Openings

Open now: The second location of Philadelphia-based coffee roaster La Colombe (1552 N. Damen Ave., Wicker Park) caters to Blue Line commuters—it’s located right beneath the Damen El stop.

Open now: In case you missed our post last week, new oyster bar Pearl Tavern (180 N. Wacker Dr., The Loop, 312-629-1030) is up and serving raw seafood, like crudo scallops with blood orange and an absinthe spritz.

Friday, January 24: West-suburban pizza lovers, rejoice! After several months of delays, the second location of Lincoln Park’s Pizzeria da Nella Cucina Napoletana (600 E. North Ave., Carol Stream, 630-580-9143) is finally coming this week.

Morsels

Several companies with Chicago ties racked up recognition at the Good Food Awards ceremony on January 16, which rewards sustainable yet delicious grocery products with a seal of approval. This year, Metropolis Coffee Company and Intelligentsia Coffee won for their respective Ethiopian roast coffees, and Southport Grocery (3552 N. Southport Ave., Lake View, 773-665-0100) was acknowledged for its smoked onion marmalade. See the complete roster of winners here.  

More awards news: AAA’s annual list of Four- and Five-Diamond restaurants is out, recognizing the top 2.5 percent of restaurants in the country. Three newcomers have made their way to five-diamond status: Acadia (1639 S. Wabash, South Loop, 312-360-9500) Grace (652 W. Randolph St., West Town, 312-234-9494), and Sixteen (401 N. Wabash, River North, 312-588-8030). (Oh, and we tied New York for five-diamond restaurants, so there.) See the full lists here.

Getting a table at Found (1631 Chicago Ave., Evanston, 847-868-8945) no longer involves planning for a wait. As of now, number 3 on last year’s Best New Restaurants list is taking reservations for dinner all night long when you call them in advance.

Baconfest, that two-day bacchanalia of all things pork-fatty, will be back April 25 and 26. This week, they announced their roster of chefs, including Michael Sheerin of Cicchetti, Art and Chelsea Jackson of Pleasant House Bakery, and Pat Sheerin of Trenchermen. You can see the whole group here—tickets go on sale later in February.

We get it. You need an extra margarita in the middle of the week, because the middle of the week is kind of the worst. Takito Kitchen (2013 W. Division, Wicker Park, 773-687-9620) gets it, too, which is why they’re now allowing people to order an oversized portion of any of their margaritas from Tuesday through Thursday for $16—including a new addition with pineapple and Serrano chile.