Deleece Grill Pub unveils new menu

Deleece Grill's steak salad is one of the new items on the menu. (Photo: Deleece Grill Pub)


As reported here exclusively Sunday, the owners behind Shochu suddenly transformed it into Deleece Grill Pub, offering more approachable fare to the fickle Lakeview diners.

With everyone scrounging for the best deals these days, folks are certain to warm up to the $20, three-course meal every Sunday and Wednesday. Hopefully you'll get to include one of those mouth-watering new steaks on the menu, such as the 10 oz. peppercorn-crusted Hangar, 14 oz. New York strip or 18 oz. ribeye with a garlic porcini ragout.

At the bar: a large beer list of primarily American craft brews and American whiskeys.

Take a bite out of these deals

The new 40-Day, Dry-Aged Hamburger is $5 this week only at David Burke’s Primehouse. (Photo: David Burke’s Primehouse)


There's no need to start hitting up fast-food joints because you're trying to save money. A number of great restaurants are offering deals to take that stress off your wallet:

The "no-tax lunch" continues through Oct. 31 at BIN 36, with the restaurant picking up the tax tab on your meal. There's no dollar limit, but it's only offered 11am-2pm.

If you're looking to nosh right after work, head to Blue Water Grill for the raw bar specials in the lounge. Every day you'll get $1.25 selections (oysters, clams and chilled shrimp), plus maki rolls for $6. That's 5-7pm daily.

To introduce its new 40-Day, Dry-Aged Hamburger, David Burke’s Primehouse is offering it for $5 this week only (regularly $15). The meat is aged alongside the prime steak cuts in the signature on-site Himalayan salt tiled dry aging room, tastes more like a steak, and is topped with smoked bacon mayo, garlicky spinach and crispy, fried onions. And for an additional $5 each, pair it with the truffle Asiago fries and vanilla bourbon shake. Take that, Burger King!

Stylish University Village sushi spot Kohan Japanese Restaurant is a neighborhood delight for its nightly specials. Tonight's steal is the martini and maki combo for $13. Choose from more than 15 maki rolls and pair it with one of their cocktails, including the Asian pear martini, Passion-tini or Saketini.

Tuesdays are also the night to head over to Volo Restaurant & Wine Bar for the $35, three-course prix-fixe dinner. The best part about it?! You get to customize your own menu, and for an additional $15, they'll help you pair each course with wine.

Shochu closes; re-concepts ASAP as Deleece Grill Pub

(Photo: Shochu)


This just in:

"Shochu closed last nite (or possibly tonight). To reopen in one week as Deleece 2."

There was a lot of hype surrounding this spot when it opened last spring, particularly because it was touted as the country's "first shochu lounge," featuring the popular Japanese, shochu-infused cocktails paired with offbeat Asian fare.

I guess the concept didn't go over well with diners because the owners are now falling back on what has worked best for them in their first project—the more comfort-food focused Deleece—in Lakeview.

According to owners, they're re-opening Tuesday as Deleece Grill Pub, offering more approachable dishes of steak, seafood and chicken.

Who's got juice?!

It doesn't matter if you're a restaurateur, chef or just someone who loves good food, there's always one media outlet you count on when it comes to the best dining reviews.

But who is it?! This is your time to sound off!

Do you turn to the Chicago Tribune or Chicago Magazine for the more established opinions? Hungry Magazine for its edgy take on what's going on? How about that snarky approach made infamous by Time Out Chicago? Or the "power to the people" obsessed Chowhound and LTHForum?

When it comes to clout in this town, who's the best for reliable reviews and why? And who gets it wrong?!

Cannot wait to hear what you've got to say!

Ina responds to 'eggs and potatoes' comment

Ina Pinkney of Ina's (Photo: Taken from Ina's Restaurant web site)

This just dropped in the mailbag from "breakfast queen" Ina Pinkney of Ina's in response to her quote—"It would actually be better for me to give that person a dollar to not eat in my restaurant"—that ran in the Chicago Tribune today:

"When (Chicago Tribune writer) Monica (Eng) heard me say that, she was interested in exactly what it cost me to put out that plate of eggs and potatoes.

We showed her the table top....what it costs to wash the the plates, flatware and glassware, put outthe bread, butter, napkin, table paper and what it cost for the eggs (which went from $11/case to $27/case and now is around $20/case) and potatoes which are twice the price they were a month ago.

Oh and did I mention a fuel surcharge on EVERY delivery?

Add to that the labor for the kitchen, server and busser and you can see that it's isn't just about the 2 eggs and potatoes for $5.49.

There's an intrinsic value to that plate of food and I can't charge more, which means that I'm losing money on some dishes if the customer doesn't order a coffee/espresso drink or juice.

These are really hard times for us and I wanted people to know what goes into just such a plate."

Quote of the week: 'It would actually be better for me to give that person a dollar to not eat in my restaurant'

Ina Pinkney of Ina's (Photo: Taken from Ina's Restaurant web site)


That's "breakfast queen" Ina Pinkney of Ina's in a Tribune story on the current state of the restaurant industry.

Interesting.

New wine bar has no wine—yet

The Daddy brings us Fontana Grill in Uptown, yet another undiscovered new spot, but this wine bar hasn't gotten its liquor license yet.

Bonkers over Five Guys Burgers

Great.

The Stew's self-appointed "Cheeseburger Bureau Chief" Kevin Pang got folks all worked up because he announced two Chicagoland locations for the Virginia-based Five Guys Burgers and Fries chain.

Right now, the commenting thread is out of control. It's over 60 posts and counting . . . so basically the only time folks chime in is when there's a post on Starbucks, burgers or other fast-food chains. It's like crickets over there whenever the writers post something about innovative spots, hot chefs or new trends.

Interesting!