I Scream, You Scream . . .

The heat's on and you need to cool off.

If you're not down with the rolling street carts and old-school ice cream trucks, here are some gourmet options you will love:

Billy Dec Stiffs Sunda Servers of $1,000 Tip

Restaurateur and nightlife impresario Billy Dec (Rockit Ranch Productions)

I couldn't believe this story when I first heard it, but apparently it's managed to be kept under wraps for a couple of weeks.

An Ultimate Insider tells 312DD that nightlife/restaurant impresario Billy Dec (Rockit Bar & Grill, Sunda, Underground) stiffed two Sunda servers of a $1,000 tip the entire Blackhawks' team wanted to give them. The worst part of this story?! They are both single mothers.

'Top Chef' Host Hints of Next Season in Chicago!

Tom Colicchio of Top Chef fame was in Chicago over the weekend for the National Restaurant Association Show, and hinted to Yum Sugar that Season 9 might possibly take place in Chicago again.

That would be freaking fabulous, especially since you know there would be cameo appearances by Stephanie Izard (Girl & The Goat) and Dale Levitski (Sprout).

And if they need a guest judge, ahem, 312DD's available . . .

Firefighter's Winning Meatballs to be Featured on Rosebud's Menu

Meatball lovers united Sunday at Rosebud on Taylor to cheer on eight amateur chefs who made it to the finals of the annual Do You Have The Meatballs? contest.

But it was firefighter Bill Anaszewicz who blew the competition away with his baked meatballs of ground beef, pork and veal. He told 312DD that he used his fellow firefighters as guinea pigs for three weeks, testing out various recipes until he perfected a winning formula the night before the finale.

As the grand prize winner, Anaszewicz will be treated to a luxurious trip to Wine Country for two, plus his meatballs will appear on Rosebud on Rush's menu all next week.

Check out the Gold Coast institution next week, or you can also make them at home because we've got the recipe!

Drawing Room Makes Esquire's Best 'New' Bars List

(Photo: The Drawing Room)

The Drawing Room opened fall 2007.

Yet that didn't stop Esquire's spirits writer David Wondrich from including it as the only Chicago venue on its sixth-annual survey of favorite NEW places to drink.

Wondrich gushes over DR, saying "The bar itself is small and distinguished not by clever lighting or fancy architecture but by the humble metal rack holding dozens of bar tools—again, functional, not fancy. In this, it merely reflects the demeanor of Charles Joly, the bar's presiding genius (as they used to say)—unassuming, hardworking, and smart."

Well put, and well deserved for all at the establishment, but a new bar Drawing Room is not.

Eight additional local watering holes made the cut for the Best Bars in America 2011 list:

Why Did Kith & Kin Close?!

Kith & Kin Executive Chef Andrew Brochu (Photo via StarChefs.com)

The details are sketchy right now, but I just got confirmation that Kith & Kin is closed. This comes as a shock, considering the fact that Executive Chef Andrew Brochu snagged an award for Best Neighborhood Restaurant at the Jean Banchet ceremony in January.

I spoke to an employee this afternoon, and he said that he found out at 2pm Tuesday, but not from the owners. He was called by another employee. He added that there was a private event on Monday, so the last day of business was Sunday.

A Bulls-Themed, 3-Foot Long Pizza

"Bring on the Heat" al metro pizza at Dough Boys. (Photo: Dough Boys)

Maybe, just maybe, this will be the motivation the Bulls need to win the fourth game Tuesday.

Dough Boys just introduced a Bring on the Heat pizza special for its signature, three-foot-long al metro.

Dante LoPresti is 'The Star of the Bar!'

Dante LoPresti is the mixologist at Double A. (Photo: Jay Schroeder)

The Bulls effing lost again.

But that's OK because another Chicago hot shot made us proud Sunday during the National Restaurant Association Show's annual Star of the Bar competition.

Double A's fantastic mixologist Dante LoPresti won $5,000 for his Pink Lion cocktail, which contains Cazadores Blanco, Hum liqueur, Elderflower Lillet Blanc and fresh lemon.

I've had it at the bar and can assure you that it's one helluva concoction.

Congrats, Dante!