:

Whether you're a bourbon fan or not, you're certain to go crazy over the Bourbon County Pears Cocktail at Bar Novo. It's shaken up with Bulleit bourbon, Xante pear liqueur and fresh lemon.

They've got a Poached Pear Salad on the menu at Blue 13. It's simple with blue cheese mousse and mixed greens that pairs well with their signature "3 Birds" Lobster Pizza.

Now this drink has edge and a whole lotta pear. Bristol's The Dardanian is named after the mythological Greek city of Dardania, a land that flourished with fictional Darda pears. The ingredients of Hendrick’s gin, St-Germain Elderflower liqueur, Bartlett pear and fresh pear sour make my mouth water.

Get a little Spanish flair with your pear at Eivissa, which offers the Pechuga de Pollo con Peras, or grilled chicken breast, garlic sauce, wild mushrooms and pears in a sherry-wine reduction.


The Bourbon County Pears Cocktail is at Bar Novo. (Photo: Bar Novo)


The contemporary brunch over at Eve includes a seasonal soup of a puree of chestnuts topped with shaved brussels sprouts, pears and bacon-infused maple syrup. And we expect the pear-infused champagne cocktail to complement it quite smoothly.

The Gage bypasses typical holiday desserts like pumpkin pie and fruitcake for a Chocolate-Stuffed Pear. The fruit's scooped out and replaced with delicate chocolate mousse and served with crisp gingerbread biscotti and a dollop of tangy crème fraîche sabayon.

Over at graham elliot, award-winning mixologist Lynn House's hooking you up with a Twisted Pear made with Beretzen Pear Schnapps, Pisco, fresh lemon juice and mint water. She describes it as biting into an Anjou pear: "a little tart, a little sweet."

Get your vice with a view at Roof, the glamorous hotel bar at theWit. You'll look really good sipping the Spiced Pears & Honey cocktail, made from Hangar One spiced pear vodka, housemade honey syrup and lemon.

And yet one more pear-flavored potion's on tap at Whiskey Bar & Grill. The Peartini's got Grey Goose la Poire Vodka, champagne and elderflower syrup.

Rise of Small Plates, Big Bars and Hotel Restaurants

Elate is located in the new Felix Hotel in River North. (Photo: Fearman Photos)


The Wall Street Journal's lifestyle section explores the latest trend in dining:

"A tapas-style menu, a hotel location and a major focus on the bar scene are hallmarks of restaurants around the country that are best surviving the economic turmoil of the past year.

"These components are also likely to be the defining traits of the next generation of high-end restaurants, say many leading restaurateurs, and are already being deployed in cities across the country."

That appears to be the case with a number of new restaurants in Chicago, such as Balsan, which just opened this week.

Located on the third floor of the brand-new Elysian Hotel, its design is high style, but at the same time offers a refreshingly affordable menu of items like house-made charcuterie, wood-roasted pizzas and Saddle Rock oysters.

Same goes for Elate, the thumping little spot inside the new Felix Hotel. The tinier tables and clubby seating are hints that this place is meant to be small-plates style. Octopus pastrami, crispy pork pizzas and charcuterie of country pâté are sure-fire hits.

At the newly restored Blackstone Hotel, the Spanish-focused Mercat a la Planxa of course features a number of tapas in its energetic atmosphere. The Catalan sausage and meatballs are set in a spicy tomato sauce; and a traditional Spanish omelet is filled with spinach, potatoes and saffron aioli.

And we cannot rave enough about the food over at State and Lake on the lobby level of theWit, a contemporary gastropub that's in sharp contrast to its more fancier upstairs Italian sister, cibo matto. Bites include mussels swimming in Metropolitan ale; Deviled eggs filled with truffles and short rib; and salt cod fritters and fried potatoes in a caper aioli.

Inspiration Behind Girl & The Goat?!

Stephanie Izard says this painting inspired her to name her new gastropub Girl & The Goat. (Photo: Stephanie Izard)


Thank God Stephanie Izard has a good sense of humor.

The saucy little Top Chef winner got some heat for her choice of a new name for her new gastropub, Girl & The Goat, scheduled to open next spring.

Local food writer/reviewer Michael Nagrant tweeted Thursday: "@stephanieizard What's with resto name change to Girl and the Goat. Doesn't that sound a little like a fetish porn film, now?"

She later responded: "hmmm, not sure I agree on the new name being all about me and my giant ego, but I do love the porn reference."

Then she posted the photo above, and added: "A painting I have that inspired girl & the goat."

Atta, girl!

Puff Daddy in Town to Debut New Ciroc Flavors

Say what you will about Puffy, but one thing's for sure, the arrogant music mogul has mad stamina as proven by his many lucrative business ventures like Ciroc vodka.

An Ultimate Insider tells us he'll hit town Friday to promote his premium hooch at a special luncheon at the Hard Rock Hotel. Fifty lucky guests will be the first to sample Ciroc's newest flavors.

Since this'll all go down in the afternoon, there's a likely chance he'll jet out of town as soon as it's over, but if you hear of any late-night sightings, be sure to drop 312DD a line . . .

Oh, so here's an UPDATE already:

Puffy's hosting an after-hours affair at Vision Friday. The party includes live music, three floors of dancing, multiple deejays spinning and more. That's 10pm-4am. $25 in advance.

