There are your standard bakeries—and then there are places like Evanston's Hewn ( 810 Dempster St.; HewnBread.com ), which specializes in hand-forged artisan breads.
How seriously does Hewn take its breads? So much so that the website has a page on how to care for and how to properly freeze your bread ( as well as how to thaw it ).
Head baker/co-owner Ellen King told Windy City Times said that some of the breads incorporate so-called ancient grains such as einkorn ( the oldest wheat in nature ), adding, "Our big focus in working on the heritage variety of wheats—so, wheat that really hasn't been grown before World War II"—and they haven't been changed/hybridized. She added that these grains are actually much better than so-called mass-market grains for those who are gluten-sensitive and even gluten-intolerant.
As for the types of bread available, Hewn has a wide variety of items, including cheddar country, red fife, whole wheat gruyere, spent grain, chocolate hazelnut brioche, stecca, Midwest Blend ( whole wheat bread made with flour from farms in Illinois and Wisconsin ) and challah, among others. However, be sure to pay attention to the bread schedule ( also on the website ) to know when to get what.
Prosecco's 10 for $10
River North Italian restaurant Prosecco ( 710 N. Wells St.; prosecco.us.com/wordpress/ ) is marking its 10th anniversary with a "10 for $10" menu running 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m. through Jan. 24. ( Also, that would be 10 items that are $10 each—not 10 for a total of $10, as someone else thought. )
Items include appetizers, entrees, appetizers and drinks ( glasses of wine—and prosecco, of course ). Some of the dishes include the extremely popular veal, pork and beef meatball as well as chicken saltimbocca, pork chop, chocolate flourless cake and tiramisu, and one of my early picks for the top dish of 2018: orecchiette, complete with wild mushroom, asparagus, black truffle cream, shaved Grana Padano, sun-dried tomatoes and white truffle oil. It's just sinfully indulgent.
Chicago Restaurant Week
Chicago Restaurant Week ( www.choosechicago.com/restaurants/chicago-restaurant-week ) will take place Jan. 26-Feb. 8.
The 11th annual culinary celebration features special prix fixe menus starting at $22 for brunch or lunch, and $33 and/or $44 for dinner ( excluding beverages, tax and gratuity ).
More than 370 restaurants will take part in the two-week event, and venues can be sorted by name, cuisine, area or meal. Just a few of the spots include Arami, Barcocina, Nacional 27, Sepia, TWO, Ixcateco Grill, WhirlyBall Chicago, Kendall College, Monteverde, Oceanique, The Gage, Portsmith and bistronomic.
Note: Restaurant profiles/events are based on invitations arranged from restaurants and/or firms.
