Openings

If you’re looking for lunch in Logan Square, check out The Little Pickle (3703 W. Fullerton Ave.), a casual sandwich shop now open at Lawndale and Fullerton. Pulled chicken, seitan, and pork are on the build-your-own sandwich menu, and there’s a focus on homemade pickles.

Loop dwellers have a new option this week, as Stock & Ledger is now open at 70 West Madison Street. Chef Laura Piper is turning out comfortable-sounding dishes with a bit of a Latin flair, like a bone-in ribeye with chimichurri and melted leeks and pork chops al pastor with toasted cornmeal tortillas. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner.

Maplewood Brewery and Distillery has been making craft beers and spirits in Logan Square for years, and they’re about to open Maplewood Lounge (2717 N. Maplewood Ave.) on Friday. Expect a full range of cocktails, 14 taps, and a pub menu complete with Publican sausages.

Morsels

Bummer: Logan Square burger joint Parts & Labor, known for thin griddled burgers and fried giardinera, has closed its doors after four years in operation.

Every year, OpenTable releases a list of the “100 Best Restaurants in America,” based on the massive amount of data gathered through their user reviews, and Chicago made a decent showing. There are some obvious winners (Girl & the Goat, Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf, Oriole), along with some crowd favorites that don’t make every single listicle in town, like RL Restaurant, Riccardo Enoteca, RPM Steak, and True Food Kitchen.

Mario Batali has been the subject of renewed (but not good) attention this week, as sexual harassment allegations have surfaced—or, actually, resurfaced, since, as many pointed out on social media, author Bill Buford had some pretty graphic descriptions of such incidents in his 2006 book, Heat. Well, as of Wednesday, Eataly (the Italian food hall partly owned by Batali) has reportedly pulled all Mario Batali products from its shelves. If you want that Mario tomato sauce, you’ll have to go somewhere else.

Looking for some great last-minute plans? Consider booking tickets for a mezcal dinner on Thursday at Mi Tocaya Antojeria, recently named one of the nation’s best new restaurants by Thrillist. Hosted in collaboration with Mezcal Union, the dinner will be four courses, including both cocktails and mezcal tastings. Tickets are $75 a person and are available online.