Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Props Are In Order . . .

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. . . for Alex Dana of the Rosebud restaurant group, who was rewarded Wednesday with his very own honorary street sign (Photo: George Dana) for more than 30 years of business in Little Italy.

Manny's Deli owner Ken Raskin was also honored with a sign in front of his iconic, politically connected eatery in the Loop.

Congrats to both of these legendary restaurateurs. They've done so much for Chicago's bustling restaurant community!

Kyle Korver 'Misbehaved' at The Aviary

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Photo via espn.go.com

Remember that story back in May when Grant Achatz tweeted that a Bulls player stormed out of The Aviary with his entourage after he was refused service for "vodka and seltzer water?!"

Well, Achatz never revealed his name, but an Ultimate Insider confirms to 312DD that it was guard/forward Kyle Korver.

I did some research and found out that Korver typically frequents clubby, bottle-service spots like Studio Paris and Underground, so it sounds like a case of a guy totally out of his element . . .

Melt Sandwich Shop Opens Soon in Bucktown

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Just got word that Porkchop's Dion Antic signed a lease late Wednesday afternoon for his latest project: a gourmet grilled cheese concept called Melt Sandwich Shop.

The space used to be home to soup-focused Nalyah's Café, and he plans to trick it out to resemble a "schoolhouse study" with communal tables. That's perhaps due to the fact that he's counting on a large crowd of moms and kids to frequent the spot after classes.

Ikram's 'Red Box' Cafe Open Now

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Exterior of the new Ikram via racked.com.

When it comes to high-end shopping, Ikram easily rolls with the big boys like Gucci, Hermes and Jimmy Choo, so building an upper-level cafe would be an added incentive.

So I'm salivating at the news that the tiny eatery—which offers a chic, red interior—opens today to the public. I'm also hearing that a former avec chef designed the menu at The Red Box.