Good 'ol fashioned American fare . . .

(Photo: David Lissner for Dining Chicago)


. . . is what you'll get at 33 Club, the new Old Town eatery with a vibrant, post-Prohibition vibe by colorful restaurateur Jerry Kleiner.

Our boy David "The Food Dude" Lissner of Dining Chicago gets the first on-air interview with Kleiner on the hot new space here.

Weekend Tweet Beat

Tim Graham, executive chef at Tru (Photo: Tim Graham)


What were Chicago's top chefs up to this weekend?! 312DD checks out their Twitter accounts:

Efrain Cuevas (chEfrain): "Cooking BBQ tonight for the Guinness beer folks tonight. Will I get paid in beer?"

Phillip Foss (Lockwood): "Shpeeled out after describing the buffalo-ed wing 1,000 times... very cool evening for a good cause. now going to party at farmer lee's house."

Tim Graham (Tru): "Friday service going smooth. Selling alot of collections. New foie mousse, melon, Moscato d'Asti gelee, Pumpernickel is a hit."

Mark Mendez (Carnivale): “Swan Creek egg fried in extra virgin olive oil, Iberico Ham, black truffle.”

Michael Sheerin (Blackbird): “Cluster Fu&k of a night.”

This is what's HOT!

(Photo: 312 Dining Diva)


So now it's finished.

Rode by The Violet Hour again, and what a difference a few days makes!

The lucky graffiti artists who transformed the swanky cocktail lounge's exterior into a scene out of 1985's Krush Groove get props for their finished project.

But I would love to see the look on a first-timer's face once they got inside the bar that sets the bar high when it comes to luxe lounging.

See, you really cannot judge a book bar by its cover . . .

Rascal Flatts deejaying at The Pony!

The crew from adorable country band Rascal Flatts hung out pretty hardcore Thursday at Lakeview sports bar The Pony, and mingled with fans and even jumped behind the turntables to spin a little.

They're in town for the first-ever country music concert at Wrigley Field Saturday—which also stars Darius Rucker. Tickets are still available here.

First-Ever BLT Fest coming to town!

We've seen just about every food festival there is—from Ribfest to "stuff on a stick" fests—but nothing is more mouthwatering than a good ol' fest filled with nothing but BLTs.

Thanks to Slow Food Chicago, Candid Wines and The Chicago Honey Coop, BLT Fest is going down in August or September, bringing together some of the city's most creative chefs certain to whip up some imaginative twists on the American classic.

Thus far, they've secured stars from Blackbird, Custom House, Avec, Publican, Osteria Via Stato, Naha, Socca, Uncommon Ground, Va Pensiero and the Signature Room on the 95th, who have pledged to use local tomatoes, heirloom pigs and other local produce in their fixins.

A kick-off event for BLT Fest takes place Aug. 23 at Osteria Via Stato with wine and BLT bites. $35.

Hot Dogs, Hot Dogs are everywhere . . .

(Photo: The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council)


Since it's still National Hot Dog Month, it behooves me to let you know about a new hot dog joint opening in the old Rockstar Dogs space on Chicago Avenue.

There's speculation that the new owners are the same ones taking over the RSD location in Lincoln Park, which will be The Dog Joint when it opens later this month.

Whether it will also be named The Dog Joint is still unclear, but we're on the case . . .

In the meantime, follow Hot Doug's and Superdawg on Twitter for classic and offbeat encased meats in Chicago.

Sold Out!

"Top Chef" stars Stephanie Izard and Dale Levitski at last year's Green City Market Chefs BBQ. (Photo: Suzy McMillan for 312 Dining Diva)


Hate to rub this in, but if you don't already have tickets to tonight's annual Green City Market Chefs BBQ in Lincoln Park, you're SOL, it's sold out.

For those who've already scored tix, get there as early as possible (fest starts at 6pm) because they're expecting more than 1,000 guests to sample the delights of local prominent chefs like Stephanie Izard (The Drunken Goat), John Caputo (A Mano), Giuseppe Tentori (BOKA) and Erick Williams (MK).

We'll be there in splendid 312DD glory, so expect a lot of tweeting later on.

