Melmans Team Up with Joe's Team

We don’t consider ourselves to be country music aficionados here at Delve, but when the Melman brothers announced their latest project, we jumped right on the mechanical bull...Er, bandwagon.

Set to open this summer, the Melmans are teaming up with Ed Warm and Tom DiSanto of Joe’s on Weed. That's right, Joe's. Country fan or not, we have to admit that they boast a pretty impressive lineup of country stars who have graced their stage in the last few years (Keith Urban, Eric Church, Lady Antebellum and Sugarland, to name a few). In fact, Joe’s was named the nightclub of the year by the Academy of Country Music in Los Angeles…who knew?

Jury is still out on if there will be live performances at the new country-western bar taking over the 435 N. Clark space, but the team says you can expect to “hear the best in country music while grabbing a beer and enjoying southern-inspired dishes and authentic barbecue.”

And to that we say, Yee-haw.


*photo via TimeOut Chicago

Brides Rejoice: BHLDN comes to Chicago

For those brides-to-be, your "big day" options just got upgraded. BHLDN (Anthropoligie's Bridal offshoot), is slated to open in Chicago on Valentine's Day. While the retailer has been up and running online for six months, this will be the brand's second US store.

Nestled on Walton across from the ever-so-glam Elysian, brides (and bridesmaids) can find whimsical decorations, gifts and wedding/wedding party dresses. If you're in the market for a dress, call and schedule an appointment ahead - and if you just want to ooh and ahh over the merchandise in the two-story store, join the club.

BHLDN

8 East Walton St.

Loco for Lulu: Lululemon Warehouse Sale

Not gonna lie, we seriously debated posting this in fear of long lines - but when news is this good, you have to share it.

This weekend, Lululemon is having their first ever US warehouse sale right here in Chicago (well Rosemont if you want to get technical). Expect ridiculously low prices on the ridiculously overpriced workout gear that we can't get enough of.

The sale runs Jan 27-29, 9am to 9pm. Expect long lines, lots of product and Yogi's everywhere. For more information check out their facebook page. Namaste.

Location of Sale: Donald E. Stephens Convention Center 5555 N. River Road, Rosemont, IL 60018

This Just In: Belly Q

An inside source just let us in on a little secret. And lucky for you, we at Delve aren’t very good at keeping secrets.

We heard in early January that One Sixty Blue would be closing its Randolph St. doors, and this just in: it looks like the space will be taken over by an Asian BBQ spot. Cornerstone Restaurant Group (the guys behind MJ’s new steakhouse) are rumored to be working with Chef Bill Kim (of Delve faves Belly Shack and Urban Belly), to open the new spot, to be called Belly Q, this spring. MJ himself will also have a hand in the opening.

Web site is up, but no additional details have yet been announced. Stalk their progress along with us at bellyQchicago.com.

Dining, Drinking and Game Watching

The Bulls are officially number one in the league, and let’s face it, you’re jumping on the bandwagon a little early this year. While our preference here at Delve is to get the real deal and watch the game inside The Madhouse, we’ve found an alternative that’s looking like a decent backup.

Meet: The Ogden, located at Ogden and Adams. Why head all the way to the West Loop if you're not heading to the UC? Let us paint a nice little Bulls/Hawks fan-approved picture for you: flat screens pretty much everywhere you look + 22-inch flat screens in the booths + a menu boasting everything from fried cheese curds to steak tartare and french fries topped with pork ragù.

Who’s behind the wheel at this chef-driven watering hole? None other than chef Rodney Staton, previously of Longman & Eagle, Spiaggia, The Wit and Bite Café. His menu is packed with an even balance of comfort foods, upscale dishes and Midwest favorites. And to drink? 18 draft beers and 30ish craft bottles, including a lineup of classic cocktails for those of you that prefer to be fancy while game-watching. Rumor has it they also serve up a mean bloody mary. We haven’t tried yet, so verdict is still out on that one…

The Ogden
1659 W Ogden Ave (at Adams)
(312)226-1888


*photo via Urban Daddy

Delve Reader Discount: Flywheel Chicago

We've never been shy about our love of Flywheel (see post here) which is why we are thrilled to announce that the spinning specialists are offering Delve Chicago readers 20% off every ride. The catch is, there is no catch. Just enter DELVECHICAGO at checkout when you purchase rides through chicago.flywheelsports.com. The discount is good on an unlimited number of rides and is valid throughout the month of February 2012.

Whether you are a fan of their theme rides (Britney, Madge and Gaga to name a few) or prefer to sweat excessively in their hour sessions, you have NO excuse not to get in shape at Flywheel this winter.

