—Friday, Sept. 13, is National Cachaca ( pronounced "kuh CHAA kuh" ) Day or National Caipirinha Day. To mark the occasion, Texas de Brazil locations nationwide, including the Chicago and Schaumburg locations, will be offering $5 caipirinhas all day. Caipirinhas are the national drink of Brazil and are made with only three simple ingredients ( cachaca, lime, and sugar ).
—Dessert and diner concept JoJo's Milk Bar, 23 W. Hubbard St., now has an over-the-top Brunch Shake. Available now, The Brunch Shake has an Oreo espresso base and cookie crumb collar—and is topped with whipped cream, a toasted waffle, a golden French toast stick and maplewood bacon. The shake is the newest addition to JoJo's Milk Bar's brunch menu along with a savory Bloody Mary, available Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
—The Dearborn, 145 N. Dearborn St., will host The Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival on Sept. 20-22. The Dearborn's fourth annual Oyster Festival will feature East and West Coast oysters on the half-shell for $1 all day Friday, Sept. 20, while supplies last, plus an extra-special giveaway over the weekend: a pearl necklace. Guests who leave their business card during the fest will be entered to win the 6mm, 18-inch cultured pearl-drop necklace from Chicago's Diamond Consultants; the winner will be announced at the end of the day, Sunday, Sept. 22. There will also be special menu items like The Oyster Po-Boy ( $15 ), the Prawn Cocktail ( $17 ), the seafood chowder ( $14 ) and more. Visit TheDearbornTavern.com or call 312-384-1242.
—For National Cheeseburger Day, the spot 80 Proof, 1500 N. Wells St., will be offering its signature Smash Burger for free with a purchase of anything on the menu ( limit one per person and while supplies last ) at 5-10 p.m. on Wed., Sept. 18. See 80ProofChi.com .
—Also for National Cheeseburger Day ( Sept. 18 ), Jake Melnick's Corner Tap, 41 E. Superior St., will have offerings such as Prohibition ( $15.95; beer cheese spread, slow-smoked pulled pork, beer battered onions and Jake's stout BBQ sauce ), Jake's Cheeseburger! ( $13.95; your choice of cheese ) and the 8-lb. Monster Burger ( $59.95 ).
—In honor of the piano's 100th birthday, Tortoise Supper Club, 350 N. State St., will be hosting a weeklong celebration ( Sept. 16-21 ) of music, food, drinks and Windy City history. Events include Opera Night, Broadway Night, Contemporary Jazz Night in the Lounge, Rat Pack Night in the Lounge, Jazz Standards Night in the Lounge and Sinatra-Style Jazz Night in the Lounge. Reservations can be made at 312-755-1700 or via OpenTable.
—Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya and the Japanese Culture Center ( JCC ) will host the second annual "Kizuki Chicago Japanese Matsuri" on Friday-Sunday, Sept. 20-22. Held in NEWCITY Plaza, 1457 N. Halsted St., the 100,000-square-foot indoor and outdoor festival will celebrate Japanese culture with authentic food, drink, performances and more than 30 vendors. The cost is $10 ( five tickets ), while $20 get 11 passes. See "Kizuki Chicago Japanese Matsuri 2019" on Facebook.
—Spiaggia Chef/Partner Tony Mantuano, former Executive Chef Missy Robbins and Executive Chef Joe Flamm will pass the torch to the new Executive Chef Eric Lees during a special dinner on Saturday, Sept. 21. The farewell tasting menu will tell the story of the culinary dynasty that has walked kitchen of Spiaggia over the years and give diners a sneak peek at what's in store for the future. The five-course dining experience will be offered for $200 per person, with several seating times available; visit www.exploretock.com/spiaggia/ .
—Sam Adams' Lakeview Taco Fest returns for its seventh year on Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 21-22. The fest takes place on Southport Avenue between Addison ( 3600 N ) and Roscoe ( 3400 N ) streets, in the heart of the Southport Corridor. Hours are 11 a.m.-10 p.m. both days. A few of the participating restaurants include The Pony Inn, Tied House/Schubas, D.S. Tequila Company and Taqueria Arceo. See LakeViewTacoFest.com .
