New tradition for Air & Water Show weekend

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels will rock the 50th annual "Chicago Air & Water Show" for three days this weekend.


Melvin B’s, the “truck stop” outdoor bar where young professionals lazed about on balmy summer days in the Gold Coast, will be sorely missed come this weekend.

We always ended up over there for the extra-tall vodka lemonades after watching the Chicago Air & Water Show all day on the lakefront. But now that it’s gone, making way for yet another luxe boutique hotel, where should we go now?!

We’ll figure that out along the way—especially now that the A&W Show has been extended to three days, beginning Friday.

And as always, there’s plenty more to do this weekend, including a hot A&W Show after-party at Bon V . . .

THURSDAY

New online beauty 'zine Glossed & Found throws a launch party at Chicago Illuminating Co. (19 E. 21st St.). It'll cost you the big bucks, but if you're into fab bags full of swag, then you'll want to be there. Early arrival recommended if you want to get in on the manis, pedis, massages, acupuncture and more. 7-10pm. Proceeds benefit Prescription Well-Being. Get tix at 312-335-5350, ext. 2.

Learn about sustainable eating at Go Green's networking and socializing event taking place at Spa Café in the Loop. Guests will have the opportunity to sample everything from the eco-friendly restaurant's menu, from the salads to the organic drinks. 5-7pm. $10 in advance; $20 at door. Call 312-307-4443 for tickets.

Stay in synch with what's going on in Beijing with regional Chinese cuisine at Opera. New Executive Chef Beverly Kim is featuring Beijing Five Spice Ribs (five pork baby back ribs, braised with Thai chilies, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns and duck stock) for $10 and Opera's Peking Duck Service, which is served three ways for $30. First, the duck is deep fried and the skin is crisped. The breast is separated and served with mooshu pancakes with Chinese mustard, plum sauce and scallions. The leg and thigh are served over a chef's hand-crafted sauce of the day. And, finally, the leftover meat is shredded and stir-fried with chow fun, gailon, egg, oyster sauce and shitake mushrooms.

FRIDAY

Scoozi! returns with the three-day Tomato Fest, happening today through Sunday. Tonight is the Tomato Fest Wine Down, from 6-8pm, with 20 wines, tomato-inspired apps and live music for twenty bucks. At Saturday's third-annual Tomato Fest Market, from 9am-2pm, guests can taste and purchase a variety of heirloom tomatoes, bread, fresh pastas, wine, pasta sauces, microgreens, cheese and green tomato apple pies. Chefs John Chiakulas and Eric Young will also be on hand showing guests how to cook their favorite tomato dishes. And the event culminates with the infamous Tomato Fest Tomato Stomp on Sunday. It's an excuse to let the little ones jump in barrels to stomp tomatoes and win prizes. They'll also get to make their own pizzas! That's from 4-6:30pm.

An Air & Water Show post-party occurs at Bon V to benefit the USO of Illinois, a civilian non-profit organization serving the needs of the military community. Early arrivals will be treated to Belvedere cocktails from 9-11pm, but party rocks on 'til 2am. DJ Crash spins. $20.

VibeisRight.com transforms Landmark into its own partyland with comped apps and vodka cocktails from 8:30-10pm. If you miss out on the freebies, you'll still be able to get $5 vodka cocktails and Coors bottles all night. And if you're still up for fun, the after-party heads to Le Passage with DJ Pullano. Mention "VibeIsRight" at the door for no cover after 2am.

SATURDAY

Atwood Cafe Exec Chef Heather Terhune demos at Green City Market 10:30-11:30am. As always, the Market takes place 7am-1:30pm, so you can grab up all the local, organic and sustainable produce you can. Free.

Olympic fever's also at Viet Bistro, where mixologist Rashed Islam is shaking up the Olympic Rings Cocktail for $10. It's in the signature Olympics colors, served in a series of shot glasses to mimic the Olympic Rings: blue crush (blue), mango (yellow), blackberry (black), cactus pear (green) and guava (red). Guests may enjoy it in the Viet Bistro lounge, which broadcasts the Games throughout the tournament.

SUNDAY

And you'll go nuts over Rio's d'Sudamerica's authentic Peruvian brunch, which includes signature items like ceviche de pescado o mixto (fresh sole or flounder marinated in lime juice cilantro) and the Nortena tamale (cilantro base filled with chicken, eggs, olives and hot peppers). You'll wanna pair those with the $3 Mimosas and Bloody Marys. 10am-3pm.

Star chef cooks up best dish to date

This just dropped in my inbox:

"No photo of baby yet, but Chef Shawn McClain and his wife Holly are now proud parents! Cameryn Elizabeth McClain was born on Monday, August 11 and weighed in just over 7 lbs.

Mom, Dad and baby are all doing well."

McClain's best known as the award-winning culinary king behind notable restaurants Spring, Custom House and Green Zebra.

Kanye, do we really need another burger joint?!

Apparently we do as commenters on The Stew are getting all huffy over their fave hamburger hangouts.

