—Revival Food Hall's TOMI Sushi, 125 S. Clark St., created a spicy rainbow roll ( aqua blue rice, tuna, cucumber, jalapeño, pickled radish topped with spicy mayo ) running throughout June ( Pride Month ). Half of all proceeds sold from this roll will be donated to Center on Halsted.
—For Pride Month, Big Gay Ice Cream is teaming with pastry chef Leigh Omilinsky—this time from her new home, Cold Storage, 1000 W. Fulton Market, on June 24-30. There will be Pride Pops ( rainbow sherbet popsicles served with a shot of tequila ), but those who can't make it to Cold Storage that week can enjoy a dairy-free Pride Sundae all month long. A portion of the proceeds from these offerings will be donated to Chicago's Howard Brown Health.
—Chipotle is encouraging guests and crew members to "Love What Makes You Real" by purchasing limited-edition merchandise that benefits The Trevor Project and, locally, Chicago House. Shirts/tanks and hats ( example photos below ) are $20 and $17, respectively, with $10.50 from each shirt/tank and $7 from each hat going directly to The Trevor Project. From 10:45 a.m. — 10 p.m. on June 20, 33 percent of sales at every Chicago Chipotle will directly benefit Chicago House.
—ENO Wine Room, 505 N. Michigan Ave., is hosting "Pour Decisions"—a drag-brunch series—throughout June on Sundays at 12-2 p.m. Guests are invited every Sunday to enjoy their choice of beverage ( bottomless mimosas, sangria, wine spritz or beer ) and entree from the new brunch menu created by Executive Chef Craig Couper. In addition, there will be appearances by well-known drag entertainers; Fox E. Kim will host, with weekly performances by Alex Kay and Mikki Miraj and with pop-in performances by several RuPaul's Drag Race alumni. Walk-ins are welcome, though guests are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance online for $45 each; visit "'Pour Decisions' Drag Brunch at Eno Wine Room" at BrownPaperTickets.com .
—Noyane, 101 E. Erie St., is offering a special Pride snowball during June. The "Hakori Snowball" is a shaved ice delicacy with snowflake-like texture served in a Chinese to-go container. Ingredients include Tanteo jalapeno tequila, Montelobos mezcal cointreau, prickly pear, lime and ginger beer. One dollar from every Hakori Snowball will be donated to the Center on Halsted.
—Tied House has a Summer Crush ( $12 ) cocktail. It features Hangar One vodka, elderflower liqueur, blood orange and lemon—with a fresh-fruit rainbow skewer. A portion of the proceeds from this cocktail will be donated to the American Civil Liberties Union.
—Colectivo is teaming with Center on Halsted to offer rainbow cookies for a cause. On June 27-30, the Colectivo x Center on Halsted Rainbow Cookie will be on sale at Colectivo's Lincoln Park, Logan Square, Andersonville, Evanston and Wicker Park locations, with $1 from each cookie sold benefiting the center. For more, visit colectivocoffee.com/rainbow-shortbread-cookies-benefitting-local-lgbt-organizations/ .
—The Dearborn's Chef Aaron Cuschieri beat celebrity chef Bobby Flay in Food Network's show "Beat Bobby Flay" that aired June 20. Cuschieri made it through two rounds of the competition and won by preparing one of The Dearborn's most famous menu items: the fish and chips. The Dearborn team hosted an event to coincide with the episode, and raised more than $1,800 to benefit Meals on Wheels.
—Chicagoans can enjoy a Fourth of July beach party at North Avenue beach spot Castaways, 1603 N. Lake Shore Dr. While taking in live entertainment by The DJ Firm, guests can sip on a special "Stars & Stripes" frozen cocktail. The red, white and blue drink features Castaway's signature Miami Vice ( a frozen mix of pina colada and strawberry daiquiri ) topped with blue curacao, and is available for $10 each from Monday, July 1 through Sunday, July 7.
—Joy District, 112 W. Hubbard St., will host a "Uncle Sam's Cookout" rooftop party on the Fourth of July featuring $5 grilled hot dogs with all the fixings ( special is available on the rooftop only ) and a $14 Boozy Firecracker frozen cocktail with red, white and blue pina colada. Other drinks include a Froze ( rose, Hangar One rose vodka, strawberry puree ), Casamigos Margarita ( rotating flavors ) and the Spray Tan ( Red Bull Orange, mango puree, Cruzan strawberry rum ).
