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Tribune food critic Phil Vettel says it up front, so we don't have to: "If there's one constant to these books, it's that Michelin never awards as many stars as I think the Chicago area deserves." Vettel has in the past predicted new enthusiasms for Michelin which proved to be completely unsupported by reality (steakhouses!), but this year he seems to have accepted the glacial pace and parsimonious bounty of Michelin and his predictions seem largely in line with most (including our own). He is likely right in thinking that Alinea will remain the only three-star, but that Sixteen and L2O could get to two (we think Next might as well given its chefly pedigree, though it's awfully casual for two stars by traditional Michelin measures).

When Sumi Robata Bar was first announced, Gene Kato said that the Japanese restaurant at 702 N. Wells would have three concepts within its space, but the only one he was talking about was the main robata grill. Today he announced the second: Charcoal Bar, featuring cocktails which make use of traditional Japanese spirits including Japanese whisky and sake, as well as a curated selection of the latter for straight up drinking and Japanese beers, sodas and teas (from Rare Tea Cellar). But at least as notable is who will be manning the intimate 12-seat bar: Matthew Lipsky, formerly known as "Choo" Lipsky though that nickname is notably absent from the materials. Lipsky is probably best-known as mixologist for the short-lived Morso, but he also worked at The Southern and launched Untitled's cocktail program including a selection of some 300 whiskys.

A few weeks back we noted that Billy Lawless (The Gage, Henri) was talking about a West Town project with a great patio. It was always possible that that would be in a space that wasn't currently a restaurant, but if it was taking over a place that was still operating, it made us worried for Frontier— which has a great patio. Well, it is replacing a previous restaurant, but we were looking on the wrong street: the still-unnamed project will go where the Orange at 739 W. Grand was, according to Dish. When it opens in the spring, it will have three bars and a wood-burning grill— though not pizza, since Piccolo Sogno is right across the street and Lawless apparently thinks that's too close to go head to head. Capacity will be about 160 to 170 seats (presumably not counting the patio.) Lawless is in partnership with Branko Palikuca, who has Topaz Cafe in Burr Ridge, and bar guy Clint Rogers and sommelier Shebnem Ince from The Gage and Henri will oversee the drinks. [Dish]