Swine Flu-ids You Will Love

Chef Rick Gresh uses the melting wax from bacon fat-infused votives to drizzle over entrees.


Primehouse exec chef Rick Gresh is up in New York City this week showing media Chicago's no second-class city.

He's hosting a series of fab dinners at David Burke's scene-y Upper East Side Fishtail, and he's blowing them away with his latest creation: the bacon fat-infused votive.

The New York Times' Diner's Journal blog was there, and noted that Gresh uses some of the melting wax over steaks, seafood and other dishes for a touch of hickory-smoked finish.

The writer gushed that "a drizzle on some miso-glazed sea scallops ramped up the flavor" during dinner, and even the wick is coated with edible vegetable wax!

On Friday, the butcher shop at Primehouse will start selling the candles for $5, so you can do the drizzling yourself—at home.

Please, Rick, please make the next one chocolate flavored!

Get Ready for Gilt—Going into Former Aigre Doux Space

Look for this space, the former home to Aigre Doux, to dramatically change come January when it becomes Gilt.


Brendan Sodikoff's last Facebook status happened on Aug. 30 and simply read: "Just bought a restaurant in Chicago. Who wants to come aboard or get involved?"

Today we found out exactly what the LEYE exec chef/HUB 51 chef was talking about.

An Ultimate Insider told 312DD that Sodikoff's transforming the French-focused Aigre Doux space in River North into Gilt, which promises a former "L20 crowd (from front and back of house), low cost and people excited to cook freely." There's also "talk of hanging charcuterie," so we're expecting a downscaled, yet trendy design element here.


Brendan Sodikoff


This is going to be big. Sodikoff's already gotten the blessing from LEYE head honcho Rich Melman, plus his resume's quite impressive, with stints at the famed French Laundry, New York's Per Se, Ritz Paris, and alain ducasse (in NYC and Paris).

He's working on a January opening, according to our insider, and we cannot wait. Hopefully he can finally break that "curse" the venue's been plagued with for more than 10 years . . .

Countdown to Big Star Opening . . .

(Photo: Ellen Malloy)


Looks like Big Star's on sked to open Nov. 9. Here's the first interior shot.

Lookin' good!

Best Italian Cuisine in the Country?!

Spiaggia is one of four Chicago-area restaurants on opentable.com's annual "Top 50 Italian Restaurants of the Year" list. (Photo: Jeff Kauck)


OpenTable diners were asked to pick their favorite Italian restaurants for the annual Top 50 list, and four Chicago-area spots made the cut.

Fine-dining and celeb magnet Spiaggia, Little Italy institution RoSal’s and Lakeview gem Sapori Trattoria all made it from the city, while Glenview's Café Lucci represented the 'burbs.

The list is calculated directly by opentable's dining feedback forms and diner’s choice lists on a national level.

Kelly Clarkson! Kelly Clarkson! Kelly Clarkson!

The original American Idol Kelly Clarkson, who's in town for a performance tonight at Rosemont Theatre (get tickets here), performed during a private concert Monday at HUB 51.

Everyone pretty much kept their cool (you know how folks in River North are), but CelebTV reporter Kelli Zink was also in the house, and filed this interesting Tweet:

"(Bears quarterback) Jay Cutler is sitting next to me- who knew he was a fan!?"

You know, Michael Jordan loved to listen to R&B songstress Anita Baker before big games, so maybe Cutler's inspiration is Clarkson?!

Big Star Gets Opening Date

(Photo: Ellen Malloy)


So you've got less than two weeks to wait until Paul Kahan unleashes his soon-to-be infamous taqueria in Wicker Park.

You'll live.

Stage Bites: The Weekly Dining & Drinking Guide

Acclaimed spoken-word artist Saul Williams performs at Double Door Tuesday.


Every Monday look for the week's top performances paired with the best deals before and after the show:


Faust at Lyric Opera. The world's most famous opera can easily be applied to today's society: Selling out. Betrayal. Greed. Eternal Youth. Through Nov. 7 (starts at 7:30pm). Get tickets here.

