Fashionista Fa-La-Laaaa . . .

(Photo: Victoria Olivares)

This is how they set it off for the season at Perennial.

Her name is Veronica, and she is fierce!

Tempers Reach Boiling Point on 'Top Chef: All Stars'

Dale Levitski, executive chef of Sprout. (Photo: Sprout)


Wednesday's episode of Top Chef: All Stars, "Night at the Museum," was more of a nightmare for the cheftestants, according to Chicago's only participant Dale Levitski of Sprout.

Here's a recap of what went down, but here's his colorful version:

Sneak Preview of GT Fish & Oyster

(Photo: Victoria Olivares)


Two of my friends braved The Hawk during lunch Tuesday to check out Guiseppe Tentori's sneak preview of GT Fish & Oyster at Grand and Wells streets.

Tentori—who's also exec chef at Boka—gave guests a taste of what's certain to be a signature item at the River North spot, the Lobster Roll. He teamed up with the Gaztro-wagon in front of the space.

Their review in less than 140 characters:

The Best Things TOC Ate All Year

(Photo: via Suckfist)


Looks like the food crew from Time Out chowed down well every chance they got in 2010.

Here's their annual 100 best things we ate (and drank) list, and if you want to duplicate what they did, the team graciously created an ambitious wish list.

Several yummy-sounding dishes and drinks we'll be checking out soon:

Battle of the Local Empires . . .

Rob Katz (from left), Giuseppe Tentori, Stephanie Izard, Ryan Poli and Kevin Boehm of the Boka Restaurant Group (Photo: Boka Restaurant Group)

Time for a year-end poll!

This time it's all about the shot callers, the trendsetters, the culinary collectives responsible for putting Chicago on the map with their various restaurant ventures.

You cannot pick up a restaurant section without reading something cool about what one of these guys is doing, and their names in the food community are just as valued as Tom Ford, Michael Kors and Louis Vuitton in the fashion industry.

But when it comes to the battle of the local restaurant empires, who comes out on top?! Here's your chance to decide (see the poll at bottom of page):

Matt Damon Cheers on Patriots at Jake Melnick's

This just dropped into the inbox:

"Matt Damon, who is currently shooting the movie Contagion in Chicago, relaxed at Jake Melnicks for a night of beer and Monday Night Football! Damon and some of the crew from the movie (about 16 people) shared appetizers and watched Damon's hometown team, the Patriots, play the Jets. Matt sampled a few craft brews before settling into the Lagunitas Farmhouse Saisson. The server said Damon was very gracious and the group left the server a great tip!"

Great to hear he's a nice, normal guy who tips well!

Holiday Gifts For Your Favorite Foodie

(Photo: à la card)


Christmas is right around the corner, and you've been pulling out your hair over what you're going to get your favorite foodie friend or family member.

Since gift cards seem so impersonal (though they're good for those who don't dine often at home), here are some pretty cool items to consider:

Curtis Duffy Hits The Big Time

Curtis Duffy, chef de cuisine at Avenues at the Peninsula. (Photo: Peninsula Chicago)


Just a friendly reminder:

Avenues, the sensational progressive American restaurant in the Peninsula, is closed for the first two weeks of January. That sucks, but now word just came that its phenom chef Curtis Duffy won't be around for the last weekend that month either.