RJ and Jerrod Melman are teaming up with internationally-acclaimed French Chef Joho (Everest) as they make their next move on the restaurant scene. After successful launches of local and celebrity favorites HUB51 and SUB51 in Chicago and LGO in Santa Monica, this time the focus is on casual French fare. Prompted by an expiring lease this fall at Brasserie JO (59 W. Hubbard), Joho and the Melman brothers are seizing the opportunity to re-concept the space with a goal of reintroducing French food to the next generation of diners.

The origins of sake are unclear; however, the earliest written reference to use of alcohol in Japan is recorded in the Book of Wei of the Records of Three Kingdoms. This 3rd century Chinese text speaks of the Japanese drinking and dancing. People used sake for spiritual functions because people who had it got a fever. And man do we got the fever. Sake it to me.

The Sixth Annual Windy City Wine Festival is Chicago’s favorite way to wrap up the summer in style. And who wouldn’t love drinking outdoors in front of the iconic Buckingham Fountain along the lakefront? Set in the shadow of the breathtaking Chicago skyline, the Windy City Wine Festival features more than 300 international and domestic wine varieties, presented by more than 50 festival vendors. If you missed it this weekend, put it on your calendar as a must for next year.

Seafood- one of the most broad genres of food, yet encompassing all kinds of wonderfulness from fish to shellfish to crustaceans. And let’s face it a night of lobster or king crab is no poor man’s dish. Lobsters are economically important, forming a global industry that nets more than $1 billion annually. That’s music to our ears and tastebuds.

Paul Kahan. The man, the myth, the legend. After starting as a computer scientist out of college, he quickly found his proper place out of the cubicle and in the kitchen. He has four of the hottest restaurants in Chicago right now and is at the top of his game. I finally completed the quadruplet of spots and here’s the quick and dirty.

3,000 reservations on it’s opening day, if you haven’t heard of Girl and the Goat (or G&G to the scenesters), you’ve been living under a rock. I finally got to try the place after a solid two months of impatiently waiting. The Chef’s Table was totally worth it though as we got a preview all thirty dishes on the line before ordering and chat with the sous chefs. Sitting steps from Top Chef Izard and looking completely exhausted (I don’t think she got a Labor Day break), she couldn’t have been more down to earth. Watching her perfectionist OCD way of touching up the sauces on every plate that would make any Jewish mother proud, you could see her unwaring dedication to each and every dish that went out with her name attached to it.

After the police cracked down on street vendors, snacking on the go has not nearly been as satisfying for busy commuters. Enter the gaztro-wagon. A simple idea to bring street food to Chicago and revolutionize the mobile dining scene with fresh, seasonal driven fare out of a converted postal truck. That’s one delivery we support.

Very rare is it that a cultural cuisine offers both comfort and spice, but the aromatic Thai kills two birds with one stone. Whether it’s rice or noodles, its balance of the five fundamental taste sensations in each dish are it’s staple: hot (spicy), sour, sweet, salty, and bitter. And don’t forget it’s all in the sauce.

Fashion Night Out is the official kickoff for NY fashion week and for the second year it’s become a global fashion frenzy. Not to be outdone, Chicago has some awesome haute events going on to claim our stake in the designer world and make a statement of our own. In fact, Michigan Avenue appears to be turning into one big runway. We’ll catch you on the catwalk.