—The nonprofit Rogers Park Business Alliance will present its annual Taste of Clark Street celebration on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2-6 p.m. Clark Street restaurants from Devon to Touhy Avenues will offer samples of their signature dishes. Participating restaurants include Taqueria El Chorrito, Life's Sweet Inc., Cafe El Meson II, Paleteria Las Delicias De Michoacan, Nueva Italy Pizzeria and more. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 the day of the event, andhere will be an additional $10 for beer and wine tastings; advance tickets are now available at RPBA.org .
—The inaugural Taste of Lettuce River North dinner will take place Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 6:30 p.m. at Wildfire Chicago, 159 W. Erie St. At this event, chefs from Big Bowl, Shaw's and Beatrix join the culinary team at Wildfire to create a one-night-only four-course menu showcasing all four restaurants. Tickets are $75/person, which includes cocktail and wine pairings with each course; visit www.wildfirerestaurant.com/events/taste-of-river-north/ .
—Schubas' first-ever Thunder on Southport Motorcycle Rally, with 805 beer, will take place Saturday, Sept. 28, 12-5 p.m. The day will start at 10 a.m. at Federal Moto, 2021 W. Fulton St., for some refreshments. There will be cheap beer/booze/food, vintage moto movies, live music, raffles and more—with raffle items from Federal Moto, Biltwell, Ride Chicago, Harley Davidson Wrigleyville, Motoblot, Sailor Jerry, Distinguished Gentleman's Ride, and Schubas Tavern + Lincoln Hall. RSVP at lh-st.com/shows/09-28-2019-thunder-on-southport-motorcycle-rally/ .
—At Brass Heart, 4662 N. Broadway, on Wed., Oct. 2, 6-10 p.m., Chef Gaetano Nardulli—formerly of Schwa Restaurant ( Chicago ) and NEAR Restaurant ( Barrington )—will be a guest chef at an exclusive Old World-versus-New World event. Guests will enjoy 12 courses—six from Executive Chef Matthew Kerney's team at Brass Heart and six from Nardulli. The cost is $185 each, including food, tax and gratuities; visit www.opentable.com/r/brass-heart-reservations-chicago to RSVP.
—Four Corners is reintroducing The Motel Bar, 600 W. Chicago Ave., as Monty's Tap. The name change pays homage to the concept's local history located within the former headquarters of Montgomery Ward—the country's oldest mail-order firm and a National Historic Landmark. Monty's Tap, which accommodates up to 100 seated guests and unveils an updated 75-seat patio, focuses on a retro social experience with a creative dining and cocktail program; there are also culinary offerings such as the salmon power bowl, 4C Smash Burger and mahi tacos.
—Lawry's The Prime Rib, 100 E. Ontario St., is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year with a special offer. Diners can indulge in the spot's $59 Surf & Turf dinner; in return ( through Sept. 30 ), they will receive anniversary gifts of $25 bonus cards good for their next visits. Reservations are available at www.lawrysonline.com/lawrys-the-prime-rib-chicago/ .
—River Roast, 315 N. LaSalle St., is offering its seafood boil throughout September. The boil is the signature "Roast of the Month" featuring jumbo gulf shrimp, monkfish, mussels, sweet corn, potatoes and andouille sausage ( $52 ). See RiverRoastChicago.com .
—Club 77—with Sandy Chen and Executive Chef Patrick Sheerin as the people behind it—has officially opened for dinner at 77 W. Wacker Dr. Dinner items include seared snapper, roasted eggplant, Wagyu sirloin and many other offerings. Club 77 also features grab-and-go breakfast, lunch and happy hour. See Club77Chicago.com .
—Old Town Pour House, 1419 N. Wells St., invites guests to check out its new rock 'n roll-themed brunch menu every Saturday and Sunday until 3 p.m. The new brunch menu includes dishes such as Chak Shuka Khan, with spicy tomato sauce, sunny side up eggs, goat cheese, and a toasted garlic baguette; Johnny Hash, with braised short rib, bell pepper, onion, potato, jalapeño salsa verde and sunny side up eggs; and Lox N' Roll, with whiskey house-cured salmon on flatbread with dill cream cheese, grape tomato, mozzarella cheese, red onion, capers, baby arugula and citrus mustard vinaigrette. See OldtownPourHouse.com/chicago/ .
—Big Bowl, 60 E. Ohio St., is rolling out a new vegetarian menu that includes 17 all-veggie items. They include a tofu poke bowl, spicy Thai green vegetable curry, the kung pao tofu, vegetable wonton soup and more. The entire vegetarian menu is at BigBowl.com/chicago/menus/vegetarian-menu/ .
