Bayless Hires Former 'Cascabel' Chef, Rare Cambodian Restaurant Shuttering, More Intel

—The man who cooked at Rick Bayless' food musical will now be cooking at one of his restaurants. Bayless and team has hired Zach Steen, who helmed the dinner theater kitchen at Bayless' "Cascabel," as a sous chef at Topolobampo. Steen, who started as a line cook at Topolo, has also been a sous at The Blanchard and Brindille.

—Chicagoland doesn't have many Cambodian restaurants — and the area will have one less after this weekend. Angkor Restaurant, a Khmer cuisine specialist that opened in January in Lombard, will shutter after its last service on Sunday, according to a Facebook post that cites "unforeseen circumstances and complications." Try it while you still can.

—One of Chicago's top cocktail destinations has another new head bartender. Sable Kitchen & Bar has promoted Mike Jones to be its third head bartender since early 2015, replacing John Stanton (who launched the bar's first all-new cocktail menu since 2010 in May), who replaced longtime cocktail maestro Mike Ryan. Jones is best-known for his "Misunderstood," a modern twist on a Moscow Mule that's made with mezcal, reposado tequila, ginger syrup, honey syrup, fresh lime juice, muddled cucumbers and Miller Highlife. Stanton is moving on to a new Kimpton property in Grand Cayman.

—You don't want to mess with a fictional gigantic fire-breathing building-crushing lizard. Lakeview Japanese spot Godzilla Sushi learned that the hard way, and has changed its name to Gorilla King Sushi after being threatened with a lawsuit by the movie franchise, DNAinfo reports. The "new" restaurant is hosting a grand (re?)opening and giving away a free dish to dine-in customers.

—Eataly is still making inroads in hopes of connecting with Chicagoans. The latest effort involves local MLS soccer team the Chicago Fire, as the Italian food wonderland has decorated its Birreria brewpub in Fire gear and is giving away a free beer to those customers when the team wins, Crain's reports.

—Epic Burger has a new late-night menu. The local burger chain now sells burgers ($7-11) and fries ($3) until the wee hours, 4 a.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays.