Three popular chefs from Chicago will compete in the 9th Annual Food Fight for Scleroderma (an as-yet not-curable disease that tightens skin and sometimes internal organs) on Sunday, May 7, 2017 at AceBounce (230 N Clark St) in Chicago. Nicole Pederson (Found), Andres Padilla (Lena Brava) and Jared Wentworth (Trench) will each present a dish to a panel of judges and an audience of food-lovers. Guests vote for their favorite dish of the night. Judges score based on taste, creativity and presentation. The winning chef is announced at the end of the evening.
The competing chefs will also have a restaurant, brewery and distillery from their respective neighborhoods to provide additional food and drink. VIP reception ($145) from 4 to 5pm. General admission ($95) cocktail reception from 5 to 6pm, then the competition will take place between 6 and 8pm.
Feel welcome in the cozy classy atmosphere of Tortoise Supper Club
Just discovered the Tortoise Supper Club during a press event featuring D.E.W. Tullamore Irish whiskey’s “DEW and a Brew” tour through Chicago. Love the leather-and-wood ambience and loved the food and service, too. Now this cozy, classy restaurant, known for its steaks, chops and fresh seafood, is inviting us to come have a special cocktail so they can donate $3 per drink to the worthy cause of the month.
Cocktails for a Cause teams the supper club each month with a local non-profit to help raise awareness and funds for that organization. The restaurant/lounge creates an original limited edition cocktail and donates $3 of every one sold to that month’s non-profit partner.
This month, Tortoise Supper Club teams up with The Miracle Center, which provides arts-education-based programming for inner-city Chicago kids. Through its afterschool and summertime programs, youths aged 11 – 22 work together to develop full-scale theater productions that are then performed for the general public. These programs help kids strengthen their creative problem-solving abilities and build self-esteem by developing their leadership and general life skills.
Curtain Call isthis March’s Cocktail for a Cause. House-infused dill vodka is mixed with fresh-squeezed lime juice and a housemade honey syrup, finished with a couple dashes of grapefruit bitters and garnished with a touch of grapefruit zest. Even if you’re not a huge fan of mixed drinks, this one sounds like a winner.
No reservations required. Just come in and relax this month, meet the owners who are almost always onsite greeting guests, and know that 3 bucks of your Curtain Call price will be donated directly to The Miracle Center.
P.S. Weekly specials include Half Priced Signature Cocktails on Wednesdays, Sautéed Frog Legs and Buttermilk Battered Cod on Fridays, Northwoods Dry Rubbed Prime Rib on Saturdays and $1 Oysters / $1 Shrimp Cocktail from 4:30 – 6:30 pm on weekdays. Live Sinatra-style jazz music is played in the lounge every Friday and Saturday night.
Brown-Forman (the world-class whiskey company that also owns JackDaniel’s, Woodford Reserve, and Old Forester) recently unveiled its newly-acquired single malt Scotch Whisky brands at a cocktail party held at The Drifter, 676 N. Orleans, the hidden cocktail den underneath Chicago’s iconic Green River Tavern. The new brands include BenRiach, The GlenDronach, and Glenglassaugh.
These brands are new to Brown-Forman, but they’re iconic Scotch whisky brands with roots each date back to the 1800s. Each of these three distilleries offers both peated and unpeated single malts, many of which have become cult favorites in their own right.
A Drifter custom cocktail – Chilled Scotch Toddy
Brown-Forman tasting at The Drifter in Chicago
Comparing the ineffable characteristics of fine Socth whiskies
During the event, Global Brand Ambassador Stewart Buchanan led the group through a tasting of four of his favorite whiskies: The BenRiach 10, The GlenDronach 12, Glenglassaugh Evolution, and The BenRiach Curiositas.
And now you can now buy any of the new brands at fine retailers throughout Chicago.
As the temperatures continue to be chillingly above normal, we can all feel free to keep exploring our restaurant options, sans hoods, gloves and scarves. Check these announcements out:
Seasides carryoutw fried chicken
Seaside’s opens Monday, March 13 for carryout and delivery from the team behind Oyster Bah in Lincoln Park. The menu focuses on fried chicken, slow-cooked BBQ ribs, fresh Maine lobster, and sides, all fit for sharing. Harking back to childhood memories of the Jersey Shore, Oyster Bah and Shaw’s Crab House Partner, Bill “Seaside” Nevruz, brings family-style simple, delicious fare to take-home .
Seaside’s shares kitchen space at Oyster Bah. Order in person or online for pick up Mondays-Thursdays 5 -10 pm, Fridays and Saturdays 4 – 11pm, and Sundays from 4 – 9pm. Or get delivery through the Door Dash app. Right now, diners who place an order through Door Dash can receive $5 off (with a minimum purchase of $15) by using promo code LETTUCEEATS.
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Ella Elli, 1349 W. Cornelia Ave., the eleventh concept by 4 Star Restaurant Group (Tuco and Blondie, Crosby’s Kitchen, Remington’s), opened in Lakeview just off Southport Avenue last night, Tuesday, March 6. With culinary operations led by 4 Star Executive Chef Matt Eversman and branding and design development by Chicago-based Grip (Girl & The Goat, GT Fish & Oyster), the 75-seat concept is a warm, intimate lounge space to enjoy cuisine created with global influences, a unique wine list and classic cocktails.
