Hearty Boys And The Case Of The Flamboyant Pork Chop

By Aaron Bailey in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 3, 2005 5:53PM

Boystown restaurant moguls Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh -- aka the "Hearty Boys" -- have a full plate these days. Not only have they transformed their casual cafe into a full-service upscale restaurant, this Sunday they will compete to become "The Next Food Network Star."

Their revamped restaurant, open for a week, has already won rave reviews. After having the "flamboyantly front and center" double-cut pork chop [only in Boystown can pork be flamboyant], Metromix advises not to miss HB's "cupcake flight, a trio that included honey-lavender, orange blossom and the hot-stuff highlight, chili-chocolate." Just reading those words made Chicagoist's stomach growl in hunger.

If feeding Chicago doesn't make them famous enough, Dan and Steve are battling against seven other chefs in a American Idol-like culinary battle to see who will win their own Food Network television series. The other competitors look fierce, but Chicagoist hopes that these hometown boys have what it takes to make us proud.