—Steakhouse Gene & Georgetti, 500 N. Franklin St., has announced the addition of Kendall-Jackson's 2010 Jackson Estate Hawkeye Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. This limited production wine will only be available in Illinois at Gene & Georgetti, while supplies last. For more information, the full menu and wine list, visit www.geneandgeorgetti.com or call 312-527-3718.
—Untitled, 111 W. Kinzie Ave., will host a "Derby Jubilee" for a Kentucky Derby viewing party on Saturday, May 3, at 2-5 p.m. Floppy hats and straw fedoras will be encouraged. Guests can enjoy mint-julep cocktails ( $10 ) plus complimentary appetizers including pork belly lollipops, grit cakes and fried-chicken bites. Admission is complimentary; RSVP at untitledderby.eventbrite.com .
—On Saturday, May 3, Chicago q, 1160 N. Dearborn St., will host its second annual Derby party, "Derby q," 2-6 p.m. Tickets are available for $42, and include a Southern-style, all-you-can-eat buffet and a drink. Guests can view the races inside Chicago q's main dining room or outside on the tented, heated patio. RSVP at 312-642-1160.
—Downers Grove restaurant Barbakoa, 1341 Butterfield Rd., has drink specials, a prix fixe menu, live entertainment and even a pig roast for Cinco de Mayo. Starting Thursday, May 1, there will be Margarita Puro pitchers for $19.50 ( half off the regular price ) for Thirsty Thursday; Ritmo Flamenco will perform for Flamenco Friday. Call 630-852-2333.
—Leona's has a new menu. Highlights include asparagus and Padona cheese ravioli, Leona's vegetable burger and ravioli al forno. Pizza include Hawaiian, 1950 Traditional and chipotle chicken. See www.leonas.com .
—The Mother's Day afternoon tea at the Driehaus Museum, 40 E. Erie St., returns for its fourth consecutive year on Sunday, May 11. It's at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.; following each one-hour tea service, complimentary guided tours of the Driehaus Museum will be available. Tickets are $60 for museum members and $70 for the public; call 312-482-8933 or visit www.DriehausMuseum.org .
—aria, 200 N. Columbus Dr., is offering a Mother's Day brunch menu by Executive Chef James Phillips on Sunday, May 11, 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. The brunch is $42 per person. For reservations, call 312-444-9494 or visit www.ariachicago.com .
—On Mother's Day, May 11, Shaw's Crab House, 21 E. Hubbard St., is offering a brunch buffet—plus all mothers will receive a $25 Shaw's Crab House gift certificate for future use at either Shaw's location. There will be a Grand Hot Buffet line as well as a Surf and Turf Station, Cold Seafood Bar, Shaw's Sweets Table and Omelet and Waffle Station. Call 312-527-2722.
—Frontier, 1072 N. Milwaukee Ave., will offer a Mother's Day brunch buffet with items such as house-smoked salmon, house-smoked ham, frittatas, beignets and more. The buffet is $25 each; tickets can be purchased at www.TheFrontierChicago.com .
—Sophie's, located on the seventh floor of Saks Fifth Avenue in Chicago ( 700 N. Michigan Ave. ), is launching Sunday brunch service on Mother's Day, May 11, 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The menu will focus on seasonal ingredients, classic flavors and lighter options for brunch in additional to creative takes on classic brunch cocktails like mimosas, bellinis and the Bloody Mary. Eats will include crab cake Benedict, steak and eggs, and lobster salad roll. See www.sophies.com .
—Art Smith, Rocco DiSpirito, Anne Burrell, Graham Elliot, Rick Bayless, Andrew Zimmern, Robert Irvine, Claire Robinson, David Burke and Ming Tsai are among the chefs/personalities slated to appear at the World Culinary Showcase of the National Restaurant Show May 17-20 at McCormick Place. The event ( not open to the public ) is primarily for retailers, culinary professionals, dealers and distributors, and commercial as well as non-commercial operators.
—Einstein Bros. has declared that it's "Friend Appreciation Day" on Wed., April 30, and is inviting guests to visit restaurants to appreciate close friends or loved ones by sharing a free applewood bacon & cheddar egg sandwich when one is purchased at regular price that day. See EinsteinBros.com .
—The Chicago Academy for the Arts announced the lineup of chefs for its A Taste for the Arts Gala, slated for May 13. Curtis Duffy ( Grace ), Shea Daher and Sarah Mispagel ( both of Nightwood ), and Andrew Zimmerman ( Sepia ) are among those slated to participate. The academy's students will perform at the Harris Theater at 6 p.m., and will proceed to the Millennium Park Terrace at 7:30 p.m. to enjoy 10 different food stations. Tickets start at $350 each, with performance-only tickets for $30; visit ATasteForTheArts.org or HarrisTheaterChicago.org .
—On Monday, May 19, five chefs from Chicago, Kansas City and New Orleans will join Big Jones chef-owner Paul Fehribach to present the second annual Trash Fish Dinner. The family-style dinner will begin at 7 p.m. and will feature seven courses. The cost of the dinner is $125 per person, including tax and gratuity. Tickets are required; call 617-236-5200 or visit chefscollaborative.org/events.
—For National Burger Month ( May ), Jake Melnick's Corner Tap will offer its eight-pound Monster Burger for $49.95. This burger—which serves up to eight people—is topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and cheese of your choice, and comes with a basket of fries.
—Cornerstone Restaurant Group has announced that Current—a social, Italian-inspired restaurant with Executive Chef Gregory Elliott at the helm—will open in the W Chicago-Lakeshore, 644 N. Lake Shore Dr., in May. Offerings will include pizzas, paninis, antipasti and even frittatas. See www.currentchicago.com .
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