—For National Fried Chicken Day ( Saturday, July 6 ), several spots are offering specials. Gemini Chicago is offering $26 meals ( July 6 and dinner service on July 7 ) while Walton Street Kitchen + Bar is offering $28 dinner service ( July 6-7 dinner service ). Also, The Dearborn will have Midwest-inspired fried chicken with a maple mustard glaze, hot sauce and pickles for $17; and Urbanbelly will have Thai fried chicken dressed with crushed garlic peanuts and scallions.
—Virgin Hotels Chicago's Miss Ricky's has launched a dog-friendly menu. Executive Chef Moosah Resume has created a three-course menu for dogs for $9. Entree choices include yogi parfait, organic yogurt, seasonal berry bowl and puppy power bowls; the dessert is a puppaccino ( beef broth natural whipped cream topped with puppy peanut-butter treat ); and there's a housemade puppy treat to go.
—LH Rooftop, 85 E. Upper Wacker Dr., is launching a month-long pop-up serving kakigori—a Japanese style of shaved ice—at the rooftop's outdoor cupola. The kakigori is available on weekends in July at 2-6 p.m., and guests can enjoy a variety of artisanal shaved ice flavors, which they may customize with boozy additions. Shaved-ice flavors include Golden Raspberry/Watermelon, Black Sesame and Spiced Condensed Milk ( $10 each ). Guests can indulge in a kakigori cocktail by adding spirits ( an additional $4 ) such as Kahlua, Malibu Cream or Appleton Estate 12-Year Rum.
—Capitalizing on the diet craze, Warm Belly Bakery is offering the double chocolate walnut keto cookie, for $4 each. Made with an almond flour base, this low-glycemic cookie is also low in sugar and gluten-free, and contains only two grams of net carbs. Warm Belly Bakery is in the West Loop ( 1148 W. Monroe St. ) and Lincoln Park ( 2472 N. Clark St. ).
—In honor of Bastille Day and the historic year of 1789, Bistronomic ( 840 N. Wabash St. ) will offer a $39 three-course dinner menu as well as a $17.89 burger special. From Friday, July 12, through Sunday, July 14, Bistronomic will offer a $39 three-course dinner menu featuring the ahi tuna Nicoise salad with avocado wedges, hard boiled eggs, fennel shavings, Nicoise olives, fingerling potatoes and a lemon vinaigrette; the Le French Burger with Angus beef, housemade country pate, Swiss cheese and cognac sauce; and steak frites with flat iron steak, roasted garlic purée and hand cut pomme frites.
—Travelle Pastry Chef Danielle Marelli will lead a plating workshop at Travelle at The Langham, 330 N. Wabash Ave., on Saturday, July 20, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Participants will learn the art of plate presentation while enjoying a three-course meal ( skillet cinnamon bun; salad du Marche, chicken and waffles, or avocado toast; and strawberries and mascarpone creme ) prepared in combination by Chef de Cuisine Jeff Vucko and Pastry Chef Danielle. Admission is $65 each; call 312-923-7705.
—The 13th annual Veggie Fest will be in Lisle's Danada South Park on Aug. 10-11. Just a few of the recent additions to the international food court include four styles of vegan omelets, buffalo cauliflower wings ( served with vegan ranch dip ), a Buddha bowl with quinoa and a twist on avocado toast. See VeggieFestChicago.org .
—Jeong, 1460 W. Chicago Ave., has a menu that draws inspiration from traditional Korean ingredients from Chef Dave Park's childhood with his grandparents in Korea. However, one of his desserts borrows something from his childhood that is a little less traditional ( and Japanese ): Hi-Chew. Park crafts a sweet stock using Hi-Chews, and incorporates that into making a pillowy mochi, served with a sorbet made with cloudy Korean rice wine Makgeolli as well as grapefruit segments for some added acidity. The whole dessert is topped with a delicate meringue made using omija or "five-flavor" berries that have five distinct tastes ( sour, bitter, sweet, spicy and salty ).
—Chiya Chai, 2770 N. Milwaukee Ave, is now offering the addition of organic, non-GMO CBD in any chai beverage or cocktail for an additional 50 cents. Chiya Chai offers a chai program with more than 150 different combinations, including traditional masala and cardamom and experimental flavors such as caramel sea salt, cardamom pistachio and coconut creme. Popular cocktails include the Maharaja with gin, cardamom, rosewater, pandanus ( exotic tropical plant ) essence, cinnamon, blueberry juice, fresh lemon juice and triple sec; and the Rum Chai Tea, with Kahlua, white rum, almond milk, rice milk, masala chai blend, vanilla and cinnamon.
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