Make L2O Your New Luxe Lounge Hang

One of Chicago's hidden treasures is the L2O Lounge in the Belden-Stratford Hotel. (Photo: L2O)


We're always looking for interesting new places to hang, and with the holidays upon us, that's a difficult task to do. The season's shoppers, out-of-town visitors and the usual suspect barhoppers are in the same mindset, so the hottest places can get pretty, ummmm, swamped.

So we'd like to introduce you to a spot most folks have overlooked as a nightlife destination. L2O's lux-y lounge is not going to be your everyday go-to bar, but it won't hurt to treat yourself once in a while.

The hand-crafted, classic cocktails range $16-$18 in choices like the house aperitif of sparkling wine and raspberry-Rooibos tea cordial; the Navigator (Hennessey VS, bual madeira, pomegranate); or Caipirinha (Leblon Cachaça, Kaffir lime, Kaffir leaves). Plus, you'll have a choice of light nibbles, including a selection of cheeses and small-plate seafood dishes.

Go ahead and treat yourself. After all, Christmas only comes around once a year.

More places to go this weekend . . .

THURSDAY

If $16 cocktails are out of your price range, you might want to check out Flo on Thursdays for drink specials at the bar. They're doing $4 3 Floyds Gumballhead, $3.50 house margaritas, $4.50 mojitos and $16 margarita pitchers. Also, if you get there between 2:30-5:30pm, you can stuff down all the tacos you can for $2.50. Yummy times 10 for shredded chicken, roasted pork and veggie.

DJ Kiss is back! This time, New York's hottest spin star is working the 'tables at Manor for Outfit Events' weekly bash. Get there early for a fashion show by DNA2050. 9pm-2am. No cover.


Traditional Caribbean cuisine sets up shop in Ukrainian Village with Mr. Brown's Lounge. (Photo: Urban Daddy Chicago)


FRIDAY

Mr. Brown’s Lounge debuts today in Ukrainian Village, and Urban Daddy got the scoop first. We're looking forward to heaving plates of jerk chicken, beef patties, plantains, and island mac and cheese keeping us warm all winter. Deejays spin on weekends, too!

Glazed Donuts offers the alternative to the cupcake craze with delightful donut flavors in bourbon pecan pie and chocolate candy cane. And if you want to get a taste before you buy, they're giving away samples 5-7pm this evening at Green Grocer. Nice Cream will also be on hand to unveil winter ice cream flavors, so you can double up on the sweet stuff.

If you've got Top Chef withdrawals already, it's time to check out Sprout, helmed by season three finalist Dale Levitski. A $60 prix-fixe deal allows you to customize your own three-course menu, choosing one each from his first course, entree and dessert selections. We've already got our eyes on the sablefish (fennel, verjus rouge and grape) and the short rib (truffle, mushrooms, chicory, manchego).

The guys behind Genuine Entertainment have done a pretty aggressive job hosting weekly parties at various hot spots during their first year in business, so they're celebrating with a big bash tonight at Mercadito. After dinner, they're transforming the entire space into an all-out nightclub, and things should get really interesting. 11pm-2am. No cover.

SATURDAY

After a hard night out, head to Roof for the Morning After Brunch. The spicy lamb sausage comes with a fried egg and tomato marmalade, and who could resist the PLT—a sandwich of crispy pancetta, cured tomatoes, arugula and lemon aioli. 11am-2pm Saturday, Sunday.

If you're skipping downtown shopping in favor of something more close to home, how about heading to Edgewater for the annual Holidays Around the World?! There's a tree-lighting ceremony, artists' festival, and free goodies at a number of restaurants in the area, including Bananas Foster Cafe (egg nog and mince pie samples noon-3pm) and Metropolis Coffee Company (free baked goods and a holiday drink special). Noon-4pm.

SUNDAY

If you've been a lazy ass lately and cannot make it out of your bed to get to a proper brunch, then this one's for you. Chaise is extending its brunch until 5pm, so now you have no excuses. Executive Chef Cary Taylor's stamped his Southern roots all over the menu in offerings like the shrimp 'n' grits made with Laughing Bird shrimp and Three Sisters Garden grits; a Cuban Croque Madame blessed with smoked and pulled turkey, fried egg on toasted brioche; and Sunday mac 'n' cheese (smoked Gouda, toasted breadcrumbs, garlic sausage and scrambled egg). Also get tableside Bloody Marys for $5 each.

This Thing Could Get Controversial . . .

People all over town are already scratching their heads over the new name for Stephanie Izard's soon-to-be-opened gastropub—Girl & The Goat—which was originally named The Drunken Goat.

Number one comment from bar and restaurant industry types after hearing the news:

"It sounds kinda, ummmm, twisted . . ."

It's scheduled to open next spring.

Related:

Izard, who won the fourth season of Top Chef (and still remains the show's only female winner!), gave her thoughts on the sixth season's finale via Twitter:

"F@"$&d up final call with Padma... But congrats to all the boys for a tasty looking finale! Congrats, Mike!"

Cuna Set to Open Next Week?!

Former Sepia exec chef Kendal Duque will be at helm of the highly anticipated Cuna, set to open next week, according to an Ultimate Insider:

"Word is Cuna will be opening next week, they just passed their inspections today. ... shooting for late next week."

We'll see what happens, but in the meantime here's a sweet interview he did in November with Time Out.