Rockit Bar & Grill, announced his resignation last week, just days after the head of Rockit Ranch’s PR, Maura Daley (aka the mayor's niece), also said her goodbyes. I caught up with Michael to talk about his leaving and his in-the-works nightlife venture: an as-yet-unnamed spot in West Town (1371 W. Chicago Ave.) with partners Howard Natinsky (Five Star, Fat Cat) and Jim Dragatsis (Marigold)...

" /> Rockit Bar & Grill, announced his resignation last week, just days after the head of Rockit Ranch’s PR, Maura Daley (aka the mayor's niece), also said her goodbyes. I caught up with Michael to talk about his leaving and his in-the-works nightlife venture: an as-yet-unnamed spot in West Town (1371 W. Chicago Ave.) with partners Howard Natinsky (Five Star, Fat Cat) and Jim Dragatsis (Marigold)...

" /> Rockit Bar & Grill, announced his resignation last week, just days after the head of Rockit Ranch’s PR, Maura Daley (aka the mayor's niece), also said her goodbyes. I caught up with Michael to talk about his leaving and his in-the-works nightlife venture: an as-yet-unnamed spot in West Town (1371 W. Chicago Ave.) with partners Howard Natinsky (Five Star, Fat Cat) and Jim Dragatsis (Marigold)...

" />
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Nightlife Scoop: Rockit GM Leaves the Ranch, and More

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In one of the bigger bar shakeups of the year, Cary Michael, former GM of Rockit Bar & Grill, announced his resignation last week, just days after the head of Rockit Ranch’s PR, Maura Daley (aka the mayor’s niece), also said her goodbyes. I caught up with Michael to talk about his leaving and his in-the-works nightlife venture: an as-yet-unnamed spot in West Town (1371 W. Chicago Ave.) with partners Howard Natinsky (Five Star, Fat Cat) and Jim Dragatsis (Marigold)…

From Africa to Englewood

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Final Exam

Sikia (pronounced “seh-KEE-ya,” 740 W. 63rd St.; 773-602-5200), a 75-seat African restaurant run by advanced students at Washburne Culinary Institute, opens on August 1st at the institute’s new Englewood facility. “This project has been in the making for eight years,” says Bill Reynolds, provost at Washburne. “It will be a requirement of last-semester students to work all the kitchen and dining room positions at…

Six Degrees of Pierre Celis

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If the name Pierre Celis doesn’t ring a bell, maybe his hometown will: Hoegaarden, Belgium—as in the birthplace of the beer that continues to collect trophies from here to eternity, including Best Belgian-Style White at this year’s World Beer Cup. (Hoegaarden, by the way, is now brewed by InBev, the company that just bought Anheuser-Busch. Pay attention. There will be a quiz.)…

Jimmy & the Blowfish

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Mana Mia!

One of our top FODs checked out MANA foodbar (1742 W. Division St.; 773-342-1742), Jill Barron and Susan Thompson’s (Sushi Wabi and De Cero) new vege-focused boîte in Wicker Park. Herein the report, verbatim: “Just had lunch at Mana. Very organic. Reminds me a little of the Momofuku Noodle Bar in NYC. Very small, like the portions. Blue cheese tart with caramelized onion was YUM!, but one bite full for $7. The spanakopita was more generous for $8—firm and very…

Mammas, Don’t Let Your Pizzas Grow Up to Be Beers

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Frat boys across the nation, rejoice! The rest of us (spoiler alert): Meh. Behold, Mamma Mia! Pizza Beer. Any resemblance to ABBA or Meryl Streep is purely coincidental.

Thanks to devout garage brewers Tom and Athena Seefurth of suburban Campton Township, we now know the answer to that age-old 3 a.m. question: What would happen if we mated pizza and beer? Hint: Some pairings make better friends than lovers. The beer, now brewed by Sprecher in Wisconsin, earns points for originality (yes, that is basil, garlic, oregano, and tomato you smell…

Dining Out: Luxe Lives

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Forget the recession. In a trio of downtown hotels, three glittering, ambitious restaurants—Mercat a la Planxa, Sixteen, and Lockwood—appear to have done just that.