Golden Globes 2012: Fashion Round-up

We are aware that we are a little late on the fashion critiques, but let's be honest, this year's Golden Globe's fashion was a little underwhelming. Angelina and Sofia were a bit predictable and while Charlize and Michelle Williams are stunning, we just aren't feeling the headband trend.

So who took it home for us? The gals in red and ivory. From Emma Stone's killer belt (her stylist deserves an award herself) to former supermodels Heidi/Elle whose bodies won't quit, daring red hues and soft, nude shades ruled the carpet. See our favorite looks of the evening below (click on images to enlarge).

So tell us, who was your favorite this year?

Chicago's 20 Best Cocktails

For their February issue, Chicago Mag lays out the 20 best cocktails in the city. The lineup is no surprise to anyone who considers cocktail'ing their side job, with heavy hitters like Violet Hour, Drawing Room, The Whistler and The Aviary topping the list. For those of you still getting your feet wet with all that the Chicago imbibing scene has to offer, consider this your personal tour guide.

Check out the full list here.




*photo via Chicago Magazine

Let's Hear it for the Boys

One of our fave Chicago style blogs for guys, The Midwestyle, was just featured in Details (congrats!) on tips for maintaining style during the dreary Chicago winters. See below for their top tips for up’ing your garb beyond the black, and check out the full feature here. We don’t know about you, but we’ll be passing this along to our dads, boyfriends, guy friends, mailmen, et al.

Bye bye black, hello color!

From Details:

• Replace the dark trousers or denim you normally wear with different colors and textures that will stand up to the wind. (On Seth: light-blue chambray trousers; on Jeff: white denim.)
• Mix up your scarf game with bold patterns or colors. Go for broke.
• Mind the details like bags, shoelaces, zipper pulls, and gloves—and feel free to stick something in your lapel. Ain't no point in blending in.

*photo via Details

Accessories Alert: Banana Republic

To combat the gloom and doom days of January, we turn to sparkly Spring goodies to brighten our spirits and our wardrobes. We’re loving what we’re seeing at trusty Banana Republic. These bright, geometric, enamel statements at such nice prices almost made us forget about the looming snowstorm.

From left to right: Enameled Geo Bangle ($35) available in Majesty (pictured), cobalt and pale gold, Enamel Collar Necklace ($55), and Faceted Drop Earring ($35) available in navy (pictured) and ivory

Anticipated 2012 Openings: Nightlife Edition

After spending our morning drooling over the 2012 restaurant openings roundup, we re-focused on a topic equally as appealing: cocktail'ing.

See below for our top five picks for the most highly anticipated nightlife openings coming this year:



Mercer 113 – The jam packed Hubbard St. bar line-up is about to get even more crowded. From the people behind Social 25 comes a new restaurant-lounge set to open in spring 2012. The bar (located directly across from Slurping Turtle) caters to a myriad of crowds mixing nightlife, dining and sports. For those club heads, never fear, Mercer 113 also plans to offer up bottle service and DJs, who will spin tunes on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Game viewing and dance parties aside, we are most looking forward to the outdoor patio situated in front of large sliding glass doors.

Flight 1551 – The hustle and bustle of the Wells St. drinking scene just got a bit more relaxing. Flight 1551 is set to open next week and will feature a menu boasting over 50 wines by the glass. Even better news? They’ll be offering up flights of cheese and flights of chocolate.

Estate Ultra Bar (rendering pictured) – We must admit, our excitement for this opening is somewhat bittersweet. Excited because the new bar is set to open in January and will feature a rooftop deck that owners say will make you feel like your vacationing to your rich uncle's summer home. Our bittersweet feelings comes in the fact that it’s taking over the old Slow Down! Life’s Too Short space, the most beautiful eye sore we've seen. With cabs hard to come by in that area, might we suggest an Uber partnership in the near future?

RM Champagne Bar – Sommelier Jason Wagner is behind this opening-in-February West Loop champagne bar that we’re hoping will be the answer to our “avoid the suburb crowd at Pops” prayers. Possibly our favorite part about this establishment? Guests enter through a cobblestone alley entrance on Green St. (just off Randolph). Quite mysterious if we do say so ourselves! The wine and champagne bar will feature small plates (cheeses, pastries, etc.), and is located adjacent to Nellcote and G.E.B., also opening in February.

TBD – We don’t need many details to know we’re looking forward to the new concept by Michael Kornick and David Morton (Fish Bar and DMK). So far we do know that it will be located near the Hideout (bridging Noble Square, Bucktown and Lincoln Park) and will honor the late-night crowd. After hours, good food and good entertainment? Twist our arm.

Yoga + Spinning = CorePower Ryder

If you crave an array of workout classes, low and behold, two of your favorites are coming together in one butt busting, core carving class. Introducing, CorePower Ryder.

