—American Junkie, 15 W. Illinois St., is opening Wed., March 20. The 17,000-square-foot building, developed by Chicago-based LG Development Group, will feature a two-story restaurant, bar and entertainment venue. Chef Kendal Duque's menu includes baby beets with blood orange, mache lettuce and fennel vinaigrette; and wild boar chili with ancho peppers, cornbread croutons and Meyer lemon cream. See americanjunkiechi.com .
—Celebrate Chicago's culinary offerings at many of the city's most notable chef-driven restaurants during the Fifth Annual Chicago Chef Week, March 17-22. Nearly 75 restaurants will offer a three-course, prix fixe dinner menu for $44 each; for those who serve lunch, there's a $22 menu. See chicagochefweek.com for the full list of participating restaurants.
—"La Ultima Cena"—the last dinner seating of the evening, when people get "dressed up and let their hair down"—will take place at the Four Seasons' Allium restaurant, 120 E. Delaware Pl., on Saturday, March 23, at 8:30 p.m. (with an after-party at 10:30 p.m.). Partaking in the Asian-inspired menu will cost $85 ($100 with wine pairings). Call 312-649-2363.
—Dining Out for Life will take place April 25 in several North American cities, including Chicago; visit www.diningoutforlife.com . Last year, Chicago raised more than $110,000 to continue its mission of providing housing and services to men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS. Among the dozens of participating restaurants are Club Lucky, Andies, Crew Bar & Grill, Salpicon, and Longman & Eagle.
—Benny's Chop House, 444 N. Wabash Ave., is marking National Poultry Day March 19. Among the offerings are a buttermilk fried quail appetizer ($16.99) with black mission figs, maple syrup and mustard, and the brick chicken dish ($22.99). Call 312-626-2444 or visit www.bennyschophouse.com .
—Cru Kitchen & Bar, 25 E. Delaware Pl., is hosting a Deschutes beer dinner at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 21, for $45 per person. Guests will dine on seared scallop, braised pork cheek, grilled hanger steak and hot fudge ice-cream sandwich. To make reservations, call Cru at 312-337-4001.
—Phil Stefani's 437 Rush, 437 N. Rush St., will host a wine dinner featuring Ruffino Wines Tuesday, March 19. Menu highlights include wide ribbon pasta with wild boar ragout, roasted ribeye filet and more. The cost is $68 per person (excluding tax and gratuity); call 312-222-0101.
—ZED451, 739 N. Clark St., is featuring specialties for St. Patrick's Day March 16. Items will include Shamrockers, Jameson hot chocolate and Guinness-braiser sliders. In addition, the rooftop will be open at 11 a.m. for a parade pre-party. See www.ZED451.com .
—The Spirit of Chicago will celebrate Easter on Sunday, March 31, with a brunch and dinner. The event will feature a buffet (including Thai BBQ sirloin beef, Caribbean roasted chicken and penne al forno), interactive emcee entertainment, treats for children and a guest appearance from the Easter bunny. Admission starts at $54.90; call 866-273-2649.
—Chicago q, 1160 N. Dearborn St., has unveiled a new brunch menu with items such as carrot cake and sweet potato pancakes. There is also a Benedict flight with Kobe brisket eggs Benedict, Southern eggs Benedict and smoked chicken eggs Benedict. Call 312-642-1160.
—Grass Fed, 1721 N. Damen Ave., is offering its #1 best-seller for weekend brunch—Fried Chicken & Waffles ($14)—on Monday, March 25, for "International Waffle Day." Grass Fed's take features buttermilk-brined Amish raised chicken, topped with sage butter and drizzled with warm maple syrup. Visit www.grassfedbucktown.com .
—On Easter Sunday, March 31, Schaumburg's Rosebud Old World Italian restaurant is offering a brunch buffet priced at $35 per adult and $15 for kids aged 6-12. (All children under 6 eat free.) Items will include everything from waffles to a pasta station to a Bloody Mary bar. Call 847-240-1414 or visit www.rosebudrestaurants.com .
—Starting March 15, Moonshine Urban Roadhouse, 1824 W. Division St., will present "Green Domination" to mark St. Patrick's Day and Michigan State Spartan's 2013 Big Ten Tournament run. Among the specials/events are corned beef sliders for $2 each or a combo deal of three with fresh-cut fries for $7. See www.moonshinechicago.com .
—Municipal Bar + Dining Company, 216 W. Ohio St., is now open for lunch starting at 11 a.m. on weekdays. Lunch appetizers include steak tartar ($12) and lobster avocado salad ($15), while lobster roll ($15) and chorizo gourmet burger ($14) are among the sandwiches offered. Call 312-951-2125 or visit www.municipalbar.com .
—Deleece, 3747 N. Southport Ave., is offering a $75 six-course wine dinner on Tuesday, March 19. Among the offerings are crispy duck breast (paired with 2010 Beckmen Cuvee Le Bec, Santa Ynez Valley, Calif.) and pastafrolla (with 2010 Quady Elysium, Madera, Calif.). Reservations are required; call 773-325-1710 or visit www.deleece.com .
—Chicago Cut Steakhouse has unveiled a new mixology program. The new cocktails are modernized versions of old Chicago favorites. For $12 per cocktail, guests will sample the Chicago 75 (Gin, St. Germaine liqueur, simple syrup and fresh lemon juice) and the Berrymore (Tito's Vodka, simple syrup, prosecco, fresh strawberries), among others. See www.ChicagoCutSteakhouse.com .
—Porkchop, 941 W. Randolph St., has whiskey flights. Each flight may be paired with a slider trio that would cost $6. Among the flights is The Zoologist ($21, consisting of Pig's Nose, Sheep Dip and Monkey Shoulder). See chicagoporkchop.com .
—Baconfest Chicago will take place at the UIC Forum, 725 W. Roosevelt Rd., on Saturday, April 20. The lunch session will be 12:30-3 p.m., and the dinner session will be 6:30-9 p.m., with a one-hour VIP event happening before each. A panel of judges bestows the Golden Rasher Awards on chefs and guests for achievement in the bacon arts. Tickets are $100 each; see baconfestchicago.com for more details.
—Kanela Old Town is now open at 1552 N. Wells St. This is the restaurant's second location, and is owned by Chris Lardakis (owner of Kanela Breakfast Club in Lakeview) and Alexi Giannoulias (former Illinois state treasurer). Kanela will be open daily for breakfast, brunch and lunch beginning at 6:30 a.m. See www.kanelacafe.com .
—The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 2430 N. Cannon Dr., explores the role food plays in our lives with the premiere of its newest self-developed exhibit, "Food: The Nature of Eating." The exhibit runs March 23-Sept. 8. See www.naturemuseum.org .
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