And He Didn't Cuss Out Anyone!

Gordon Ramsay with Stephanie Izard of Girl and the Goat outside of BOKA Sunday. (Photo: Kevin Boehm)


Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, who was in town introducing his small kitchen appliance lines at the International Housewares Show Sunday, made the local restaurant rounds as well.

Le Passage general manager Joel Barnes excitedly tweeted Saturday that the "Hell's Kitchen" star dined drama free at the bar's adjacent The Drawing Room:

Way to Represent Your Former Team, Man!

Sooooooo, a former Bears player went all faux Julius Peppers over the weekend at Underground, only to flake out when the bill arrived.

A source tells 312DD that this unidentified ex-baller racked up thousands of dollars in bottle service, however, when the bill came he vehemently disputed it until some of the charges were dropped.

But it doesn't end there.

Some Tricks Beyond Their Trades . . .

Double A's general manager Victor DeLeon (Photo: Victor DeLeon)


Chefs Rick Gresh (David Burke's Primehouse) and Graham Elliot Bowles (graham elliot) have been known to play a mean guitar. The Drawing Room's award-winning master mixologist Charles Joly used to gig in a drunk punk band.

You'd be surprised how much talent runs deep in Chicago's kitchens and bars that goes beyond chosen professions.

Down in Double A, the dapper Victor DeLeon holds down the fort of the city's sexiest tequila lounge. The native New Yorker runs this spot on the level of any well-heeled Manhattan watering hole, but it's his personal style and presence that really got our attention.

Chances are, if DeLeon's decked out in suit, tie and shirt, he's wearing custom-made threads from his line, Niformis (soon to be changed to Victor DeLeon). For eight years, he's dressed New York's movers and shakers, and he would love to do the same for Chicago.

Though Double A doesn't enforce a strict dress code, he'd like to see male patrons step up their wardrobe game.

"Women's fashion in Chicago is on par with New York and Europe, but the men are a few years away," he says. "It looks a little off when women come into Double A well dressed and the guys with them are wearing sneakers or (ill-fitting) jeans."

Niformis' ties start at $125; shirts $350 and suits $2,400.

Do You Have the Luck of the Irish?!

Your St. Paddy's Day partying starts Thursday night when She-Nannigan’s House of Beer joins forces with WXRT-FM to host a lively affair.

Division Street bars are known to kick it up a notch St. Patrick's Day weekend, and this particular bar gets to choose one lucky person who will dye the Chicago River green!

All you have to do to qualify is register early at WXRT-FM or in person at the bar by 9pm. The party also includes live music from the Big Shoulders Brass Band and drink specials ($3.50 Miller Lite drafts and Green draft beers). 9-11pm Thursday. No cover.

Everyone's Irish all weekend long all over town:

Who's Gonna Be Top Chef Master?!

Bravo's second season of "Top Chef Master" doesn't jump off until April 10, but our buds at Dining Chicago want to get everyone excited about the hometown heroes participating in it now.

The Chicago Chef Contest pits the five local contestants (technically three because two only own restos here) against one another. And if you pick the correct winner, you have a chance of winning some really cool prizes yourself.

The local boys are:

* Graham Elliot Bowles of Graham Elliot in River North.

* David Burke of David Burke's Primehouse in River North. (He's also a New Yorker.)

* Tony Mantuano of Spiaggia on the Magnificent Mile.

* Marcus Samuelsson of C-House in Streeterville. (He's also a New Yorker.)

* Rick Tramonto of Tru in Streeterville.

The grand prize winner of the Chicago Chef Contest will host a segment on Dining Chicago TV. Runners-up get gift certificates to some of the city's hottest restaurants, including Angelina's Ristorante, Cafe des Architectes, Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse and Sepia.

'One Sassy Piece of Theater . . .'

Maggie Graham in "The Legend of Ginger Bred; A Story of Sex, Salvation and Baked Goods" at Gorilla Tango Theatre. (Photo: Cock & Bull Theatre)


Cock & Bull Theatre's first-ever production, The Legend of Ginger Bred; A Story of Sex, Salvation and Baked Goods, didn't make this week's STAGE BITES because we only found out about it through Bill Daley's writeup on The Stew.

But we couldn't possibly pass up what he's calling "one sassy piece of theater" as it combines burlesque, baked goods, a full bar and a band called The Sunday Brunch.

The limited-run show debuts at 9:30pm Thursday. Performances are also at 10pm March 12, 13, 18 (at 9:30pm), 19, 20. Get tickets here.

It's a bit risque—the protagonist is a porn star—so you've got to be at least 18 to attend.

'Wobbly Tables' are a Pain in the Ass . . .

This table looks pretty sturdy—thank God!


. . . and can easily ruin your dining experience.

That's one of 10 annoying restaurant design flaws Chicago Tribune resto critic Phil Vettel explores this week in The Stew.

He also gripes about too-close banquette tables (It's like the couple next to me are part of my date), toilet fixtures that look like modern art (How do I work this thing?) and hard, uncomfortable seats (I can't fully appreciate the food when my kiester's numb).

As always, when Vettel writes one of these types of stories, the gold is in the comments section. Pure comedy, I tell you, like these two right here:

"My biggest issue with restaurant design: why do they put floors in that get slippery when they are wet? Smooth tile may look nice but it's a safety hazard. Was once at a restaurant and someone spilled tea on the tile floor; two servers fell in a matter of minutes before they could get it cleaned up. Did the designers not think that floors in a a restaurant would get wet sometimes?"

"How could everyone have missed the most obvious problem of all (especially in trendy new restaurants)? Too often the interior consists of all hard surfaces with nothing to absorb the noise. It gets deafeningly loud every evening at dinner simply because there is nothing to absorb the shouting of everyone all at once. Put up some drapes or ceiling tiles!"

My biggest gripe? The lighting in the ladies' room. I can always tell a man designed that most important room for women because the lights are practically nonexistent. How are we supposed to re-touch our makeup/hair if we can barely see?!

'I Crashed Pamela Anderson's VIP Table at Crobar'

I love a good and funny celebrity story, and this one's no exception.

A long-time friend randomly checked out Crobar Saturday night without knowing that it was also a party for bombshell former "Baywatch" star Pamela Anderson.

They made their way to the VIP section, and he says that he saw "a really hot blonde, I mean really hot," and then he looked again and realized who it was.

He says Anderson was tiny in person and had a very large entourage. Even though the club was packed, he adds, no one was bothering her or even gawking in her direction. So, around 3am her party left, making way for my boy to move in on her table.

"We had to do a double take because she had left a full bottle of Cîroc Ultra Premium Grape Vodka," he says gleefully. "We polished that right off and then got up outta there!"