Don’t make us tell you twice: The weekend starts tonight, which means it’s time to get those social calendars squared away. And since Leap Year falls on Friday, we all score an extra night out—and you know how much LGS loves that. We’ve cherry-picked the best of what’s coming up in nightlife in the next seven days…
Coming Soon
Briejo (211 Harrison St., Oak Park), a promising spot in Oak Park’s arts district, is slotted to open in early May, with a helping hand from Jody André (Speakeasy) and Nicole Parthemore (She She). André and Parthemore are developing the menu for Brigette Lytle’s “American eclectic” restaurant. “It’ll be fine dining but a lot of comfort food,” says Lytle. “Like a center cut pork chop seared in a butter brandy. A truffled risotto. Also very thin-crust pizzas as well. Maybe five a night.”
Quotable
“Any time a person goes into a delicatessen and orders a pastrami on white bread…
“I miss playing with my band,” Ashlee Simpson, 23, confessed to me on Thursday night. I caught up with the younger Simpson sister at The Underground, a local stop on the club tour promoting her latest single, “Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya),” from the upcoming album I Am Me. The club-tour format, popularized recently by pop stars…
Valentine’s Day is sufficiently behind us. In case you were wondering, The Boyfriend did a great job with his surprise plans. We dined at NoMi, at a table overlooking Michigan Avenue. Calling it “romantic” doesn’t even cut it. And my last-minute gift for him: tickets to Citizen Cope, whose music The Boyfriend introduced me to, and who plays the Vic this Saturday. See, even I can be sentimental—sometimes.
Moving forward, there’s no shortage of potential celebrity sightings and events this weekend. When it rains it pours…
Bubbly Cuisine
When Alinea alums enter kitchens elsewhere, it’s always interesting. Andrew Brochu, 26, a veteran of Grant Achatz’s kitchen, has been named the exec chef at jazz lounge Pops For Champagne (601 N. State St.; 312-266-7677)—a seemingly unlikely place for an Alinea disciple. “I am working with the wine director to make sure that everything is Champagne-friendly,” says Brochu. “A lot of seafood, a lot of light flavors, nothing too sharp that will overwhelm the Champagnes.” For example, Brochu developed intriguing small plates such as Bollinger-poached lobster with smoked paprika risotto, pickled fennel, and lobster broth; and desserts such as chocolate cake with raspberries, milk pudding, violet gel, and…
Philipp Posch, the food and beverage director for the Trump International Hotel and Tower, gives us the scoop on Rebar
The pressure’s on for the perfect date, particularly around Valentine’s Day. Here are some foolproof, out-of-the-ordinary ideas to make your crush fall head over heels.
The One Thing Randolph Ain’t Got
Angela Hepler-Lee, already a queen of Randolph Street as a partner in crowd-magnets Sushi Wabi and De Cero, adds another jewel to the crown in April: Veera Sway (844 W. Randolph St.; 312-491-0844), a 50-seat modern Indian spot next door to Sushi Wabi. “Indian for Americans is really untouched,” says Hepler-Lee, who named the restaurant for a chef in London who inspired the idea. The plan: “approachable Indian” in a rustic-yet-contemporary space designed by Amelia Briske, who masterminded a gut rehab of an old produce stand. The kitchen, run by Moto alum Tyler Williams, will be equipped with two tandoor ovens—one for bread, one for everything else; his menu will include coconut-seared scallops and lamb sausage with apricots and almonds, plus classics like chicken tikka masala. Williams, a self-described “mutt from Michigan,” is bolstering his knowledge of the cuisine in the home of Ranjana Bhargava, whom he identifies…
Last Girl Standing is L.A.-bound, en route to the 50th annual Grammy Awards. Our intrepid party girl has her notepad and digital camera in tow, so check back Tuesday for full coverage of the ceremony, the parties, and all the silly celebrity action.
Rising Sun on Clark
The old Platiyo space (3313 N. Clark St.) next to Mia Francesca is getting a big-name tenant: Lynne Wallack, the owner of Deleece (4004 N. Southport Ave.; 773-325-1710). Wallack; her husband, John Handler; and Deleece’s chef, Josh Hansen, are partners in Shochu, the planned 80-seat Japanese-American lounge named for a Japanese distilled liquor. “This will be the place that brings shochu into Chicago, and does it in an American way,” says Wallack, who cites the fact that shochu now outsells saké in Japan. “The Japanese compare it to vodka but it’s lower in calories and alcohol content. [Shochu is roughly 25 to 30 percent alcohol content]. And smoother.” Wallack’s crew has a menu of “Asian-edged” small plates (maki, yakitori with seven different sauces) to go with an extensive shochu/cocktail list. And they’re definitely playing up the supposed health benefits of the drink: “We found research on this man [Shigechiyo Izumi, 1865-1986] in the Guinness Book of World Records who lived to be…
