Will ‘The Bear’ Do That and Bring in Urkel?

Over the weekend, social media delivered the news that the star of a popular TV comedy that takes place in Chicago dined at one of the city’s top restaurants.

Yes, none other than Steve Urkel himself — actor Jaleel White, the force behind Family Matters — ate dinner at Boka in Lincoln Park. Chef Lee Wolen took a selfie with White, who posed holding Boka’s cookbook with the chef holding a copy of White’s biography. Wolen posted a photo on his Instagram account calling White a childhood icon. Family Matters was a ‘90s show on ABC, a spinoff of another series that took place in Chicago, Perfect Strangers. White’s portrayal of the nerdy Urkel, a pocket-protector and suspender-wearing Chicago kid (and his suave alter-ego, Stefan Urquelle) was everything a sitcom-loving TV fan in the ‘90s loved. Wolen was named a semifinalist this year for a James Beard Award in the Outstanding Chef category. He’ll see if the Urkel bump helps when the foundation announces its finalists on Wednesday, April 2.

Wait, did any other relevant celeb sightings pop up over the weekend?

The Bear, unlike Family Matters, is actually taped in Chicago. The cast and crew dined at Vito and Nick’s Pizza. Vito and Nick’s is one of Chicago’s palaces of thin-cut pizza, a style of pie that The Bear hasn’t really acknowledged in three seasons. Heck, Pizza Lobo, which serves New York-style pies, even made a cameo, and Pequod’s deep-dish pizza became a plot device in Season 2. At least the butchered remains of a Pequod’s pie. There are photos of the Vito and Nick’s scene posted all over social media. The pizzeria dates back to 1920 (which is way before the term “tavern-style pizza” existed) and has moved a few times around the South Side. The old-school dining room is famous for crispy pizza and frosty mugs of Old Style beer.

There’s no indication that White could pop up in Season 4 of The Bear, but this feels a bit like John Cena from Season 3. As production ramps up, there will be more sightings. The cast of The Bear is just like you and me and they eat more than one meal a day. Need proof? Actors Ayo Edberi and Lionel Boyce ducked in over the weekend to Wishbone in West Loop. Wishbone’s a Chicago institution and its former space is about to be revived this week as a music venue from the estate of the late Jerry Garcia. Recently, Wishbone has made the bold move to add a 75-cent surcharge to all its egg dishes and 50 cents for chicken dishes to compensate for the rising price of eggs due to bird flu.

Will Poulter, who plays The Bear’s dreamboat Luca is also in town and was seen at Harry Caray’s 7th Inning Stretch at Water Tower Place last week posing with a bust of the famous baseball announcer. The news comes via owner Grant DePorter who also delivered some significant personal news. About two months after doctors diagnosed him with cancer, DePorter announced that he was in complete remission and tells Eater he’s been overwhelmed by the public’s support. A man with a keen eye for promotion, DePorter also reminds folks of their 7th Annual Toast to Harry at Navy Pier, a celebration that will take place on Tuesday, March 18. This year’s event hopes to reverse a new baseball curse — the curse that White Sox fans have to deal with after last year’s historically bad season.