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Guests can enjoy dishes by 4 Star Executive Chef Matt Eversman, alongside Executive Chef Nolan Narut that range from charcuterie and toasts, vegetables and salads to pizzas and pastas, meats, fish, and desserts. Cured Meats and Pickles, Artisanal Cheeses and Steak Tartar, with toast options like the Prosciutto Butter Toast with radish and dill.
Vegetables and salads are stand-outs at Ella Elli. Crispy Grain Salad with goat cheese and shaved vegetables, Roasted Carrots with crème fraiche, harissa and pickled celery. From the wood-burning pizza oven comes Roasted Oyster Mushroom with goat cheese. Pastas include Rigatoni with roasted cauliflower, mint and chilies. Seafoods include Hamachi Crudo with persevered lemon relish and Wood-Oven Octopus with crispy potatoes and salsa verde. Meats: Burger Au Poivre with St. André triple cream and watercress, or Lamb Scottadito with spiced yogurt and harissa. Desserts include Profiteroles with mint gelato and espresso dark chocolate sauce, and Spanish Blue Cheese Beignets with cardamom powedered sugar, fresh lemon and fig-balsamic glaze.
It’s winter, right, people? 63 degrees? I don’t think so. 43 degrees? Not really. How about 70? Do I hear 70 degrees? In any case, it’s a great time to get out and try some of the delicious things going on at Chicago restaurants these days. Here are 3 of them.
Dim sum :Author: User:Das_O2 :Date: August 20th, 2005 :Notes: Typical dim sum breakfast in Hong Kong. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Intro, 2300 N. Lincoln Park West, is now offering Dim Sum brunch, Sundays from 10am to 3pm. The unique and delicious menu can be ordered a la carte, or shared family-style at $22.95 per person. Check out: Smoked Salmon Bao, “Everything Spice”, Caper Szechuan Aioli, Chinese Homestyle Eggs with Pork Belly and Congee Rice and Chinese Donuts with Cinnamon and Espresso Milk. Full menu here and call 773-868-0002 to reserve.
Dovetail Brewery is dog friendly
Not a festival, not quite a market but absolutely a great time. Dovetail Brewery, 1800 W. Belle Plaine, will be hosting some of the tastiest artisanal local craft vendors in its taproom from noon to 5 p.m. on March 25. Stop by and create your own charcuterie board of assorted breads, cheeses and meats to accompany your favorite Dovetail beers. And by popular demand, Dovetail has added a 1 pm. tour on Saturdays. Stop by the brewery at either 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. to enjoy an informative and fun tour. Tour admission is $15 which includes your choice of three Dovetail 0.3L servings of beer.
Ēma, 74 W. Illinois, another LEYE restaurant, is having its first-ever wine dinner on March 29 at 6:30. For $75 a person (plus tax and gratuity) you’ll be treated to a mezze feast of Ema favorites and specialty dishes crafted by Chef CJ Jacobson and accompanied by wines from Sandhi Winery in Santa Barbara, California. Leading the event is winemaker and James Beard beverage book winner Rajat Parr, author Secrets of the Sommelier, and recipient of the 2015 James Beard Award for Outstanding Wine Professional. Call 312-485-5778 or email emaparties@leye.com to reserve.
As a thank you to customers in celebration of 19 years in Chicago’s bustling Theater District and across from City Hall, 312 Chicago, 136 N. LaSalle, and Chef Luca are offering *all* dinner entrees for $19 each as well as $19 bottles of select red and white wine. Starting on their anniversary, 3/12/17 and evenings through Tuesday 3/14, you can get everything at the party price – check the list below. Reservations are encouraged.
One blazing-hot late morning, many summers ago, one of my then-husband’s acquaintances stopped by our house – probably to borrow a tool or something. I reflexively offered him a beer. He looked somewhat aghast and said, “Well I don’t think the sun is over the yardarm yet.”
I looked back at him with my eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. I said “What the heck is a yard arm?” (See here for the origin of the expression.) He told me, and I snorted a little bit. “Hey,” I said, “I’m Irish. We don’t even know where the yardarm is.”
You won’t, therefore, be surprised to learn that my dad loved his shot-and-a-beer boilermakers. And what more perfect combination for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day?
Tullamore Dew is an Irish Whiskey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Tullamore D.E.W. Irish whiskey is on an educational “D.E.W. and a Brew Tour” multi-city adventure to educate drinkers on how different beers complement the malty and sweet flavors of Tullamore D.E.W., the second largest Irish whiskey producer in the world.
Sponsored by Time Out North America, the tour helps consumers appreciate the joys of sipping an Irish whiskey alongside a beer. Partners include Time Out, the trusted global brand for inspiring and enabling people to make the most of their city, and a dynamic group of independent breweries across the country. Below are the three Chicago spots where you can hunker down with D.E.W. specials and be part of the fun:
