This seems as good a time as any for Rick Bayless to officially announce his next project, which he did today (confirming what West Coast bloggers have been all atizzy about for a while now): a restaurant in Los Angeles. Red O By Rick Bayless (channeling the Queen of Talk, we wonder?) will open on Melrose Avenue in April, according to a press release. Bayless "will be creating and updating the menu seasonally, training kitchen staff, and overseeing the beverage program," the release says.

Los Angelenos can expect the authentic Mexican food we Chicagoans have come to know and love, as well as "lighter California-style dishes," because, well, they're wussies. We're under a foot and a half of snow -- we can say that.