STAGE BITES: The Weekly Dining & Drinking Guide

Drake performs Wednesday and Thursday at the Chicago Theater.


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

Drake at Chicago Theater. It looks like this R&B star/actor's career has taken off like lightening, and he may have Chris Brown's downfall to thank for that. 2010 has definitely been one hell of a year for Drake, who released his debut studio album ("Thank Me Later") and collaborated with hip-hop royalty: Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Kanye West, Eminem and Jay-Z on a number of songs. This is one of the most highly anticipated shows of the year. Opening act is Tyga. 8pm Wednesday, Thursday. Get tickets here. The official after-party goes down at The Shrine, and Drake is confirmed to attend.

Here's Your First Look . . .

. . . at the new logo for GT Fish & Oyster, the seafood-focused resto taking over the old Tizi Melloul space in River North.

Named after its executive chef and partner Guiseppe Tentori, the restaurant is part of the incredibly sucessful Boka Restaurant Group, which is also behind Boka, (where Tentori is also executive chef and partner), Landmark, Perennial and Girl & The Goat.

Boka Group partner Kevin Boehm tells 312DD exclusively that GT Fish & Oyster is expected to open in the winter, sometime in February 2011.

Is This 'Two-Hour Dining Limit' Fair?!

River West's La Scarola is one of my favorite go-to spots for cozy neighborhood Italian fare, so I was pretty disappointed to read a diner's review of a recent experience on GrubStreet:

Our First Rahmbo Sighting . . .

. . . comes from Kith & Kin Executive Chef Andrew Brochu, who spotted the flamboyant mayoral candidate in his restaurant Sunday night.

Nice that he's already up on one of the hottest restaurants in town . . .

Step It UP For Supper!

CS dining critic Michael Nagrant gave a rave review to West Loop sensation Girl & The Goat—which was no surprise because he's already made it clear how much he loves it in other articles.

The surprise was the "dress code" the magazine recommended to its readers for the hottest restaurant in town. Their suggestion of what to wear: a No-Fuss T-Shirt and Jeans, which translates roughly to something you'd probably put on when you're running errands on an average Saturday afternoon.

Are We Falling For French-Inspired Nightlife?

The gleaming exterior of Maude's Liquor Bar, which is set to open this fall. (Photo: Maude's Liquor Bar)


312DD had the exclusive deets on Maude's Liquor Bar way back in the summer, so it's about time for an update.

Still scheduled to open this fall, the French-inspired dive bar owned by Gilt Bar's Brendan Sodikoff is well on its way to being finished, according to their blog tracking the progress of construction:

Deejaying Dancing with the Star . . .

Quirky neo-soul star Macy Gray's performing tonight at Park West, and tickets are still available here.

If you miss out, head to the after-party at Victor Hotel, in the Warehouse District, to catch her behind the 'decks spinning soul, funk and whatever the hell she wants.

This should be fun!

No Resos?! 'Get Over It!'

Mark and Elizabeth Mendez are blogging at "The Cook & The Corkscrew" as they work on their Latin-concept restaurant.


I'm beginning to think there will be a "no reservations" policy at Mark and Elizabeth Mendez's new Latin-focused restaurant when it opens soon.

I'm just basing that assumption from their latest blog post at The Cook & The Corkscrew, written by Elizabeth (the sommelier who used to work at Carnivale with her executive chef husband), as she passionately wrote about her issues with diners complaining about the practice: