Charles Joly Is 'On The Rocks' Winner!

(Photos: Martin Furrer)


Girl & The Goat's Stephanie Izard won "Top Chef" in 2008.

Frontera Grill's Rick Bayless took home the title of the first-ever "Top Chef Master" in 2009.

And Charles Joly of The Drawing Room proved once again in 2010 that Chicago is no flyover state when it comes to fine dining and nightlife.

Oprah Tweets One Of Her 'Favorite' New Restos

It's kinda poetic that on the same day Oprah unleashed her final "Favorite Things" show she tweeted excitedly—for the first time ever—about one of her favorite new restaurants:

"I don't get out much... but just left new restaurant, Chicago Cut... Phenom!! Food is Great!"

The last time I checked, more than 100 followers retweeted her praises. Let's just see if we can get a reso by the end of the year now . . .

Come Root On A Local Hero!

Sooooooo, if you're around the Gold Coast Saturday around midnight, you've got to stop in The Drawing Room to cheer on hot shot mixologist Charles Joly.

The late-night resto and bar will be airing the finale of NBC's "On The Rocks," and he's one of three finalists.

Talk About An Awkward Situation . . .

Brunch at Fred's at Barneys New York Sunday just had to be quite awkward for former White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers (now CEO of Johnson Publishing Company), who found herself only a few feet away from the notorious "White House Party Crashers."

Harry Caray's Tavern To Close Next Week

(Photo: Harry Caray's Wrigleyville)


The landlord of the building occupying Harry Caray's Tavern in Wrigleyville is so unreasonable that the revered resto and bar is pulling out next week, according to accounts from CBS-2.

In a Chicago Tribune story, Harry Caray’s Restaurant Group chief executive officer Grant DePorter compared the relationship with the building owner to "a bad marriage."

This just plain sucks.

How They Celebrated On Their Big Day

The Alinea staff (Photo: Grant Achatz)


The hard-working staff of Alinea worked their asses off to get those three coveted Michelin stars, so we weren't surprised to see this tweet from Grant Achatz hours after the announcement:

Here We Go Again . . .

Strange things are going on at Ole Hardwood. I've certainly have never seen such a strategy. . .

Thanks to the tipster who sent in this photo.

UPDATE: Looks like their executive chef has said sayonara.

Chicago's Cocktail Queens . . .

DeJorn Huffman of Sable Kitchen & Bar. (Photo: Bols Genever)


. . . have beaten the odds and conquered a male-dominated industry.

Big props go to Bridget Albert, DeJorn Huffman (Kimpton's Sable Kitchen & Bar), Lynn House (Blackbird) and Debbi Peek (The Bristol), who have changed the way people see women bartenders.

Check out the story right here, which also includes tasty cocktail recipes you can make at home.