Courvoisier has come out with holiday cocktail recipes. Try The Milk & Honey ( 1.5 parts Courvoisier® VSOP, four parts hot milk and a teaspoon of clover honey, served with grated nutmeg ) or holiday toddy ( 1.5 parts Courvoisier® VSOP, one half-moon slice of orange, one lemon wedge, three whole cloves, one part agave nectar and hot water ) .
Shaw's Crab House, located in Chicago ( 21 E. Hubbard St. ) and Schaumburg ( 1900 E. Higgins Rd. ) , is hosting its annual Crab Festival Jan. 1-31. Stop into either location for seasonal crab specials, including crab cakes, domestic red Alaskan king crab and golden Alaskan king crab. See www.shawscrabhouse.com .
Waterleaf Restaurant on the College of DuPage campus announces a new three-course pre-theater dinner. The dinner menu accommodates patrons of the McAninch Arts Center, as well as other guests who have evening plans following their dinner at Waterleaf. The menu ( $29 per person ) is available Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays 5-6 p.m. and Sundays 4:30-6 p.m. Items include seared scallops salad, filet mignon and tiramisu, among other items. See www.waterleafrestaurant.com .
Porter's Pub, 1250 Bowes Creek Blvd., Elgin, invites guests to have their holiday gifts wrapped Wed.-Thursday, Dec. 21-22. With the purchase of an entrée, guests can receive complimentary gift wrapping. While waiting for their gifts to be wrapped, guests can also enjoy Porter's signature holiday-themed martinis, such as the Sugar Cookie. See www.PortersPubElgin.com .
Gioco, 1312 S. Wabash Ave., has a new menu, courtesy of new Executive Chef Gaetano Ascione. The many items include proscuitto and melon; calamaretti; antipasto "Gioco"; tortelloni ( filled with pumpkins and amaretti cookies, double cream, pesto, tomatoes, pecorino fondue ) ; tonno ( grilled Ahi tuna and roasted tropea red onions ) ; and salmone ( Scottish salmon, potatoes, olive, string beans, mesclun and lettuce ) . See http:// www.giocorestaurant.com .
Frontier, 1072 N. Milwaukee Ave., will close early on Christmas Eve and will be closed on Christmas Day but will offer guests the option to order smoked meats to go. The smoked meats will be available for pick-up Dec. 24-25, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Options include turkey, bone-in ham, goose, Cornish game hen and pheasant. Available sides for a la carte pricing include five-cheese mac, cornbread stuffing, sweet potato puree and more. See www.thefrontierchicago.com or call 773-772-4322.
Marzano's, 1501 S. Route 31, McHenry, is now open. The restaurant features certified Neapolitan-style pizza made in a wood-fired Italian oven imported from Naples, Italy. Open for dinner seven nights a week, Marzano's approachable menu offers handmade pizzas and pastas with house-made sauce from San Marzano tomatoes in addition to a selection of entrees and a kid's menu. See www.marzanositalian.com .
Foodgasm, the web cooking series, has recently launched an Indiegogo fundraising campaign to complete four more episodes on the new web series. Launched April of this year, Foodgasm features chef Ashley Simone, a dancer-actress who recently completed her culinary degree. Strongly influenced by the 1940s, the show features five-to-seven-minute episodes. Episodes of Foodgasm can be seen at www.aFoodgasm.com and recipes for episodes can be found at www.FoodgasmtheBlog.com .
Table fifty-two, 52 W. Elm St., is presenting "Bourbon & Beyond" Wed., Jan. 25, at 7 p.m. This tasting event features selections like Eagle Rare, Elijah Craig 18, Pappy Van Winkle 20, Hirsch's 20 Year American Whiskey, Hudson Four Grain Bourbon and St. George's "Breaking and Entering" Bourbon. It's $45 to take part. See www.tablefifty-two.com .
Chicago native Beth Aldrich, author of Real Moms Love to Eat, will be signing her book 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, at FOODease ( Level M, Water Tower Place ) . For more information on the book signing event, call 312-335-3663 or visit FOODease Market on Facebook.
Morton's Restaurant Group has agreed to be acquired by an affiliate of Houston-based restaurant operator Landry's Inc. in a deal that values the storied Chicago steakhouse chain at about $116.6 million, according to the Chicago Tribune. Landry's owns more than 30 restaurants, including Rainforest Cafe and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Morton's has 77 steakhouses in 64 cities worldwide.
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