Drawing Room Makes Esquire's Best 'New' Bars List

(Photo: The Drawing Room)

The Drawing Room opened fall 2007.

Yet that didn't stop Esquire's spirits writer David Wondrich from including it as the only Chicago venue on its sixth-annual survey of favorite NEW places to drink.

Wondrich gushes over DR, saying "The bar itself is small and distinguished not by clever lighting or fancy architecture but by the humble metal rack holding dozens of bar tools—again, functional, not fancy. In this, it merely reflects the demeanor of Charles Joly, the bar's presiding genius (as they used to say)—unassuming, hardworking, and smart."

Well put, and well deserved for all at the establishment, but a new bar Drawing Room is not.

Eight additional local watering holes made the cut for the Best Bars in America 2011 list:

Why Did Kith & Kin Close?!

Kith & Kin Executive Chef Andrew Brochu (Photo via StarChefs.com)

The details are sketchy right now, but I just got confirmation that Kith & Kin is closed. This comes as a shock, considering the fact that Executive Chef Andrew Brochu snagged an award for Best Neighborhood Restaurant at the Jean Banchet ceremony in January.

I spoke to an employee this afternoon, and he said that he found out at 2pm Tuesday, but not from the owners. He was called by another employee. He added that there was a private event on Monday, so the last day of business was Sunday.

A Bulls-Themed, 3-Foot Long Pizza

"Bring on the Heat" al metro pizza at Dough Boys. (Photo: Dough Boys)

Maybe, just maybe, this will be the motivation the Bulls need to win the fourth game Tuesday.

Dough Boys just introduced a Bring on the Heat pizza special for its signature, three-foot-long al metro.

Dante LoPresti is 'The Star of the Bar!'

Dante LoPresti is the mixologist at Double A. (Photo: Jay Schroeder)

The Bulls effing lost again.

But that's OK because another Chicago hot shot made us proud Sunday during the National Restaurant Association Show's annual Star of the Bar competition.

Double A's fantastic mixologist Dante LoPresti won $5,000 for his Pink Lion cocktail, which contains Cazadores Blanco, Hum liqueur, Elderflower Lillet Blanc and fresh lemon.

I've had it at the bar and can assure you that it's one helluva concoction.

Congrats, Dante!

Your Best Hangover 'Cures' Are Right Here

You guys are CRAZY . . . when it comes to curing hangovers.

When I kicked off The Hangover Part II contest Monday, I had no idea I'd get a couple hundred recipes and remedies for hangovers almost immediately.

And some of them were so bizarre and out there that they made my head spin. I mean, I've never heard of whipping up Pedialyte & Red Bull together, but The Beer Bistro's Bob McDermott "swears by it."

I also received submissions like "rub a slice of lemon or lime in the armpit of (your) drinking arm before you start drinking to stop a hangover before it starts," drink "pickle juice straight out of the jar," and ummmm, quite a few calls for getting busy in the boudoir.

But it wasn't too hard to pick the Top Six winners (yeah, we decided to toss in another pair of tix!), who will all get advance screening passes to check out "The Hangover Part II" on Monday. The grand prize winner also gets a $30 gift card for Epic Burger. Yum.

Lynn House Hits Up ABC-7's 'Windy City Live'

Lynn House (left) with fellow local mixologists Carlos Enrique Cuarta and Debbi Peek. (Photo: Lynn House)

ABC-7's new Windy City Live show debuts next Thursday at 9am, but we're way more excited about Friday's show when one of our favorite people in the world is scheduled to appear.

Blackbird's head mixologist Lynn House will be on doing what she does best: making cocktails.

Haute Pastries in the 'Hood . . .

West Town's Leopold just snapped up one haute pastry chef in Erin Mooney, who was most recently at Atlanta's Dining Room (Ritz-Carlton) as well as BLT Steak.

And before she hit Hotlanta, the Jean Banchet Rising Star Pastry Chef winner (2003) was at Green Zebra and the now-shuttered Spring.

At Leopold, she'll serve as sous chef, but we're certain she'll be tinkering around with the desserts too!

Bad-Ass Butchering Skills . . .

(Photo: The Bristol)

Here's The Bristol's carnivore crazed chef Chris Pandel breaking down a Slagel Farm goat.

I'm certain he'll have some fantastic specials on the menu this weekend . . .