Restaurant

After a fire closed it down earlier this spring, Bucktown barbecue restaurant Lillie's Q is slated to reopen in mid-June. A fire in the restaurant's basement the night of March 14 caused the restaurant and its satellite location at the Chicago French Market to close. A week later, the market location reopened with a very limited menu.  The mid-June opening estimate is pending inspections, according to a May 16 announcement from the restaurant.  Want more? Discuss this article and others on RedEye's Facebook page . 

It's that time of year again, when we strip down to as little clothing as we can stand, and eat and drink outside as frequently as humanly possible. Patio season is upon us! It seems like every other restaurant is offering some kind of outdoor seating, and I could not be more OK with this. The only thing better than unlimited mimosas is unlimited mimosas outside because duh. That said, here are some tips from a restaurant veteran to get you through patio season. Most patios are smoke-free.

The owners of Chicago's only Chick-fil-A restaurant released a statement late Wednesday regarding the growing controversy over the chain president's stance on gay marriage and one alderman's subsequent decision to block the chain from building a restaurant in his ward. Here is the statement, attributed to owner and operator Lauren Silich: Since our opening last year, Chick-fil-A Loyola Water Tower has been dedicated to serving all of our guests with honor, dignity and respect.

Vegetarians, rejoice: The Chicago Diner is branching out. Due to an influx of diners traveling from Logan Square and neighboring areas to its original location at 3411 N. Halsted, vegan/vegetarian staple The Chicago Diner plans to open a second location this fall in the recently vacated Logan Square Kitchen space at 2333 N. Milwaukee. While the new restaurant is slightly larger than the flagship Lakeview location, the necessary steps have been taken to guarantee the building has a low environmental impact, earning the restaurant a Gold Leed certification through innovations including motion and voice activated lighting, automated hood systems in the kitchen and ecological plumbing fixtures for reduced water usage, according to general manager Michael Hornick.

Nellcote 833 W. Randolph St. 312-432-0500 Rating: !!! out of 4 Off to a good start The story: Chef Jared Van Camp knows how to please bar crowds at Old Town Social, but at Nellcote, the new sibling restaurant from the same owners, he's looking to really flex his culinary muscles. The spacious restaurant just opened on Randolph Street's white-hot restaurant row, catering to both foodies and the nightlife crowd with creative cocktails and a European-inspired menu.

Chicago's food truck industry will keep on truckin', but the rules may change. The ordinance regulating food trucks advanced Thursday out of the City Council Committee on License and Consumer Protection after nearly four hours of discussion. City officials tried to balance the concerns of restaurant owners and needs of food truck operators. “We think that local restaurants are really the cornerstones of our neighborhoods, also probably the largest employer in the city and also possibly the state.

The first time I had steak tartare was at Maude's Liquor Bar. Hardly a late bloomer when it comes to the wonder of raw beef and runny egg  -- I was only 24. But if it hadn't been for the drinks, the crushing crowd at the bar, the desperate rush for late table reservations and hip soundtrack that surrounded Maude's when it first opened, I may never have tried it. Or oysters. Or a lobster roll. Or fried duck skin. Because, like many of my 20-something peers, I spend my time dining and drinking in bars.

EAT (Free!) CHAMPERS AND CAVIAR Three Forks 180 N. Field Boulevard 312-938-4303 Toast the steakhouse's first anniversary with a complimentary flute of champagne paired with chef Grant Clark's caviar flatbread on the heated rooftop. 4-6 p.m. Friday. ALL FOR FALL 2 Sparrows 553 W. Diversey Parkway 773-234-2320 As part of Chicago Craft Spirits Week, North Shore Distillery joins the Lincoln Park restaurant for a four-course Flavors of Fall dinner featuring sweet potato pave with tobacco cream sauce, fall "hay" and bacon dust; seared whitefish with ratatouille and more - plus cocktail pairings.

Review: La Sirena Clandestina 954 W. Fulton Market 312-226-5300 Rating: !!! ½ (Heating up) Don't recognize the name John Manion? It's not your fault - the chef's largely been out of the limelight since his former home, Mas, closed in 2008. He helped rehab the menus at Goose Island's Clybourn brewpub and at West Town's Branch 27, and briefly oversaw the kitchen at The Southern. Mostly though, he was quietly plugging away at a restaurant of his own, which grew out of a South American pop-up dinner that Manion and friends created during the summer of 2011.

The Michelin Guide's second annual Chicago edition was released today, and chefs around town are seeing stars - but fewer than last year, it turns out. The famous French guide is notoriously tightfisted when it comes to awarding its star designations (three means exceptional, two is excellent and one is very good). In this year's guide, 21 Chicago-area restaurants received stars, down from 23 last year. Of the two restaurants - Alinea and L20 - that received three-star ratings in Michelin's first Chicago guide last year, only one, Grant Achatz's renowned Alinea in Lincoln Park, maintained its status.