Southern Mac & Cheese Store Now Offering Gourmet Sandwiches!

(Photo: Southern Mac & Cheese Store)

The latest to get in on the gourmet sandwich trend is Southern Mac & Cheese Store, which launched a new menu of five items this week.

Of note are the Piggly Wiggly (thick sliced ham with Carolina mustard, red cabbage slaw and a pickle on a roll) and the Kentucky Hot Brown (slow-roasted turkey, smoked Gouda, bacon and tomato on Challah).

Each comes with a slice of watermelon or potato salad. Why can't I have both?!

'Why Are African Americans Not Participating in Chicago's Vibrant Dining Scene?'

That was a question a reader posed to me over the weekend, and he went into detail:

"I am a married African-American man in my late 40's who has been in Chicago since the early 1990s. My wife and I have been dining out in the city since moving here. Over past 5 years we have become more adventurous with our dining options, trying many of the new and established mid priced restaurants (i.e. avec, Davanti Enoteca, xoco).

Daily Webb is Out at Blokes & Birds

312DD got the exclusive details of why Daily Webb severed his ties over at popular Lakeview spot Blokes & Birds more than a week ago:

"We have respectively decided to go our own ways," the former gastropub partner said. "It's important to me that people know that the voice that's coming out of B&B now is no longer my voice. I wish them all the success in the future and whatever direction they decide to take the concept."

What's his next move?!

Bleeding Heart Expands Organic Beer & Cocktail Menu For Brunch

The new, weekend-only cocktail menu over at Bleeding Heart Bakery & Cafe looks pretty good, but alas, you can only get it during Saturday and Sunday brunch.

The specialty cocktails are made with organic ingredients and organic liquor, so you won't feel too bad about indulging (I wonder if you'll still get a hangover?!).

Peep the menu also for organic and gluten-free beers:

Get Ready For A Disco Inferno . . .

. . . during brunch!

Leave it to Kit Kat Lounge & Supper Club to host such an awesome event to honor the late disco greats Donna Summer and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees this weekend.

This Sunday they're doing it in typical Kit Kat style—a Disco Drag Brunch—featuring live performances by Diva Madame X.

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.