The spawn of hot yoga and spinning, this new offering at CorePower Yoga guarantees a full body workout. During the 45 minute class, you'll ride Real Ryder spin bikes that allow you to turn, steer and lean to work your core all while sweating it up in a heated room.

CorePower Ryder is now available at the new CorePower Yoga studio in Lincoln Square (2310 W. Lawrence Ave.).

We're half excited, half terrifed but we'll definately give it a whirl, er, spin.

Anticipated 2012 Openings: Restaurant Edition

Getting bored with the same old same old? Well luckily, with a new year brings new openings. Get ready to start counting down the days for these five highly anticipated restaurant openings and stay tuned for our bar/nightlife picks coming later this afternoon.

Au Cheval - Gilt Bar owner Brendan Sodikoff (also behind Delve favorite Maude's Liquor Bar) describes this upcoming West Loop eatery as a classic diner with a gastronomic touch. The restaurant (occupying the former Greektown Gyros space) opens in early 2012 offering customers a full bar and a hefty menu. Teaser items include Peppered bacon steak with truffle jus and potato purée and a Fried bologna sandwich. Sodikoff will be busy this year as he is also spearheading Bavette’s, a "traditional American steakhouse with a European influence."

RPM Italian – A long awaited opening, now with an official name. Standing for the initials of the Rancics, Melmans and chef Doug Psaltis, RPM is the brainchild of Guiliana and Bill Rancic, occupying the former Ben Pao space. Though Psaltis is heading up the modern, Italian-inspired menu, Giuliana promises it will feature a few of her family recipes courtesy of her mother, aka Mama DiPandi.

Stout Barrel House & Galley – While you are probably still in mourning for the close of Manor (insert sarcasm here), we are looking forward its new tenant. This chef-driven American bar and eatery plans to focus on comfort food with local and sustainable ingredients. Don't expect it to look anything like Manor when it opens in March; the inside has been completely re-done to reflect a more comfortable, unpretentious vibe. Open for lunch and dinner, the space (created by the people behind Stay and Cedar Hotel) will also have a late-night license.

G.E.B. - Celeb chef Graham Elliot is planning to open his third restaurant in the West Loop this spring. GEB, short for "Graham Elliot Bistro" is situated between Graham Elliot and Gramwhich in pricing, forgoing multi-course tastings for an a la carte menu with simple, three-ingredient entrees for $20 or less. Attention alfresco lovers, Elliot stated that the best part of his latest endeavor is “a huge courtyard in the back that we're sharing with the Nellcote guys next door… It literally feels like you're in the 1800s in London, like cobblestone and its really enclosed by all these buildings, so it’s really secluded." Anyone up for some time travel?

Panza – While we alluded to this River North opening earlier this year (by the people behind Davanti Enoteca and Mia Francesca), additional details have been released that make the wait that much harder. The small plate rustic eatery/wine bar will offer eaters desserts via a walk-up window to "Hole Lotta Love" - a homemade doughnut shop located on the side of the restaurant. Diet starts tomorrow.

Dine Around West Town

The dining scene in West Town continues to wow the city’s most skeptical diners. Residents of the neighborhood swear by the eats options, and we can’t say we disagree. Haven’t been? Now’s your chance.

For the first time ever, the neighborhood will host a “Dine Around West Town” event featuring the best of West Town’s restaurants. Starting January 15th and running through March 15th, diners can visit any of the participating restaurants to get a taste of what the area has to offer, including off-the-menu dishes and exclusive offers. To make the experience even more enjoyable, they’ve set it up as somewhat of a competition (no throwing ‘bows necessary in this one) – just complete the passport by dining at each of the restaurants and you have the chance to win dinner for four.

Did we mention that the lineup of restaurants is pretty impressive? We’re talking Arami, Branch 27, Green Zebra, Leopold (who thought up the event), Lush, Mexique, Noble Grape and Ruxbin (a fave on Delve’s byob list).

Passport winner or not, we’ll be cozying up in West town this winter.

Look for Less: Embroidered Boots

Chicago and cowboy boots don’t necessarily go hand in hand, but when they are as spectacular as these two pairs, you better bet we will find an excuse to wear them. Not your average boot, we have been craving Navajo-inspired footwear rocking custom fabric swatches that add an exotic feel to your everyday look.

Pending your paycheck, try the Cobra Society boots ($1,195; as seen left) whose steep price comes from using traditional Kilim fabric that is hand-woven in the Middle Atlas Mountains - meaning no two boots will ever be exactly the same. Feeling a little less spendy? Try these Caballero boots made by Freebird by Steven ($479; as seen right) custom made in Mexico.

Our Kind of Winter Wonderland

We never want winter to end. That’s right…we said it.

