—In honor of Dos Toros' 10-Year anniversary, the taqueria concept will be offering two items for $10 at Chicago locations on Wed., Oct. 30—the day of the brand's official anniversary. From 2 p.m. to close, and at participating downtown locations ( 1 N. Dearborn St., 300 S. Wacker Dr. and 205 W. Wacker Dr. ), guests will have the opportunity to order any two entrees from the menu.
—Guests who visit Estelle's, 2013 W. North Ave., on Halloween night will enjoy a half off happy hour items ( except shots ) at 5-7 p.m., along with all-night specials like a $5 Halloween Mystery Shot, $4 featured drafts and $5 Tito's cocktails. Halloween party-goers can enjoy late night food until 4 a.m. as well as a $5 quesadilla ( chicken or cheese with sour cream and pico ).
—Bassment, 353 W. Hubbard St. has a signature cocktail, The Bathtub ( $20 ), that is garnished with villainous rubber duckies for Halloween. It will be available Oct. 30-31.
—ZED451, 739 N. Clark St., celebrates Halloween with cocktail specials, offered for $1 to those who come dressed in costume on Halloween, Thursday, Oct. 31. Guests can also get complimentary tarot card readings in the bar lounge at 6-8 p.m. Also, on Oct. 24-31, there will be $13 cocktail specials such as Sangre, Buckets of Blood and Blood & Bones.
—Le Colonial, 57 E. Oak St., has added a prix fixe menu to its lunch service. The new option is available Monday through Friday 11 a.m.-3:45 p.m., and features two courses with dishes such as Hanoi beef noodle soup, chilled vegetable rolls, chicken curry and more. Curated by Executive Quoc Luong, each item is hand-selected and complemented by the choice of an iced tea or drip coffee for $29. See LeColonialChicago.com .
—The Museum of Contemporary Art ( MCA ), 200 E. Chicago Ave., is offering private guided tours along with either happy hour ( $50 each ) or a prix fixe dinner ( $95 each ). Both events conclude at the MCA restaurant Marisol. See mcachicago.org/Visit/Tours/Private-Tours/Happy-Hour-Tour and https://mcachicago.org/Visit/Tours/Private-Tours/Dinner-And-A-Tour.
—Brew Brew Coffee and Tea, an inclusive modern Mexican coffee shop, has reopened at 1641 W. 18th St. Guests will see familiar breakfast options, but with an earthy twist, that they can enjoy seated or on-the-go. Food items are in partnership with a local Chef Jay Ruff and are a collaboration of ideas from both sides. The drink menu features high-quality coffee roasted by the award-winning Passion House Coffee Roasters; options include a full espresso bar and a list of organic tea blends.
—The former wine director of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises was placed on leave at an Austin, Texas, restaurant group after a lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court accused him of sexual assault, The Chicago Tribune reported. Ryan Arnold is currently on a leave of absence while McGuire Moorman Hospitality conducts an investigation. In a complaint filed earlier this month, Arnold's former publicist alleged she was sexually assaulted by Arnold and then was retaliated against by Lettuce Entertain You executives after she reported it to company officials.
—Home Run Inn has announced the reopening of its original restaurant on Monday, Oct. 28, in Chicago's South Side at 4254 W. 31st St. The new restaurant is built next door to the original 1947 building and will seat up to 250 people, feature 42 drink taps and offer delivery.
—Kinton Ramen will open its second Chicago location this November in the city's Wicker Park neighborhood at 1426 N. Milwaukee Ave. Conceived by Founder James Hyunsoo Kim in collaboration with Executive Chef Aki Urata, Kinton Ramen Wicker Park will have 54 main dining room seats and 11 open-kitchen bar seats. The ramen styles are original, shoyu, miso, spicy garlic and spicy jalapeno, which each include accompanying slices of pork belly that are torched for added caramelization and flavor, or chicken breast slices.
—Benny's Chop House, 444 N. Wabash Ave., is offering various fall cocktails. They include Getting' Figgy Wit It ( Figenza fig vodka, lemon, sage, sparkling; $14 ), Fall Fizz ( Plymouth Gin, sloe gin, lime, soda; $14 ), The Nut Job ( rumchata, Dorda Chocolate Liqueur Bulleit Bourbon, caramel and pecans; $15 ), PSV… Pumpkin Spice Vodka ( Benny's Chop House Original Vodka, Kahlua Saint Brendan's Irish Cream, pumpkin spice; $15 ) and All That Glitters ( Brillet pear liqueur, Cointreau, gold sugar rim; $13 ).
—The new Gold Coast restaurant Stockton, 1009 N. Rush St., has started serving brunch, on Saturdays and Sundays at 10 a.m.-2 p.m. There will be select items from Stockton's dinner menu like the seafood tower and fresh sushi rolls, along with indulgent brunch specials featuring a French toast tower and avocado toast. Specialty cocktails such as the Hangover Vanilla Latte and Hibiscus Mimosa are also featured.
—Fans of the Italian restaurant Balena ( which suffered extensive fire damage in 2017 ) are being invited Nov. 1-24, Wednesdays through Sundays starting at 5 p.m., a menu highlighting the favorite dishes from Balena courtesy of executive chef Chris Pandel at Dutch & Doc's, 3600 N. Clark St. Dishes such as the taglioni nero ( with sea urchin and crab ) and lemon kale orecchiette will be available. Reservations can be made via OpenTable or at http://bit.ly/BalenaPopUp.
