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

Andrew Brochu (Photo via StarChefs.com)

Put on those sexy sunglasses.

• No big shocker here. Andrew Brochu has left the sports-oriented Monarch to return to his fine-dining roots with the Alinea restaurant group. He's joined Aviary's culinary team, as noted on its facebook page Wednesday afternoon.

• More great news, but this time from Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises (LEYE). Paul McGee's long-awaited tiki lounge, Three Dots and a Dash, is set to open in early June, according to partner R.J. Melman.

Indulge In National BBQ Month at a Number of Lip-Smacking Spots Around Town

BBQ at Smoke Daddy (Photo: Smoke Daddy)

When popular Bucktown BBQ restaurant Lillie’s Q suddenly shuttered indefinitely in early 2013 due to a fire, we poured out a little BBQ sauce in its honor.

Though it attracted a trendy crowd, the spot took the art of barbecuing quite serious and also developed a loyal following for its extensive bourbon selection. Thankfully owner Charlie McKenna continues to operate a satellite store for Lillie’s Q in the Chicago French Market, but it’s just not the same energy.

Tippling Tuesdays: Exploring Chicago's 'Bourbon Trail'

A number of popular watering holes have gotten together to host the city's first-ever Chicago's Bourbon Trail.

During each trolley stop, guests will indulge in a bourbon and barrel-aged beer. Fountainhead is one of the eager participants, and expect 10 bourbon flights, including Buffalo Trace Single Oak Project and a special bourbon barrel-aged beer tapping.

A Gatsby-Themed Pub Crawl To Remember

Party people at Billy Sunday (Photo: 312 Dining Diva)

The fourth remake of "The Great Gatsby," starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan, pulled in more than $50 million on opening weekend. That's a sure sign that people are still fascinated with the glamorous world created by famed author F. Scott Fitzgerald.

A big part of that appeal was the flamboyant styles and excessive partying on the part of Fitzgerald's complicated characters. And in the spirit of one of his greatest works, I decided to gather some friends for a Gatsby-themed cocktail pub crawl to some of Chicago's most popular haunts.

So Very, Very Hot Right Now.

Image of doughnuts in martini glass via gracessweetlife.com

Doughnut Vault continues to be red hot, and when it first opened, I was invited to an event where Moet paired its various bubblies with a variety of the sweet bites. I tried to talk DV owner Brendan Sodikoff into doing it again, but he said it just wasn't something he could do considering that the shop shared kitchen space with the very busy Gilt Bar.

So imagine how excited I was when I found out that Kitsch'n on Roscoe was doing a midnight pop-up featuring doughnuts paired with cocktails.

UPDATED: Socca Partner/Chef Roger Herring Opts Out Of Lakeview Restaurant

The interior of Socca (Photos: Socca)

Roger Herring, partner/chef of Socca, announced Wednesday that he was leaving the popular Wrigleyville restaurant.

"I made the 86 board at Socca. Next chapter...different book!" he wrote on Facebook. "...it was time to go. Sign a lease or go! I didn't sign."

Here's a statement from Socca's management team on the future of the restaurant:

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

Paul Kahan at the James Beard Foundation awards ceremony Monday. (Photo: Kent Miller/James Beard Foundation)

The sun is shining bright like a diamond.

• James Beard's newly minted Most Outstanding Chef Paul Kahan has an event coming up that you don't want to miss if you're a pork fiend. The Blackbird executive chef has teamed up with Mercat a la Planxa's Jose Garces and Cory Morris for a five-course Iberico pork dinner. Expect different preparations, including olive oil-poached pork loin, roasted pork collar and bacon-fat ganache paired with maple-sherry ice cream. It's $125 and reservations are required by calling Mercat a la Planxa. The event takes place 7pm May 18, beginning with a sangria reception.

• Jason Vincent (Nightwood), Ryan Poli (Little Market Brasserie), Chris Pandel (Balena) and brothers Michael and Patrick Sheerin (Trenchermen) are helping to raise funds for the Special Olympics Chicago during an after-work charity event. Sip & Savor is hosted by the associate board of Special Olympics Chicago and will feature food from these fine gentlemen. The event takes place 6-9pm May 9 at 1420 S. Michigan Ave. It's $55 in advance; $65 at the door. Get the tickets right here.

Tippling Tuesdays: Cereal Milk Cocktail Trend, Vertigo's New Bartender Booth

PDT's Milk Punch whiskey cocktail via Serious Eats

Tippling Tuesdays differs from Thirsty Thursdays in that it goes deeper into the spirits and cocktail culture.

Admit it. You've sipped some cereal milk in your lifetime. Whether it was after a tasty bowlful of Kellogg's Fruit Loops or Post's Honey Bunches of Oats, you just wanted to savor that goodness all the way down to the last drop. And leave it to bartenders to make one of our guilty childhood pleasures into an adult beverage.

The Savoy's head bartender Deidre Darling got the idea from NYC hot spots PDT and Momofuku Milk Bar, which have been doing them for a few months.

The seafood-focused restaurant and lounge in Wicker Park only offers the booze-infused delights during brunch, and we're getting giddy just thinking about them. Darling's created three: Pebbles Loves Bam Bam (Cocoa Pebbles, Plantation rum, mole bitters), Magically Delicious (Lucky Charms, Powers Irish Whiskey) and This Morning's Milk (cereal box surprise). Make a note that Savoy is open for brunch 10am-2pm Friday-Sunday.

The retro-themed arcade lounge Headquarters Beercade also features a cereal milk cocktail on its menu. Cereal Killer is made with house-infused Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Old Overholt Rye Whiskey and walnut bitters.