Seasonal Sippers To Savor This Spring . . .

It's never a bad time for wine.

And now that the weather's favorable, it's time to break out the chilled vino!

We checked out some of the best spots around town where you can indulge, from the Riesling-influenced Alsatian wines at Everest to the peculiarly tasty "orange" vino at Telegraph.

Cheers!

Bryce Caron Out at Blackbird

Award-winning pastry chef Bryce Caron via starchefs.com

Here's the bombshell of the week:

An Ultimate Insider tells 312DD that pastry chef Bryce Caron is no longer at Blackbird. This comes as a surprise because Caron was recently named Best Pastry Chef in the Midwest by Food & Wine editors.

UPDATE: Whoa. Eater got an interview with Caron, who said he was told by Blackbird's owners he "just wasn't a fit." Ouch.

Notes From . . .

Chefs Gilles Epié (left) and Martial Noguier (Photos: Isabelli Media Relations Photography)

. . . Chicago's Culinary Crossroads at Bistronomic.

• To celebrate the nations represented during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit, the Illinois Restaurant Association hosts the first-ever Chicago's Culinary Crossroads through May 25.

• As part of the initiative, chefs from visiting nations teamed up with executive chefs from a number of high-profile Chicago restaurants for special menus.

• At Bistronomic, chef Martial Noguier reunited with Gilles Epié, the chef/owner of the Michelin-starred Restaurant Citrus Etoile in Paris. The Frenchmen worked together in the early 1990s.

What You Want: PQM Burgers & More

A juicy look at the Publican Quality Meats' signature burger. (Photo: Publican Quality Meats)

Watch out for the mega commotion outside Milk & Honey Cafe between 6-10pm Monday. That's when Publican Quality Meats conducts a "test run" of its new Burgers, Bourbon & Beer program that's slated for Tuesdays at the West Loop spot beginning June 5.

In the meantime, Monday's event features chefs Justin Large (Big Star) and John Manion (La Sirena Clandestina) slinging burgers. Here's the menu of what to expect during the preview event:

You, Your Girls & Free Margaritas!

What are you doing on May 31?!

312DD and Milagro Tequila are giving away a very special invite to one lucky girl and her girls to an intimate tequila tasting at Cantina 46.

She Wants You To 'Jam Out'

Chef Grayson Schmitz (Photo: Bravo)

If you know what Top Chef Texas contestant Grayson Schmitz means by this, then you already know you're in for one helluva ride if you decide to attend her first-ever Chicago event.

The Wisconsin native's making a permanent move here and for her inaugural dinner, she's teaming up with Chicago-based, Latin-influenced brewery 5 Rabbit Cervecería for a benefit at Logan Square Kitchen.

So Much Good Stuff Happening Right NOW

Tad Carducci and Paul Tanguay of the Tippling Bros. (Photo: Mercadito Hospitality)

Those busy guys from Mercadito are at it again.

This time they've taken over the first-floor space in the Talbott Hotel for a restaurant that's due out in the fall. In the meantime, they're doing an ambitious pop-up project called PT at the Talbott that should finally bring some energy to that little corner.

The menu features daily all-you-can-eat treats (Taco Tuesday, Fried Chicken Friday), and, as always, the award-winning Tippling Bros. (Paul Tanguay and Tad Carducci) are behind the cocktails. Accordingly, the menu changes daily, but here's a sampling of what to expect:

Roots Debuts Girl & The Goat Pizza

(Photo: Stephanie Izard)

That's right, Stephanie Izard of the famed Girl & The Goat is collaborating with the West Town pizzeria for a signature pie.

Of course there's goat involved!

It's made of Pleasant Meadows goat sausage ragu topped with Quad Cities mozzarella blend cheese, smoked cheddar, sharp aged cheddar, and finished with a yuzu-maple drizzle.

How can you get a sneak preview taste?!