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.

West Loopers Win Big At James Beard Awards

The Aviary team includes owner Grant Achatz (center) and beverage director Charles Joly (second to left). (Photos: Kent Miller/James Beard Foundation)

Monday night at the James Beard Foundation Awards solidified that the West Loop is Chicago's hottest dining and drinking neighborhood.

Grant Achatz and his team at Aviary beat Chicago's venerable Violet Hour as well as two prominent New York cocktail lounges to win Outstanding Bar Program.

Here's Your Exclusive, First Look At The City's Hottest New Outdoor Lounge: The Dec

(Photos: Ritz-Carlton Chicago)

Let's just get this out of the way: dec Rooftop Lounge + Bar has nothing to do with local restaurateur Billy Dec (Rockit Bar & Grill, Sunda).

It's instead the sleek new outdoor component to deca Restaurant + Bar in the Ritz-Carlton Chicago. The lounge is located on the 12th floor, seats 57, and accommodates 100 guests for light bites, craft cocktails and draught beers from a number of craft breweries.

Here are a few more highlights you'll need to know before dec opens in mid-May:

So Very, Very Hot Right Now.

Glazed and Infused teams up with Taco Joint for Margarita doughnuts (Photo: Taco Joint)

Whether bourbon or tequila is your spirit of choice, this weekend is your weekend.

A number of restaurants and drinking spots celebrate the Kentucky Derby and Cinco de Mayo with drink and food specials, but we're completely obsessed with Glazed and Infused and Taco Joint's collaboration.

The hot pastry shop and Mexican street food-style spot team up for mini margarita doughnuts (three for $6; six for $10) that feature tequila, fresh lime zest and sea salt. They'll be sold at only Taco Joint's Lincoln Park location May 3-5.

Grant Achatz Named 'Chef's Choice' in the World; Meanwhile Alinea Drops Down To #15

The World's 50 Best Restaurant Awards happened Monday night in London, and one of Chicago's own served it up pretty large.

Though Alinea fell to #15 in the world (last year it was #7), its super chef, Grant Achatz, received major honors.

Hot Chicago Chefs, Bartenders Raise Charity $$$ For Two Different Events In One Evening

Chefs Paul Kahan (left), Matthias Merges

Two hot events occur Monday, April 29, but the good thing is that they're happening only minutes away from each other. That means you can attend both.

Tavernita's Ryan Poli continues his monthly pintxo party where he invites his colleagues to create and serve their take on the popular Spanish appetizer.

This time around he's gathered Paul Kahan (Blackbird) and Matthias Merges of (Yusho), who will not only create signature snacks but help with the night's playlist as well.

For $25, guests get all the pintxos they can eat as well as a chance to mingle with the three chefs. A portion of the sales from this year's series benefits Pilot Light. The event happens 8-10pm.