Now hear us out…

With the offers The Spa at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago is throwing our way, we think you might agree. Lasting through March, guests of The Spa can indulge in a $30 savings when you book a 55- or 80-minute massage. Need more convincing? Purchase one of the discounted massages and receive a same-day pass for the pool and fitness center. So not only can you spend an entire afternoon relaxing, but you can finish it up hobnobbing with the regulars.

See below for a rundown of the services included in the offer, available Monday through Thursday:

• Aromatherapy Massage - $120 (55 minutes) or $170 (80 minutes)*
• Bamboo Massage, $125 (55 minutes), $190 (80 minutes)*

Admit it, we just made your winter blues a little less blue...


*Prices already reflect the $30 savings

American Junkie to Open in River North

Chicago Real Estate Daily announced that American Junkie, a Scottsdale-based nightclub, just agreed to lease a 15k-square-foot building at 15 W. Illinois. Our Scottsdale friends didn't have the best things to say about this spot (think graphic tees and Red Bull galore), but there are a few things keeping us somewhat optimistic:

• Retractable roof: any downtown club can pretty much expect success when they offer Chicagoans a chance to soak up the sun.
• Apparently the bar will be equipped with a “Junkie Wheel,” letting patrons win anything from free booze to being forced to leave the club. Here’s to playing the odds…
• There’s a Chicagoan serving as part-owner of the establishment, so at least there’s a chance that this will stay true to Chicago scene preferences (i.e. ditch the bottle sparklers and table dancers).

Trending: Complicated Cocktails

When it comes to cocktail'ing, 2011 proved to be a bit of a sensory overload. We saw the rise and fall of everything from the tiki-drink to herbal infusions to even bacon-infused libations. So what can we expect as we head into 2012? GQ issued a four-trend roundup of the top cocktail creations likely to make a splash in the New Year. Spoiler alert: one of our favorite Chicago chefs made the list.

Barrel-Aged Everything: popular especially with Negronis thus far, bartenders are letting the flavors of their cocktails come together while resting in oak barrels. Now you’ll have something to discuss with your scotch-drinking uncle at the next family get-together.
Local and Seasonal: bartenders continue to scour local markets for the freshest of the fresh when it comes to spices, fruits, veggies and beyond. Happy muddling.
Molecular: Drinks by Chicago’s-own Grant Achatz (The Aviary’s “In the Rocks” and “The Ginger”) topped this list of over-the-top form of cocktail'ing.
Silver Platter: First class from start to finish (we're talking top of the top shelf liquors paired with your James Beard-worthy entree), leaving little room for error, and essentially no room for complaint.

Brunch Haven: Kingsbury Street Cafe

If a good brunch spot is sacred, consider Kingsbury Street Cafe the holy grail. This modern, yet cozy brunch spot is tucked away in Lincoln Park, across from the mammoth Whole Foods and next to a less glamorous VIPs (not sure what that is? don't look it up at work).

This breakfast, lunch and brunch spot had a soft opening last month, resulting in great food with minimal wait time - yup, even on a weekend. We sampled (devoured) menu favorites such as Breakfast Quinoa (with walnuts, cranberries, agave nectar, flax seeds and milk), Whole Wheat Carrot Pancakes (with maple cream cheese) and Kingsbury Eggs Benedict (poached eggs, pulled chicken, spinach and of course, hollandaise).

If you're feeling adventurous, create your own omelette with their unique list of ingredients (kale, avocado and goat cheese, to name a few) and wash down the meal with a cup of ethiopian drip coffee.

Nirvana indeed.

1523 N Kingsbury St
312-280-1718
kingsburystreetcafe.com

Cure for Winter Blues? Winter Sales!

Now that all of the holiday cheer and festivities have subsided, this time of year can be downright depressing. One way to cure your winter blues? With winter sales of course! Check out what our favorite stores around Chicago are offering shoppers this post-holiday season.

Perchance (11 E. Walton St.; 3512 N. Southport Ave.) the upscale boutique is now holding its semiannual sale this month at both locations. Enjoy 30% off all merchandise, including sale items, through Friday, January 6 and 40 percent off everything Saturday, January 7 through Friday, January 13

Vince (106 E Oak St.) Offering 40 percent off select cozy sweaters (stock up now, winter is here for at least another 4 months)

Sarca (710 N. Wabash Ave.) Through Tuesday, January 31, save at least 30 percent on select items

Veruca Salt (520 N. Kingsbury) Select men’s and women’s clothing at the River North boutique will be marked down to 70 percent off through January

The Edit (1917 N. Damen Ave) Shop the Bucktown newcomer's Winter Sale with 50 percent off on select items through January

Ready, set, shop!