—West Town Bakery inside the ACME Hotel Company at 15 E. Ohio St. is giving away 500 of its new fall flavor doughssants and 500 small cups of Passion House Coffee Roasters coffee starting at 7 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 6. The doughssants are composed of fried layers of croissant dough made into the style of center-filled long john doughnuts, and will come in three flavors: S'mores, Apple Butter and Pumpkin Cream Cheese. The doughssants will go on sale to the public the following day at the West Town Bakery in River North and at West Town Bakery & Diner (1924 W. Chicago Ave.).
—Musician Buddy Guy will headline Shaw's Crab House's annual Oyster Fest Block Party on Friday, Oct. 18 in the parking lot on Rush Street between Hubbard and Illinois streets. Pre-sale tickets are available through Sept. 4 for $20 each (promotional code: OYSTER25). The celebration will cap the restaurant's 25th annual Oyster Fest extravaganza, which will feature events/specials all week leading up to the block party. Visit www.ticketweb.com and www.shawscrabhouse.com .
—The Guinness Oyster Fest returns for its 15th year on Saturday, Sept. 7, at the 2000 block of West Roscoe Street (at Damen Avenue). Besides Guinness and oysters, there will be a music line-up (with acts such as Rusted Root), arts and crafts, and a kids' area. Fest hours are 11 a.m.-10 p.m. A gate donation of $7 benefits the Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce; visit www.chicagoevents.com or call 773-868-3010.
—The city's inaugural Sam Adams' Lakeview Taco Fest will take place Sept. 21-22 on Southport Avenue between Addison Street (3600 North) and Newport Avenue (3500 North). Among the slated businesses participating are Café El Tapatio, 3400 N. Ashland Ave. (traditional beef, chicken, steak and pork tacos); Toons Bar & Grill, 3857 N. Southport Ave. (Tex-Mex smoked brisket and pulled-pork Asian slaw tacos); and The Pony, 1638 W. Belmont Ave. (duck, smoked beef and pork belly tacos). A gate donation of $5 benefits the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce. For more, visit www.chicagoevents.com .
—Bon Appetit presents Chicago Gourmet and Vermilion restaurant are hosting the official kickoff to this year's event with a dinner honoring women in the hospitality industry, taking place at Vermilion (10 W. Hubbard St.) 6-9 p.m. on Wed., Sept. 25. "Five Chefs for Women" showcases a five-course dinner prepared by renowned women chefs also appearing at Chicago Gourmet, including Rohini Dey of Vermilion, Carrie Nahabedian of NAHA/Brindille, Mindy Segal of Hot Chocolate, Ina Pinkney of Ina's and special international guest chef Svetlana Riscova of Elements in Latvia. Tickets are $70 each (exclusive of tax and gratuity). Reservations are required; call 312-527-4060.
—Actor David Eigenberg from NBC's Chicago Fire, also known for his role as Miranda's Steve on Sex and the City: Goodman Theatre Artistic Director Robert Falls; Second City comedienne Katie Rich and Chef Jason Vincent of Nightwood will join host Elysabeth Alfano at City Winery, 1200 W. Randolph St., on Monday, Sept. 16, at 7 p.m. as Fear No Art presents the fall series of "The Dinner Party." Tickets are $40; see www.citywinery.com/chicago/tickets/fear-no-art-presents-the-dinner-party-9-16.html .
—The second annual Fine Chocolate & Dessert Show (Oct. 18-20) and National Chocolate & Dessert Show (Oct. 20-22) will take place in the halls of Navy Pier. This event for both professionals (National Chocolate & Dessert Show) and food enthusiasts ( Fine Chocolate & Dessert Show) is open to the public and will give attendees the chance to see demonstrations on how to make all kinds of chocolate treats. See www.chicagochocolatefestival.com .
—The Wicker Park and Bucktown Chamber of Commerce will present The 2nd Annual Fall Dinner Crawl Oct. 1, 6-9 p.m. Among the many participating restaurants are Antique Taco, Covo, Takito Kitchen, Trencherman, Grass Fed, and Pizano's Pizza & Pasta. Ticket prices are $35 in advance (or $45 at the door if any tickets remain) and go on sale Sept. 2 at wpbdinnercrawl.brownpapertickets.com .
—Bon Appetit presents Chicago Gourmet now has 10 international chefs in the event known as Grand Cru. (Every visiting chef has been paired with a Chicago-based, Michelin-starred counterpart.) Some of the chefs are Hideaki Matsuo (Osaka, Japan), Jordi Vila (Barcelona, Spain), Svetlana Riskova (Riga, Latvia), Angel Vazquez (Puebla, Mexico) and Aktar Islam (Birmingham, United Kingdom). Grand Cru (Sept. 28-29; 2-4 p.m.) is a separate ticketed event at $199 plus tax per person and requires a general admission ticket; visit www.chicagogourmet.org .
—The people behind longtime Edgewater company Conn's Catering have recently started a new venture: Red Rover Cafe, at 1535 W. Devon Ave. Items include sandwiches (such as the Tim Buck 2 and Hummus Among Us), salads, desserts and breakfast items. See www.redrovercafe.com .
—D.O.C. Wine Bar, 2602 N. Clark St., will host a dinner featuring wines from Italy's Piedmont region Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. The event will feature Elisa Scavino of Paolo Scavino, a renowned Italian vineyard established in 1921. Tickets are $70; call 773-883-5101 to reserve.
—Schaumburg's Tokio Pub will host an "Iron Chef" challenge Sept. 30 as Challenger Executive Chef Peter Balodimas will take on "Iron Chef" Naoki Nakashima. The victor of this epic competition will move on to battle a new challenger at Tokio Pub's October beer dinner. Check-in begins at 6:30 p.m. and the first round of food will be served at 7 p.m. The cost is $30 per person (excluding tax and tip). Reservations are recommended; call 847-278-5181.
—Hofbrauhaus Chicago—the only German microbrewery, beer hall and restaurant in the Chicago area—will celebrate its first Oktoberfest Sept. 13—Oct. 31 in MB Financial Park at Rosemont. Festivities include authentic Bavarian entertainment, celebrity keg tapping ceremonies and freshly brewed "Oktoberfestbier" inspired by the original Hofbrauhaus in Munich, Germany. Visit www.hofbrauhauschicago.com .
—The Andersonville Development Corporation will present the inaugural Andersonville City Made Fest—the first-ever all-local street festival that highlights Chicago-made beer, music and products in that neighborhood—Sept. 21-22, 12-9 p.m., at 5000-5100 N. Clark St. There is a $5 suggested gate donation. See www.andersonville.org .
—The 6th Annual Rib-a-Que Smoke-Out will take place Saturday, Sept. 21, in the Moonshine parking lot, 1824 W. Division St. Among other things, pro BBQ chefs will compete with amateurs for the rights to the coveted Gilded Grill trophy and cash prizes. (Applications for this year's Rib-a-Que are still being accepted at moonshinechicago@gmail.com .) Tickets are $25 in advance through Ticketweb.com or at Moonshine, or $35 at the door.
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