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:

Mexican-Themed Deli Opens Soon With Arrival Of Mercadito Counter

Mercadito Counter's lobster dog (Photo: Mercadito Counter)

Mercadito Chicago just celebrated its fourth anniversary and the team behind the successful Mexican-themed restaurant is already set to open yet another spot.

Look for them to open Mercadito Counter—a Mexican-focused deli—some time this fall. That's another cool and contemporary deli to add to the list; we already love what Dillman's and Little Goat have brought to the table.

So Very, Very Hot Right Now.

Nouveau Tavern's intimate interior (Photo: Nouveau Tavern)

The sweet tastes of Southern-inspired cuisine come to the western edge of River North with the arrival of Nouveau Tavern this weekend. African American-owned with a black chef at the helm in former Pierrot Gourmet toque Norman Hargrove, it promises to bring to the downtown area something that is noticeably missing.

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

Big Star's Blue Line Swinger (Photo: One Off Hospitality Group)

It's nice and crisp outside. Enjoy.

• October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and One Off Hospitality Group contributes to the cause by donating a portion of proceeds from its food & drink programs to the Lynn Sage Foundation.

Each of its restaurants will donate $1 from the sale of the following items: select rose by the glass (avec); On Pointe cocktail (Blackbird); The Blue Line Swinger—a new take on the classic Manhattan (Big Star); Veal Breast Hash, available during Saturday and Sunday brunch (Publican); veal breast sandwich (Publican Quality Meats) and Old Fashioned cocktail (The Violet Hour).