The 7 Habits of a Highly Effective Restaurateur
Our writer dices the thoughts and works of Richard Melman, the impresario of the Lettuce Entertain You dining emprire, to discover the secrets of his success in and out of the kitchen
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Gobble, Gargle
Last Girl Standing is recovering from Thanksgiving weekend; check back Thursday for a nightlife update.
Stiff Competition, Stiff Drinks
There are worse things than judging a cocktail-making contest—say, waiting 30 minutes to get a drink last night at Bella Lounge before said contest began. I’ll excuse the mishap since the bartenders—not the ones competing, thank goodness—were only allowed to serve specialty cocktails and thus had to read recipes while slinging drinks for 300 or so invited guests. Talk. About. Slow. Service…
Rockin’ Rolls
Maki creations: Is there any substance beneath all that style?
Coming Tuesday: Mixmaster Revealed
Last Girl Standing will help judge the fourth annual Finlandia Vodka Cup, a mixology competition featuring some of the city’s best bartenders, tonight at Bella Lounge. Check back tomorrow for a full report. The winning drink slinger goes on to compete in the finals in Lapland, Finland.
Singled Out: Enoteca Roma
Polenta claims the limelight at this Ukrainian Village nook.
Dining Tidbits
New (A Mano), Budget Beat (Winston’s Market), Hotel Haute Cuisine (Lockwood), Retro (Old Town Brasserie
Black Wednesday
To the nightlife set, Black Wednesday has nothing to do with the British pound being forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism back in September 1992. Instead, Black Wednesday—a.k.a. The Night Before Thanksgiving—means one thing: the biggest party of the year. Whether you’re looking to unwind before stuffing yourself with turkey or need an evening off before stomaching those holiday-induced family spats, we’ve rounded up the best ways to spend November 21st…
Get Your Kicks on Roosevelt Road
Truck Stop Gourmet
Jason Paskewitz (J.P. Chicago, Wave), who has been planning River North’s Jackson Park Bar and Grill for ages—now slated for mid-January—is also launching The 621 Diner (621 E. Roosevelt Rd.; Lombard), an old-fashioned Route 66 diner, on December 10th. “Just for fun, we are opening before Jackson Park,” he says. “It’ll be breakfast all day, like truck-stop blue-plate specials: burgers and milk shakes and patty melts and cakes that are like 18 inches high in a round rotating glass display. Just good roadside food.” Paskewitz won’t do the cooking at the 125-seat spot, but will…
Celebrity Beat: Kanye West, Kid Rock, John Legend, More
Condolences to Kanye West for the untimely passing of his mom, the intelligent and outspoken Dr. Donda West, 58, whom I had the distinct pleasure of meeting this past summer. Dr. West, a former Chicago State English professor whose book, Raising Kanye: Life Lessons from the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar, came out last May, died of complications relating to a cosmetic surgery procedure Saturday in Los Angeles, according to people.com…