- Bleeding Heart Bakery, everyone's favorite punk rock pasty location, is opening a new location in the suburbs. According to their facebook page, they will be opening a new location in Elmhurst by the end of the summer. The new location will be supplied by their new, huge home bakery in the city which will hopefully open in the next few weeks - the opening has been delayed several times already. In any case, suburbanites rejoice, as you won't have to drive all the way into the city to taste their baked goodies. more ›

We mentioned last week that a few restaurants had extended their restaurant week deals past the initial deadline. All weekend long, we got email after email announcing more, and we simply couldn't keep up. Luckily, the folks at The Stew have more stamina than we do, and have compiled a list of all 60 restaurants that have extended the deal. Though this does call into question the name "Restaurant Week" (maybe we should just call it "that slow time in February and March when we need to get people in the door"), it's a great opportunity for you to grab some more discounts. Extenders include The Bristol, N9ne Steakhouse, Branch 27, one sixtyblue, Sable and (inexplicably) the American Girl Cafe. Check the list, and be sure to call the restaurants to confirm. This promotion is now in the hands of the individual establishments, so do your research. more ›

This has been a good week for Stephanie Izard, and it's only Wednesday! We fully expect President Obama to appoint her Supreme Food Leader by Friday afternoon. In all seriousness, Izard has gotten two major accolades in the last couple of days, and you can participate in one of them! Saveur Magazine, which avoided restaurant reviews in the past, inaugurated a new review program with Girl and the Goat. Review might not be the right word; frantic worship at Izard's feet might be a better description. The reviewer, Dana Bowen, also enjoyed The Publican, but Girl and the Goat was "something else entirely." Izard was also nominated for Food and Wine's "The People's Best New Chef" award, and you can vote right now. more ›

Grubstreet has posted a gallery of Chicago's best roast chickens. The selections made our mouths water, and prompted us to rethink our ordering habits. In the age of pork fat, offal and charcuterie, we never order chicken anymore! This list has convinced us to go out their and try some poultry! more ›

Marbled, juicy, flavorful…delicious. The lard-type breed pig, the Mangalista, would give your everyday bacon a strong run for its money, if only it was a bit more accessible and a lot less expensive. Mark Schumacher and his friends thought exactly this when trying to purchase the pricey Mangalista meat online. more ›

• Be careful on the two-wheelers, especially if you're a chef. Phil Vettel took time out from covering his Bizarro-world Chicago Gourmet to report that both Laurent Gras of L2O and Café Matou's Charlie Socher were in recent accidents. Gras, a bicycling enthusiast, was hopsitalized for a week and is now back in the kitchen. Socher wiped out his motorcycle (hopefully he wore a leather jacket for a controlled slide); chef Polo Heredia is filling in while he recovers. [The Stew]
• Meanwhile, Tribune wine critic Bill Daley writes about a new wine advocacy group called TAPAS (Tempranillo Advocates, Producers and Amigos Society) that promotes advocacy of American-grown tempranillo [Tribune]
• Is Hopleaf expanding? That's the rumor on the street, according to David Tamarkin at TOC (via). Next door neighbor and longtime Andersonville trattoria La Donna is moving just a bit north, to 6340 N. Clark, by mid-November, and Hopleaf is negotiating for the space. [TOC]