Chicago represents again on 'Top Chef'

Radhika Desai of Between Boutique Café & Lounge (Photo: Bravo)


Eater.com breaks the news first (312 Dining Diva is the first Chicago media outlet to bring you the news!) of our very own Radhika Desai of Between Boutique Café & Lounge starring on the fifth season of Bravo's "Top Chef: New York." Congrats, girl!

"Rad is a blessing to us as well as our little nocturnal café," said Between owner, Carl Anderson. "She truly is the heart of our restaurant."

At Between, Rad uses the small-plate concept to experiment with exotic spices and flavorful combinations, which allows guests to taste a variety of food without being overwhelmed in a single dining experience. Popular signature dishes include Lobster Trifecta (lobster empanadas, lobster and bacon mac and cheese and lobster cakes) and Duck-Duck Goose (leg of duck with sweet potato pancakes, gooseberry jam and orange black pepper sauce).

Get the entire list of this season's "Top Chef" participants here. The show premieres at 9pm Nov. 12.

And now the fun begins . . .

This is amazing! The Cubs and the White Sox are both in the playoffs for the first time in more than 100 years. Now isn't that enough reason to celebrate today?!

Take your pick of lively places to watch the first Cubs play-off game tonight: Head to usual suspects like Tavern on Rush and P.J. Clarke's, or make a move to new schoolers Old Oak Tap, Angels & Mariachis or Coach House.

Also happening tonight:

Your last shot at getting discounted VIP tickets to the annual Meals on Wheels Celebrity Chef Gala (Oct. 17) happens at Fleming's Steakhouse & Wine Bar. Maven hosts this cocktail party, offering guests appetizers and a sampling of wine. The $15 donation goes to Meals on Wheels. 6-9pm. Can't make the party tonight?! You can still get tix here.

Hosted by rock star Pete Wentz, GenArt's sixth-annual Fresh Faces in Fashion officially kicks off Fashion Focus Week. Chicago-based designers will be featured, including Wentz's own Clandestine Industries. After-party occurs at Exchange West (1376 W. Carroll Ave.). 6:30pm at the Tent at Chase Promenade North in Millennium Park (between Michigan and Columbus). $60-$135 (a portion of proceeds benefit Gen Art Foundation). Call 312-229-1701 for tix.

Speaking of Wentz, he's set to also host Live Band Karaoke at his rock-flavored club, Angels & Kings. He's hangin' with some of the Elite models from the GenArt show (wtf is Ashlee?!), who should be a nice edition to the weekly event. A:M Ultra Premium hosts the party with comped cocktails . . . drink up and bring out your inner "American Idol." 10pm-2am. No cover.

They caved!

Reports the Sun-Times today:

"Bars and restaurants surrounding Wrigley Field on Monday reluctantly agreed today to stop serving alcohol after the seventh inning of potential title-clinching Cubs playoff games, but only after City Hall made a last-minute concession: The prohibition will end if the games go into extra innings."

The temporary ban could get its first test on Oct. 7. That would be the fifth and final game of the Cubs and Dodgers series, if necessary.

So, you know what?! It's time to get busy in other parts of the city if this indeed goes down. In Wicker Park, there's The Boundary and Fifty/50. In River North, go to English or Rockit Bar and Grill. Or, if you want to stick close to Lakeview, head to the Southport Corridor for a number of venues, including Take Five, Justin's or Messner's.

Cheers to this . . .

Keep your spirits up today:

We love Fiddlehead Cafe for slashing prices on its wine flights every Tuesday. Go for the robust Spanish vino or South American juice. Treat yourself to interesting whites from Portugal or a nice selection of sparkling wines. Usually, they're $11 to $14, but tonight they're all $8. And if you really enjoy something, you can take a bottle home for a special low price.

Tuesdays are also popular for the Pub Beer Showcase at Goose Island. The Clybourn location trots out special brews and even has the brewer on hand to discuss. 6pm. Free.

Cheers for more beer at NoMI, which takes a break from its usual Tuesday wine-tasting Cellar Notes to let you soak up the suds. Advanced sommelier Fernando Beteta leads with an expert on hand, offering a number of beers complemented by appetizers. 5:30-7:30pm $30.

And the biggest deal of the day is Paramount Room's weekly all-you-can-eat fish & chips special. That's endless, hand-dipped fish that comes with fresh-cut fries. Pair that with a bottle of wine, which is half off every Tuesday. Also, $5 shots of Jack Daniels and Jameson.

Oak Tree opening delayed another month

Here's evidence that you cannot rely on restaurants to open when they say they will:

The Dish reported way back in July that Mag Mile fave Oak Tree was coming back as Oak Tree Restaurant & Bakery on Thursday.

Turns out that's not happening after all—at least not this week. They're now looking at a Nov. 15 re-opening, but hey, you never, ever know.

Recap of first-ever Chicago Gourmet

I didn't get a chance to check out the highly anticipated Chicago Gourmet: A Celebration of Food and Wine event, but my colleagues over at The Stew hung out all weekend with several blog posts, including this one.

Here's a taste:

"If you wanted to taste the food of the A-list chefs, you had to wait for the individual tasting tables staggered throughout the day. These lasted roughly 90 minutes. Mindy Segal of Hot Chocolate served a cold thimble of hot chocolate; Rick Moonen of Las Vegas’ RM Seafood served a refreshing arctic char ceviche. I did not have a bad thimble of anything, however long the lines for those thimbles could get. My highlight was the pretty little bamboo plate of unbelievable foie gras served by Christophe David at NoMI. It came topped with a dollop of apricot-Thai long peppercorn chutney."

Today's the day . . .

. . . for City Hall and Wrigleyville bar owners to meet on that wack proposal. They're convening at John Barleycorn and hopefully they'll come out of there with a solution to make all happy.

Hennessy Artistry Series hits town with Ashanti

Ashanti performing at the "Hennessy Artistry Series," which took place at Spy Bar on Thursday. (Photo: Spy Bar)


Despite feeling a bit under the weather, R&B songstress Ashanti still managed to put on one hell of a show at Spy Bar Thursday.

In town for the touring Hennessy Artistry Series, she sang all of her hits, plus previewed a couple of songs from her upcoming album, The Declaration. It was a huge turnout for this invite-only party featuring Hennessy-infused cocktails (cognac mojitos?!) and appetizers; plus the crowd was a diverse mix of industry insiders and young professionals.

It's great to see that clubs are finally getting the message that every once in a while they need to shake things up in order to get the people out and about. Spy Bar's line was way down the street, filled with eager beavers ready to party their asses off. I don't know how long Hennessy was pouring that free hooch, but something tells me that no bottles were left over . . .