—Broken English, the taqueria from Stefani's Restaurant Group, has opened Luchardorable Creamery at its Lincoln Park location at 2576 N. Lincoln Ave. Guests can use the walk-up window facing Sheffield Avenue or order tableside when dining inside the spot. Luchadorable Creamery offers a selection of Mexican-style premium hard ice cream that will be served in churro cones ( $5 ), cups ( $4 ), and concha ice cream sandwiches ( $6 ). The menu also features several paleta ( $5 ) flavors, including a special Paw-leta flavor for dogs. CBD oil can be added for $5. See TacoPub.com .
—Speaking of drinks, The Whistler, 2421 N. Milwaukee Ave., has unveiled snack-inspired cocktails. For example, Opening Credits contains a fat-washed, popcorn-infused Fino sherry, and it has dry vermouth and honey salt; and Pulling Strings has a savory sesame oil-washed Japanese rice vodka, along with The Whistler's housemade ginger liqueur, lemon, a soy sauce float along with a spicy tincture. See WhistlerChicago.com .
—Stockton—advertised as "a seductive, globally-inspired restaurant and lounge"—is slated to open at 1009 N. Rush St. in September. Co-owners Josh Carl and Joseph De Vito ( known for their former trendy dining spot, Jellyfish ) have doubled their square footage, taking over an entire floor. Secretly tucked away on the second level, four distinct ambiance-driven spaces are cleverly blended to create the Atrium, Bar, Semi-Private Dining Room and The Lounge at Stockton.
—French bistro Cafe Marie-Jeanne, 1001 N. California Ave., has some seasonal offerings. They include baby corn ( think fromage blanc/squash blossom/corn croissants in the morning and grilled corn and razor clams with curry butter and basil at night ), market fish with roe butter, smoked rabbit with grilled sweetbreads ( paired with lobster mushrooms, cabbage and corn ), and garganella ( a savory tasting natural, orange wine ). See Cafe-Marie-Jeanne.com .
—Band of Bohemia Executive Chef Soo Ahn and his culinary team have crafted a new, customizable tasting menu for fall. Highlighting ingredients from late summer and early autumn, Soo's $65 menu is versatile in that it is vegetarian with the option to include protein supplements for an additional $20. Courses at the restaurant, 4710 N. Ravenswood Ave., include tomato ( sungold tomatoes, gigante bean, coconut milk, sunflower seeds and optional trout roe ) and bok choy ( shiitake mushroom, rice cracker, chive oil and optional Wagyu beef ), among others. ( The tasting menu requires all parties at the table to participate. ) See BandOfBohemia.com .
—Filipino restaurant Cebu, 2211 W. North Ave., has launched Saturday brunch at 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Items include humba bowl ( pork belly marinated in a house made soy marinade, served with steamed rice and molten egg; $14 ), Sambag chicken & waffles ( Sambag ( tamarind ) glazed, fried chicken served with potato waffles, ube butter and choice of ube maple syrup or housemade pandan syrup; $13 ) and more. See CebuChicago.com .
—Tokio Asian Fusion ( formerly Tokio Pub ) at 1900 E. Higgins Rd. in Schaumburg's Streets of Woodfield has a new name to reflect its flair for Asian cuisine. New menu items include crispy tofu bites and kimchi cheeseburger as well as its classics like the ramen burger and Japanese hot rock appetizer. The restaurant has also updated its patio and added an all-day bar menu with kung fu mussels, teriyaki salmon sliders and more.
—Chicago Health Foods, 22 W. Maple St., has Customer Appreciation Day the first Wednesday of each month. There are supplement discounts as well as food tastings, product demos and free samples. See ChicagoHealthFoods.com .
—Christkindlmarket dates and sites have been set for the holidays. German American Events, LLC, announced the return of the outdoor event to three locations in 2019: Daley Plaza, in downtown Chicago ( Nov. 15-Dec. 24 ); Winterland, at Gallagher Way in Wrigleyville on the North Side of Chicago ( Nov. 22-Dec. 31 ); and the Entertainment Plaza outside of Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee ( Nov. 15-Dec. 24 ). Christkindlmarket ( free admission ) is known for its traditional candy cane-striped wooden huts, shopping options, international delicacies, hot spiced wine ( Gluhwein ), German beers, hand-crafted ornaments and family fun. Visit Christkindlmarket.com .
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