The spot: When it comes to Easter brunch, we can't resist a good resurrection tale. Over Easy Cafe, a phenomenal Ravenswood brunch spot that debuted last March, was having a pretty good run until an August fire shut things down. But owner Jon Cignarale rose from the ashes earlier this year with style, quickly rebuilding his clientele to nearly pre-fire levels. The experience gave him a new outlook on the brunch biz.

"When all is said and done, a restaurant is nothing but a bunch of objects," he says. "It's the people that serve and the people that cook that make a restaurant what it is." Celebrate the spot's rebirth on Sunday with decadent holiday specials like Lollipop Lambchops Benedict ($14), made with baby lamb chops and topped with mint hollandaise, and French Toast Cannoli ($10) with mascarpone and ricotta cheeses, mini chocolate chips, and crushed pistachios.

The bottle: Over Easy isn't the only spot experiencing a rebirth. Across the street, Windy City Liquors (4959 N. Damen Ave. 773-878-2123) has a new owner who's steadily increasing the shop's sophistication. Stop by on Sunday (the shop starts selling at 11 a.m.) for a bottle of champagne. You could skip the $9.99 bottle of Korbel and go nuts with a $29.99 bottle of cult fave Pommery Pop, but frankly, the cheap stuff is perfect for Over Easy's juice of the day: orange juice-strawberry puree served with a sprig of mint ($3).

Check for more Easter Brunch ideas in our guide. If you're looking for BYOB ideas, stay tuned for more All Bottled Up posts soon.

Without a doubt, foodies of the world collectively hold their breath for Food & Wine magazine's announcement of its Best New Chefs list each spring. We were surprised to hear today that the only Chicago-area chef to make this year's cut was -- wait for it -- from the suburbs. We weren't the least bit astonished, though, to find it was Paul Virant, the down-to-earth virtuoso behind Vie in Western Springs.

The buzz about Vie after its 2004 opening had city-dwellers hauling out on the Metra to get a taste of Virant's seasonally driven contemporary American cuisine with Euro touches; his focus on local produce has opened eyes to the innovation going on close to home.

And, hey, any chef that managed to convince the teetotalers of Western Springs to give out its first liquor license in an eon is OK by us. If you haven't yet made the trek out to try it, we say you better make reservations ASAP--if history holds, seats here will be a tough get for the foreseeable future.

Virant's in NYC at the magazine's formal soiree tonight, but we'll catch him when he's back in town for his comments on this recent victory for the suburbs. Stay tuned to our suburban channel for the scoop!

Sorry, it's taken us so long to update the blog today. We've been chugging along here, creating our usual Wednesday extravaganza. If you haven't had a chance to check out this week's issue, here are the highlights:

<--Rock 'N' Vote: Which of these Chicago bands rock your world?

Dining: The cure for Easter Anxiety Disorder (check The Extrovert later today for even more last-minute picks)

Bars & Clubs: Why this new Lakeview tapas lounge has us saying hallelujah!

Music: Alt-country vet Jay Farrar says Son Volt still has plenty of juice

Tickets: Velvet Revolver, John Mayer, Elvis Costello tickets and more