Mario Batali Finally Announces Opening Date For Eataly Chicago

Here's hoping that the Chicago outpost will be as successful as the original Eataly in New York. (Photo: Eataly NYC)

One of the most frequent questions I've been asked lately: When is Eataly Chicago opening?!

I knew it was happening this fall, but other than that, celebrity chef/Eataly partner Mario Batali and company have been mum on those details.

Nominations Underway For Annual 'Jean Banchet Awards for Culinary Excellence'

Acadia chef/owner Ryan McCaskey at the 2012 Banchet awards (Photo: 312 Dining Diva)

The Jean Banchet awards—the highlight of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's annual Grand Chefs Gala—doesn't take place until next winter, but nominations are now underway. That's the most glorious time of the year for Chicago's culinary community as they honor the best in the biz.

The nomination process is open to the public and runs Oct. 21–28. A committee will compile the results, and the top four names in each of the 11 categories will become the 2013 Jean Banchet nominees.

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

Chef Stephanie Izard and her new husband, Gary Valentine (Photo: Facebook); the wedding cake (Photo: Little Goat Bread)

Girl and the Goat chef/owner Stephanie Izard got married last weekend to her long-time beau Gary Valentine. If you weren't lucky enough to get an invitation, don't worry, you can still get a slice of her whimsical wedding cake. Created by pastry chef Mathew Rice, it consists of chocolate ganache with peanut butter and chocolate-covered Cheez-its. WHAT?! It's now available at Little Goat Bread for $3.

A Review Of Bang Bang Pie's Hot New Biscuit Menu

Bang Bang Pie Shop's new bacon and collard greens biscuit (Photo via Time Out Chicago)

The pies at this Logan Square hot spot are phenomenal, so no doubt they'd strike gold again with a new line of savory biscuit options. Bang Bang Pie Shop recently launched such pairings as bacon with collard greens and hot sauce; ham with grits, pimento butter and pepper jelly; and sausage with gravy and concord grape jelly.

Here's what Time Out Chicago thought about them.

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

Thomas Raquel of Acadia (Photo: Acadia)

An elite group of chefs with the sweetest jobs in the city gathers Monday, Oct. 14 for an event you don't want to miss. The first-ever Room for Dessert dinner happens at Storefront Company as sort of a kickoff event for the annual Chicago Fine Chocolate & Dessert Show at Navy Pier (Oct. 18-20). We're talking the cream of the crop here because hooking you up with their signature pastries will be the likes of Thomas Raquel (Acadia), Elissa Narow (Perennial Virant/Vie), Meg Galus (NoMI Kitchen), Patrick Fahy (Sixteen), Kym DeLost (Storefront Company) and Courtney Joseph (Takashi/Slurping Turtle). Their creations will be paired with wines and savory bites in between. Proceeds benefit Icing Smiles. The dinner starts at 7pm and you can get the $50 tickets right here.

Here's the scoop on what they'll serve that night:

Fighting Words: Home Cooks vs. Chefs, Who Makes The Best Gumbo In Chicago?!

Photo via Oprah.com.

Uh oh. Look what Frontier's Brian Jupiter has started.

The chef, who happens to be a Bayou native, has thrown down the gauntlet to see who brings the fire when it comes to the best gumbo in the Windy City. His first-ever Gumbo Cook-Off occurs Sunday, Nov. 17 at 2pm (during the Saints vs. 49ers game) at the restaurant.

And while the likes of Hugo's Frog Bar, SmallBar and Tavern on Rush will be competing, there will be some amateur cooks in the mix as well.

Michael Kornick's County Barbeque Offers Relief For Temporarily Displaced Government Workers

County Barbeque's pull pork sandwich (Photo: County Barbeque)

Well, here's somewhat of a silver lining in the government shutdown mess.

County Barbeque, the new Little Italy BBQ joint owned by famed local chef Michael Kornick, is hooking up government employees with free grub until Friday.

Carriage House, Embeya Make Esquire's Prestigious Annual 'Best New Restaurants' List

(Photo: Embeya)

It looks like Chicago finally got off Esquire's shit list.

We've been noticeably missing from John Mariani's prestigious annual list for Best New Restaurants two years in a row, so it's great to see that we're getting some love once again. The West Loop's Embeya and Wicker Park's Carriage House made the cut, with Embeya also getting honors of "dish of the year."

That's pretty sweet!

Here's what Mariani had to say about those props: