Quick Bites

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Oct 2, 2008 3:54PM

• 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]
• Received word from the PR behind Paul Kahan's properties that the Publican (845 W. Fulton Market) is scheduled to open next week. Dear God, we hope so. If what we've sampled at various harvest dinners is any indication of the menu, the Publican is going to give L2O a run for its money as the best new opening of the year.
• Nagrant put on his Sneed hat while at the recently opened Bristol last weekend. If imitation (or theft, if you prefer) is the sincerest form of flattery, then you want to try Schwa's the Bristol's quail-egg ravioli [Hungry]
• Finally, "Top Chef 5" is scheduled to premiere next week month, with Radhika Desai of Between — Boutique Café & Lounge among the 16 vying to join Stephanie Izard in the ranks of "TC" winners. [Bravo]