Last night was a great night that pretty much felt like an official end to a long and awesome summer—my beach volleyball team won our bracket of the Chicago Sport & Social Club’s rec league! We played against two teams, for two and a half hours, on wet sand due to passing pre-game rain showers, and well into the darkness to win the title (and a long-sleeve, commemorative championship T-shirt). Congrats, Purple Cobras!

To celebrate, the team went to Melvin B’s. It seemed fitting: As we marked an end to our summer league, the famous truck stop-themed bar and grill was supposed to be making its final call on Sunday to make way for a boutique hotel. Imagine our surprise when staffers told us they got a stay—Melvin B’s will now be open until October 1! Let’s raise a glass to a warm and dry September.

So keep summer going with Melvin B's frozen (and strong) strawberry daiquiris, rum runners and vodka lemonades while you can. Fill up on a juicy cheeseburger with fresh-cut potato chips. Order a round of brews with your pals. This patio scene has been a Gold Coast staple since the ’60s, and despite the bugs crawling up the trees and fences on muggy nights, or the dingy interior, this place has a special Chicago charm that draws a crowd. Thanks for the memories, Melvin.

So we finally caught up with chef Shawn McClain to get the scoop on his involvement with the revamping of LePassage. As it turns out, Three-Headed Productions partner Matt Lindner is a friend of McClain’s, as well as in investor in his restaurant Green Zebra.

“It’s a friendship thing,” McClain said of his role in the LePassage project. The chef will draw up some ideas for updated bar food and small plates—as of now, nothing’s been finalized. “I’m sure [the menu] will be eclectic. …no specific theme … It’s not gonna be serious,” McClain said.

Other than coming up with the ideas for the nighttime nibbles, don’t expect to see him working at the subterranean spot. McClain tells us he’s just helping out where he can with ideas, but he will not be in the kitchen. He’s just a friend helping a friend.

Get to Le Passage as you’ve come to know it while you can! This Sunday’s party (click for info) might just be the last chance to toast the Gold Coast nightclub’s past. As soon as permits come through—which should be any day now—Le Passage will close for remodeling, and reopen in the fall.

Three-Headed Productions (Cans, Salud, Junior’s and Evil Olive), the nightlife group that took over the property earlier this year, has a lot of plans for the new place—including adding Shawn McClain (Spring, Green Zebra, Custom House) as consulting chef.

In addition to touting their new toque, Le Passage will sport a completely new look and concept—though the name will remain the same. However, the former Yow Bar, located in the back of the club, will soon become The Drawing Room at Le Passage.

What do you think: Was the old Le Passage in need of a new life?

UPDATE:

I owe my existence to many things, my parents being one of them, Yak-Zies being another.

My mom and dad met at the Diversey Parkway bar roughly 35 years ago, so I was bummed to read Kevin Pang's report that the bar served its last pint Sunday. (The Clark Street location is still open.) I'd always meant to visit the scene of the crime but never did.

The exact details of their first encounter vary depending on who you ask, but it generally goes something like this: My future dad overhears my future mom making a snide comment to one of her friends; my dad in turn makes a snide comment to my mom; some attempt at flirtatious conversation ensues; my mom sneaks out the back door to avoid further conversation with my dad. They somehow meet up later. The rest is history.

Ah, romance.

"I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did," my mom said when I called her this afternoon with the news, referring to the bar. "It was always kind of a dump."

Perhaps. But I'm quite thankful for that dump.

--Matt McGuire, Metromix editor

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Fans of some of the best buffalo wings in town are mourning the loss the Yak-Zies Diversey Parkway location. The spot closed after business Sunday night—a closing that happened rather quietly during one of the busiest weekends in Chicago, what with Lollapalooza and other fests going on all across town. The Tribune is reporting that the original owner passed away, and that the general manager was unable to elaborate on the future of the 41-year-old bar. The Wrigleyville Yak-zies on Clark Street is still open.

--Karen Budell, Metromix Bars and Clubs producer

Talk about splashy! River North’s newest lounge/club opened Wednesday with a preview party that drew media, scenesters and aging club guys sporting too-tight Ts and faux tans. Brought to you by the owner of Moda, get ready for Climax (insert joke here), which opens to the public Friday. The 6,250-square-foot nightspot is certainly spacious! Three bars are spread across four rooms, including one with a 35-foot ceiling and dramatic skylight.

We spied gorgeous architectural artifacts on our visit--check out the pair of 750-pound griffin lights flanking the main bar. The enormous, turn-of-the-century gargoyle light fixtures were salvaged from an East Coast mansion; the adjacent room features a couple of large stone pieces saved from a building lost in the Chicago fire. While those expensive details are certainly impressive, a leopard print wall and other elements show that a discernable design theme is certainly lacking.

One final thought … We’re not sure what, uh, moved us more: The groan-worthy name, which brings the posh factor down a notch, or the tacky light box images of a scantily clad, wet young woman frolicking with half-naked men.

Crescendo entered the scene with a splash this May and went out with a whisper early this summer. Then stories started swirling about the FBI investigation, investors getting scammed, and all sorts of other unsavory accustions. The Tribune’s John Kass sheds a little light on the situation with today’s column, “Feds getting hip to Chicago club scene.” Check it out—it’s a doozy:

G-Rod signed the statewide smoking ban today, making it a law that on Jan. 1, 2008, it’s lights out at all bars, restaurants and most other public places. While Chicago’s partial smoking ban kicked in during January 2006, this will put to rest all those questions of whether or not a spot is a full-fledged restaurant, or just a bar and grill, where is smoking allowed.

Personally as a non-smoker, I think this should have come much sooner, but I’m still happy. What are your thoughts on the ban?

Every summer in Chicago, a new crop of bars and clubs jockey for position at the top of trendsetters’ list of hotspots. Which just-opened lounges have bargoers in a tizzy? Here’s a list of the 5 new nightlife destinations you simply can’t get enough of—this week:

Martini Park for cool cocktails, live music nightly

English for afterwork drinks in art deco building

Relax Lounge for burgers, spiked shakes, rock ‘n’ roll

Chaise Lounge for a breezy scene with prime patio and  rooftop

The Violet Hour for a room so hush, hush it’s hot

Have you been to any of these sizzlin' spots? Post your reviews!

Once upon a time, there was a really hip rock ‘n’ roll hang named Pharmacy that was about to open in West Town. Then a few neighbors didn’t like the idea of a new bar in the ‘hood. And then it turned out that some law from the ’80s prohibits businesses calling themselves a pharmacy unless they sell prescription drugs. So much for the cool name, but you know what? After all the trouble this place has been through, we think the new name is really fitting: Relax!

Come 5 p.m. Tuesday, Relax Lounge will finally be open for business. They’ll still offer the one-third pound burgers and fries (only 4 bucks, and served until close) and spiked milkshakes, and the glowing green cross still marks the spot outside. The most major change for those that were lucky enough to get a sneak peek is that the blue pill wallpaper has been replaced by vintage ’60s paper from Paris. So go on, chill out, and Relax already.

And check out New on the Scene for updates on bar openings in your hood.

Despite recently being charged with fraud, Anthony Demasi of Tsunami Capital LLC apparently thought the show must go on: He opened his River North hotspot Crescendo on May 11 with a healthy dose of glitz, glamour and fanfare. The grand opening featured a fashion show, opera singer, Joffrey Ballet dancers and plenty of scenesters and VIPs on hand.

Now, show's over -- for a while at least. Crescendo closed this past weekend, but we’re told it will reopen in the next couple of weeks with a brand new management team. We can’t wait to find out who that’ll be. Stay tuned for updates.