Florian Opera Bistro: After this three-and-a-half-hour performance, you're going to need a stiff drink for sure. Thankfully, Florian's bar, on the third level of Lyric Opera's building, will be waiting for you right after the show with signature cocktails and lighter bites.

The Sarah and Peer Pedersen Room: The elegant dining room complements the upscale $28 three-course, prix-fixe menu served here. Expect seasonal entrees like hoisin-glazed salmon with Asian rice noodles and sliced bistro steak with chive mashed potatoes drizzled with Cabernet sauce. Located on the first floor of the Lyric Opera.

The Tasting Room: Oh, it's not that far from the opera house. TTR is only five minutes by cab, and even less by car, so head down to the end of Randolph Restaurant Row for a nightcap. And they've just released their new fall menu too: Sharable plates of spiced-rubbed pork belly, cedar-smoked garlic & spinach flatbreads, and seasonal wild game gnocchi sound really good about now, right?! Kitchen's open 'til midnight during the week, and 1am Saturday.



Jules Guerin's famed fire curtain makes a statement in The Sarah and Peer Pedersen Room. (Photo: balloggphoto.com/Lyric Opera of Chicago)


Macabaret at Theatre Building Chicago. A collection of humorous new songs, which twist towards the morbid. Murderous spouses, horror films, evil cows and supermodels are just a few of the things parodied by a Corpse de Cabaret. Thursday-Nov. 1. Get tickets here.

Cooper's: Located directly across the street from the theater, plus Thursdays are half-price pizza night!

Matsu Yama: One of the area's best sushi spots still doesn't charge a corkage fee for BYOB, plus dinner for two is less than $35. Favorites: Godzilla and Jack Chen's White Dragon Roll.

Sapore di Napoli: It's not only BYOB (also no corkage fee!), but the authentic Neapolitan pizzas are definitely on point. Highly recommended are the traditional Margherita and Quattro Stagioni (tomato sauce, mozzarella, artichokes, Kalamata olives, mushrooms, prosciutto).


Saul Williams at Double Door. The acclaimed spoken-word artist—who memorably had every woman squirming in her seat with lust during a performance on Girlfriends—does a rare Chicago show. 8pm Oct. 27. Get tickets here.

Bin Wine Cafe: On Tuesdays, you can pair your expensive glass of merlot with one of their signature half-pound burgers. For one night only they're $5 and come with chips.

People Lounge: After the show, hit up the area's only tapas lounge for music by DJ Mixtape, who's spinning downtempo house and hip-hop, plus $5 Stoli cocktails, $2 PBR and $4 premium draft beer.

Tocco: If you can prove you work in the nightlife or dining industries, your food's 25 percent off on everything each Tuesday.

Young Chef on the Come Up with New Restaurant, TV Show

Jennifer Gavin of Catered Excellence. (Photo: Jennifer Gavin)


If you follow Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen as closely as I do, then you might recognize Jennifer Gavin as the young, spitfire chef from the fourth season of FOX-TV's hit reality chef competition.

She made such an impression on Ramsay in her determination to go up against more seasoned and skilled chefs that he told her he'd personally send her to culinary school the day she was eliminated.

One year later, Gavin's doing her own thing, including spearheading a new catering company (Catered Excellence), hosting a regular cooking series at the South Loop Whole Foods, opening a new restaurant in Hyde Park in 2010, plus hosting the first-ever cooking series on Black Entertainment Television that's scheduled to debut next June.

This week alone, she's in great demand with a couple of notable appearances.

Look for her at The Chopping Block Merchandise Mart when she goes up against two other female chefs—Iron Chef-style—during Today's Chicago Woman's annual Taste of TCW event.

She's taking on Top Chef sweetheart Radhika Desai and Elaina Vazquez, owner of Chicago’s gourmet catering company Boutique Bites and a former chef at Tru.

Going down 6-9pm Oct. 28, the event is $75 and includes cocktails, plus hors d’oeuvres created from the participating chefs' favorite recipes.

You can also catch Gavin at 6:30pm Oct. 29 at the South Loop Whole Foods (1101 S. Canal St., 312-435-4600) for a pre-Halloween party. If you're planning your own scary soiree Saturday, you'll want to attend to get tips on seasonal cocktails and appetizers. It's $40.