The rap super stud is bringing West Coast crave Fatburger to the south 'burbs, but folks are also begging for an In-N-Out Burger, Jack In The Box (which we used to have here way back in the 1970s!) and the East Coast's Five Guys Burgers.

Me, personally?! I'm still dreaming about that quarter of an all-natural cheeseburger I sampled at Epic Burger's media opening party a couple of weeks ago!

Some Like It Hot

Marilyn Monroe impersonators woo the crowd—and the camera—at the opening party for the "Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe" exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center. (Photo: Suzy McMillen for 312DiningDiva.com)


When most folks think of the Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington Blvd.), they're thinking, "Hmmmm, nice place to go for a charity event or to hang out if you're a senior citizen during lunchtime."

In an effort to change that pretty boring image, the center's shaking things up by going for the sexiest exhibition they could possibly host: Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe. The massive, two-floor project captures the spark that was Marilyn through the art of Andy Warhol, Allen Jones, Peter Blake, Richard Avedon, Bert Stern and Henri Cartier-Bresson.

The opening party a few weeks ago also did all things dedicated to the screen goddess, from Marilyn-themed cocktails to appetizers based on her most popular movies (think "Some Like It Hot" and "How to Marry a Millionaire"). Of course there were Marilyn impersonators and a deejay spinning remixes of her greatest hits.

If you haven't checked out the exhibition yet, which continues through Sept. 21, Lawry’s The Prime Rib has teamed up with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs for the Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe Dinner Package, happening on August 20.

Guests get a guided tour of the exhibition from 5:30-6:30pm, hosted by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs' Gregory G. Knight, then head to Lawry's for dinner.

They've whipped up quite a feast dedicated to the diva, which begins with a Champagne Teaser (her fave beverage!), followed by her favorite foods: hot dogs, caviar, "The Marilyn Cut" of roasted prime rib of beef, and “Blondies” served with coffee ice cream.

Event tix are $85, including tax and gratuity.

Anthony Bourdain does Chicago . . . with Mancow Muller?!

The Stew caught up with Chef-lebrity Anthony Bourdain as he made a stop at Hot Doug's, Ramova Grill and Silver Palm for an upcoming episode of his popular "No Reservations" series on the Travel Channel.

But that's not the strangest part. Can someone please tell me why former Chicago radio "personality" Mancow Muller was with him?!

I mean, really, Mr. Bourdain?!

You've got to be doing this just to piss us off!

Big names in dining rock the Ritz-Carlton this fall

Le Bernadin's Eric Ripert is the special celebrity star during a fall dinner at the Ritz-Carlton.


The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton is playing host to some heavyweights in the dining world this fall with some special events:

On Oct. 17, it's the Author Tea with Bon Appétit Editor-In-Chief Barbara Fairchild. She'll be on hand to sign copies of Bon Appétit: Fast Easy Fresh, a new collection of more than 1,200 recipes written for quick, easy cooking at home. Ritz-Carlton Executive Pastry Chef Mark Payne will complement with some tea-focused dishes inspired by recipes from Fast Easy Fresh. 3-4:30pm. $40.

And Nov. 13, get ready for the Author Dinner with acclaimed chef Eric Ripert from Le Bernardin in New York. He'll be signing copies of On The Line: The Stations, the Heat, the Cooks, the Costs, the Chaos, and the Triumphs, a behind-the-scenes look at the world of fine dining through the eyes of one of its champions. Ritz-Carlton Executive Chef Mark Payne and Ripert will create a four-course dinner, which will take cues from On The Line. That happens at 6pm, and includes a reception, wines and author discussion. $95.

Call 312-573-5231 for tickets because they will go fast!

Toast to Tuesdays . . .

The U.S. Olympics Team is still winning mad medals left and right, so cheers to that!

Didja know every Tuesday you can sample a different Goose Island beer for free at the Lincoln Park location?! The Pub Beer Showcase happens at 6pm, with the brewer on hand to answer questions.

Lumen's weekly industry night continues to be cool, this time featuring Grammy Award-winning mixmaster Maurice Joshua behind the 'tables. As always, you'll get to indulge in $5 shots of Jameson and Patron. Oh, and they'll also be giving away free samples of Lucid Absinthe from 10pm-midnight. 9pm-2am. No cover.

Return of the Cocktail Party is one of the summer's sleepers at Martini Park. The after-work set offers guests comped appetizers and half-priced drinks from 5-8pm, but the best part of the night is the swing band and semi-professional dancers taking over the floor. Free.

And if you're sick of the usual Gold Coast scene, head to Morton's for Tuesday Tastings, where they're giving out free wine and cheese. 6-7pm.

What is really going on, Daily Candy Chicago?!

I've kept quiet too long about the sudden downspiral of Daily Candy Chicago, but after today's raunchy newsletter on A.Vision Chicago—which leads with "the politico called out Hillary’s name every time he climaxed"—I can keep quiet no longer.

I don't know if they're trying to be edgier in an attempt to compete with the more male-focused Urban Daddy and Thrillist, but seriously, Daily Candy needs to get back to its roots when it was really clever and truly sexy without going below the belt.