More food, fashion, fests and some freebies on tap for this weekend:

THURSDAY

The last time Jermaine Dupri guest deejayed at Underground, soccer heavyweight (and hottie!) David Beckham was in the house. There's no telling who'll drop by this time, but trust us when we tell you JD will rock the mic and the tables. 10pm-4am. $20.

FRIDAY

Up in Rogers Park, Uncommon Ground hosts its weekly farmers market in the parking lot. You'll see the usual local farmers and vendors, plus live music. And while you're there, check out the restaurant's roof-top produce garden. 4-8pm. Free.

Need a little pampering?! Board the Tall Ship Windy on Navy Pier for the Ultimate Mobile Spa Party. Event includes massages, a lingerie fashion show, open bar and vittles. After-party at Chi Bar. 7-10pm. $60.

Relax in West Town turns two, and they're doing it up big with small bites prepared by Top Chef star Dale Levitski, rockin' sounds spun by Matt Roan and some drink specials you'll dig. 7pm-midnight. No cover.



Sales of David Burke Primehouse's signature Lollipop Tree will benefit the Lollipop Theater Network. (Photo: David Burke Primehouse)


SATURDAY

You can fight the crowds next Saturday at Venetian Night or stay local and hit up Wicker Park for the seventh-annual Silver Room Sound System Block Party. The daylong event includes a fashion show, live mural paintings, and deejays spinning on the block, on the patio and in the store. Noon-10pm. Free.

Another notable going-on is going down at West Town newcomer Noble Grape, which hosts its grand-opening this weekend. Come for the complimentary tastings, live music and deejays. Also, buy at least six bottles of vino and you'll get 10 percent off. 1-5pm.

SUNDAY

Bright Pink gets props from the 900 Shops with a very special shopping extravaganza. The $20 ticket ($25 at door) gets you discounts to some of the mall's most popular stores (J.Crew, Club Monaco, Jake, UGG Australia, Mark Shale) as well as frozen yogurt, yoga from Lululemon and mini-facials. Noon-6pm.

New brunch items have been added to the menu at Perennial, including a duck confit tart (with frisée salad, truffle oil and poached egg) and chef Ryan Poli's twist on a classic tuna casserole, with imported tuna, egg noodles and celery-mushroom cream. Just make sure you have at least one Perennial Bellini (with passion fruit) 'cause they go down easy. 10am-2pm

MONDAY

And in honor of National Lollipop Day, David Burke’s Primehouse will donate a portion of sales from the signature Lollipop Tree to Lollipop Theater Network. Hey, any excuse to gorge on those amazing cheesecake lollipops works for me!

Just so you know . . .

East Village breakfast/brunch hang Jam opens this week (Photo: Urban Daddy Chicago)


. . . there are some key openings around the horizon, starting Thursday:

Urban Daddy introduces us to Jam, a sweet little breakfast/brunch joint opening in the old Dodo space in the East Village.

Sayeth The Daddy:

"Before we get ahead of ourselves, just know that your brunch favorites will be waiting for you whenever you arrive. But since the chef is a former Trotter's and North Pond guy, you won't mind if he takes a few liberties with them.

"You know, a little crisp pork belly on your eggs Benedict here, some braised pork cheeks, ricotta salata and pickled plums in your egg sandwich there. If morning somehow becomes afternoon, and Malted Custard French Toast isn't going to cut it, a double-burger topped with smoked tomato sauce, butterkase cheese and—why not?—fried egg should."

Also scheduled to open this weekend is Red Canary, the city's first-ever "gastro lounge," with offerings like house-cut fries with truffle pesto and black pepper; pulled short ribs on garlic brioche; and buttermilk fried quail with basil whipped potatoes.

Division Ale House, owned by Baris Yuksel (who's also behind People Lounge), is scheduled to open July 24. It should fit right in the newly pub-centric area of Wicker Park's Division Street strip with its Irish-inspired decor, food, and eight draft beers favoring Irish and English brews. Of course, you'll be able to watch your favorite games on several large-screen monitors.

And, DISH got the scoop on Belly Shack, the brainchild of Bill Kim (of Urban Belly fame). Expect Asian- and Latin-influenced soups, sandwiches and small bites like yuca fries with a chimichurri dressing when it opens this fall.