Christmas came early this year for some Chicago restaurants. The lucky owners and employees arrived at work this morning to find chalk outlines of the Michelin man on their sidewalks, the symbol that they had won the prestigious Bib Gourmand award. This award focuses on quality and value, and rewards only restaurants that offer an appetizer, an entree and a glass of wine for under $40. Phil Vettel reports that Frontera, Girl and the Goat and Green Zebra, among many other Chicago favorites, got the honor. more ›

We've been looking forward to seeing Nana (3267 S. Halsted St., 312 929 2486), an organic breakfast/brunch spot in Bridgeport by Omar and Christian Solis, whose father Jose owns nearby Tacos Erendira, open for months. Chicago Brunch Blog reports that they're finally taking the paper off the windows and are slated to open 6 a.m. Monday with a menu including buckwheat pancakes with banana and mulled hemp seeds, liege (a leavened batter with beads of pearl sugar that burst and caramelize in the waffle iron) and the "Nanadict:" a pupusa topped with crumbled chorizo, poached eggs and poblano sauce. Coupled with the packed houses at HAN 202 nightly and Nightwood, my backyard could be on the cusp of destination dining. [via Grub Street Chicago] more ›

605 W. 31st St. in the wunnerful Bridgeport area has been home to a succession of mediocre to downright awful Italian restaurant concepts over the years, most recently Trattoria 31, which came out of the gate like gangbusters only to be lapped by the field. So when we saw that a Chinese restaurant was opening in the space we thought, "It can't be any worse than what's been there before" more ›