It's blue jeans meets black tie, says Brigette Lytle - "Brie" - of the place with a soundtrack that includes Brit pop, underground American roots music, and up-and-coming artists from as far as Australia.

And this place is a fusion of Chicago's Tomboy, The Room, South, and Speakeasy Supper Club, says Jody André - "jo."

To be hip yourself about Briejo, you've first got to get the name right: "BREE-jo," two syllables - a composite of the owners' nicknames. No third syllable. No "ay" in the middle. No "h" sound.

Briejo opened in early November at 211 Harrison St., between Prodigy Glassworks and The Brown Elephant. It's the second dining establishment to have come to the arts district in 2008, just two blocks away from Eastgate Café, which opened last June. Like the previous full-service restaurant that found a home on Harrison Street - Trattoria 225, which Lettuce Entertain You vet Craig Charlton opened in 2007 - Briejo hails from bigtime city know-how.

André - Jo, that is - has rated restaurant buzz since the late '90s, a fixture on Chicago's dining hot lists with four spots that became North Side destinations. Speakeasy was also a cabaret. Her partner in that venture was Michael Feinstein.

Since her move from Edgewater to Forest Park, André has teamed with Lytle, an Oak Parker and an arts district neighbor and observer. Together they're infusing Harrison Street's toddling nightlife with what Chicago Reader calls André's "boisterous hospitality."

Though the nightlife vibe of this place might keep some diners from bringing kids along even during the early evening, friendliness abounds for everyone. Teens can enjoy cocktails beyond a Shirley Temple, like Briejo's virgin mojito - a favorite among young adults awaiting that 21st birthday. And desserts have fun names and fillings. One called The Dough Boy is an egg roll with a scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough inside.

From scrolling through playlists on iTunes to prompting reviews of the Casablanca-led classics on the bar's flatscreen, Lytle and André know how to dish out smart extras.

The basics they serve are plenty comforting, too, and each with its own edge: pan-seared sea scallops topped with fried leeks, rack of lamb with coconut-mashed sweet potatoes, pork tenderloin with a kick in the barbecue sauce that's raspberry, duck à l'orange with vanilla pâte à choux gnocchi, truffle mac 'n' cheese.

Staples from André's earlier menus surface: escargot and the crèmetini. The latter, a crème brûlée served in a martini glass, was the showstopper at Tomboy, according to The Chicago Tribune's Phil Vettel, who in 1997 wrote "the ... presentation knocked me out."