Throughout the blizzaster, Rick Bayless was like a lighthouse in the storm. He kept his restaurants open, tweeting that anyone trapped downtown was welcome. In addition, he may be the only celebrity chef in history to brag about the accomplishments of his valet parking crew (Grover and Luis) - wonderful to give credit to everyone. And boy, do they deserve it! The valet parking crew created the official snowman, or "Blizzard 2011 mascot," for Frontera. Check after the jump for some great tweets. more ›

In May 2010, Topolobampo hosted the release party for Del Maguey Mezcal Vida, the latest offering from the renowned brand of Oaxacan Mezcals. Vida de San Luis del Rio, as its full name goes, has since become a darling of the Chicago bar scene. Vida is starring in a number of hit drinks right now; Big Star's Oaxaca Vieja, Violet Hour's Heads You Lose, the Drawing Room's Los Muertos and WaterShed's Italian Hurricane (which we recently reviewed) are just a few examples. more ›

Even when the election is getting rough, President Obama still cares about good food. On Saturday night, he stopped in to Topolobampo, where he feasted upon scallops and lobster with roasted tomatillos. Lucky lucky man. However, some diners believed that someone's table was stolen in favor of the presidential party, and complaints flew around the interwebs. The above is the response to the kerflufle from Rick Bayless. Frankly, we probably wouldn't mind having to wait a few minutes for our reservation if the president showed up, but we're happy to know that equality is alive and well in the Bayless empire. Plus, we like imagining Rick Bayless saying "Geez people." more ›

If the kitchens of Frontera Grill, Topolobampo and Xoco seem strangely devoid of Rick Bayless in the coming weeks, you can blame President Obama. Bayless has been tapped by Obama to head the kitchen for the upcoming state dinner with El Presidente of Mexico, Felipe Calderón. The New York Times reports that the celebrity chef will be helming the kitchen on May 19th, the second celebrity chef to run a state dinner menu. Marcus Samuellson, currently receiving the arrogant-jerk-edit on this season's Top Chef Masters, cooked for the Indian Prime Minister back in November. more ›

Sure signs of summer: fluff pieces from newspapers analyzing the dietary habits of our Presidential candidates. This one in the Wall Street Journal (via the Bright One) takes a look at the restaurants both Senators Barack Obama and John McCain frequent and discover what those restaurants say about them and their families. more ›