—Fry the Coop will be offering $5 Nashville Fried Chicken Sandwiches ( originally $8.50, and featuring fried chicken, cole slaw, pickles and special sauce, on a brioche bun ) on Sunday, Nov. 3, in celebration of National Sandwich Day. The promotion will be available at both the Oak Lawn and Elmhurst Fry the Coop locations. ( The Wells Street Market location is closed weekends. )
—Brass Heart, 4662 N. Broadway, will host a seven-course collaborative dinner with Moody Tongue Brewing Company on Wed., Nov. 6, 6-10:30 p.m. Tickets ( $130/guest ) are available at BrassHeartChicago.com/reservations.
—The culinary event Kouzina will return to the National Hellenic Museum ( NHM ), 333 S. Halsted St., 6:30-10 p.m., on Thursday, Nov. 7. The museum will present a collection of chefs—including Chef Louie Alexakis of Avli River North and Executive Chef Max Robbins of Longman & Eagle—showcasing signature dishes that have been influenced by Greek cuisine or culture. Tickets are $100 per person in advance or $125 at the door, and include food, wine and full access to the museum; visit NationalHellenicMuseum.org/calendar/kouzina/ or call 312-655-1234.
—James Beard Award-nominated Chef Brian Jupiter is teaming with one of TIME Magazine's Next Generation Leaders, Chef Tunde Wey, to host "Hotter than a Mother Clucker: a Collaborative Dinner and Discussion" at Frontier, 1072 N. Milwaukee Ave., on Thursday, Nov. 7, with seatings at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. The chefs are partnering with My Block, My Hood, My City for this event; attendees will be encouraged to abandon their comfort zones and will be seated based on the neighborhood they live in, with the goal of connecting people with different backgrounds, levels of income, and race. Tickets are $45 each; visit TheFrontierChicago.com/happenings/ .
—Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry ( an event for those 21 and older ) is returning to Chicago for the 30th year on Friday, Nov. 8, at Revel Fulton Market. Notable chefs like Heather Terhune ( Tre Rivali ), Jon Brooks ( Beholder ) and Justin Sutherland ( Pearl & the Thief ) will be serving items. All of the proceeds support the No Kid Hungry campaign to end childhood hunger in this country. See events.nokidhungry.org/events/chicagos-taste-nation/ .
—Meals on Wheels Chicago's signature fundraiser, the Celebrity Chef Ball, is taking place Friday, Nov. 8, 6-11:30 p.m. at Morgan Manufacturing, 401 N. Morgan St. The evening of food and philanthropy brings more than 80 top chefs, mixologists and Chicagoans together to help homebound neighbors. Tickets are $200-$400 each; visit MealsOnWheelsChicago.org/ccb.
—The Illinois Craft Brewers Guild announced the return of North America's largest barrel-aged beer festival and competition, the Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer ( FoBAB ). It will take place with three tasting sessions Nov. 8-9 at the UIC Forum, 725 W Roosevelt Rd. See FoBAB.com .
—On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, Passion House Coffee Roasters will exclusively be serving Veteran Roasters' Coffee in all three of its Chicago cafes ( Logan Sqaure, Goose Island, Politan Row ). Passion House has partnered with Veteran Roasters Coffee since its inception to help source and roast coffee with its team of all-veteran employees, Bags of their coffee will also be available for purchase. See VeteranRoasters.com and PassionHouseCoffee.com .
—Dos Urban Cantina, 2829 W. Armitage Ave. will host its fourth-anniversary party Monday, Nov. 18, with seatings at 6 and 8 p.m. The event will feature food and drinks from Dos Urban Cantina, along with a variety of neighbors and friends, including Funkenhausen, The Publican, Superkhana International, Bar Sotano and S.K.Y. Tickets are $45 ( for the 8 p.m. seating ) and $65 ( the 6 p.m. seating ); visit DosUrbanCantina.com .
—True Food Kitchen—the award-winning, seasonally inspired restaurant and bar involved with healthful dining that was founded by integrative medicine expert Dr. Andrew Weil—announces its second Illinois location, in western Chicago suburb Oak Brook. The 32nd restaurant for the health-driven restaurant brand will open its doors at Oakbrook Center on Wed., Nov. 20. Dishes will include the ancient grains bowl, organic Tuscan kale salad, inside out quinoa burger, spaghetti squash casserole, and the flourless chocolate cake.
—L.A. Burdick, 609 N. State St., now features The Burdick Cookie. The item includes chocolate, walnuts, local farm-fresh butter and eggs,and fresh vanilla beans.
—For Thanksgiving, Shaw's Crab House, 21 E. Hubbard St., has a large carryout menu with appetizers, sides, and pies to go. ( People are urged to order at least 48 hours in advance. ) Shaw's Crab House-Chicago will be open to dine in Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28.
—The Goddess and Grocer has a Thanksgiving catering menu for those who want to opt out of cooking but still entertain guests. A portion of the Thanksgiving menu will be available in stores Nov. 18-Dec. 1. All catering orders must be placed by Monday, Nov. 25, by 5 p.m. To place an order, call 773-292-7100 or email catering@goddessandgrocer.com . Thanksgiving Day deliveries will be available 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
—Texas de Brazil domestic locations will open early at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 28, for Thanksgiving. All day, diners will enjoy the family-owned Brazilian steakhouse brand's traditional rodizio-style dinner menu plus standard Thanksgiving dishes including roasted turkey with gravy, cranberry relish and sweet potato casserole. An award-winning wine list, specialty cocktails and desserts are all available a la carte. Dinner pricing varies per location.
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