—The Giordano's restaurant that's replacing Ann Sather in Andersonville ( at 5207 N. Clark St. ) is slated to open in March. Ann Sather owner and 44th Ward Ald. Tom Tunney announced in 2013 he had sold the building housing his chain's Andersonville location to Newcastle Limited, DNAinfo.com reported.
—The Signature Room, 875 N. Michigan Ave., has expanded its brunch offerings. The spot is replacing its lunch buffet service with a weekend that has a brunch entrée, access to the brunch buffet and a champagne cocktail. The expanded brunch will now be available Saturdays and Sundays 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Executive Chef Cardel Reid will offer items such as apple-pie pancakes and sauteed crab cakes. Brunch is $45 ( $25 for children under 12 ). Call 312-787-9596.
—Senza, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Lake View known for its gluten-free and tasting menus, will close Jan. 18, according to Crain's Chicago Business. L20, Takashi and Graham Elliot, other Michelin-starred restaurants, also have closed recently or announced closing. Senza will be replaced with a retail location of Wheat's End Artisan Foods & Cafe.
In a related development, the day after his restaurant closes, Senza chef Noah Sandoval will preside as the guest chef at Juno for its Omakase dinner. Only six seats are available for the special meal on Sunday, Jan. 18. Visit junosushi.com .
—Several restaurants will take part Thursday, Jan. 29, 6-10 p.m., in a fundraising project for the Chicago Red Dress Party. ( The party will take place April 18. ) Ten spots will be involved, including both mEAT restaurants, DS Tequila, Dive Bar, Hamburger Mary's, Bountiful Eatery, Nookies in Edgewater, Jack's on Halsted and two Giordano's sites ( 815 W. Van Buren St. and 1040 W. Belmont Ave. ). See www.ChicagoRedDressParty.org .
—Fat Rice, Alinea and Topolobampo have been named to the inaugural list of 38 essential restaurants in the United States from the national food website Eater. The website's roving restaurant critic, Bill Addison, chose the trio as "indispensable restaurants across the nation right at this moment of our culinary history."
—Michael Jordan's Steak House, 505 N. Michigan Ave., has a new executive chef. Craig Couper will oversee the kitchen, development of new dishes and overall operations. He held positions at the University Club of Rockford; The Haymaker in Poughkeepsie, New York; and Capital Grille in Chicago and Lombard before joining the team at Michael Jordan's Steak House in 2011 as executive sous chef.
—Tanta, 118 W. Grand Ave., has announced the launch of a "Cultural Crossover" chef collaboration dinner series, beginning Thursday, Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. The first installation of the quarterly series teams Chef de Cuisine Jesus Delgado with Chef Bill Kim of Belly Q, Urban Belly and Belly Shack to feature a Peruvian/Asian-inspired menu with items such as anticucho BBQ and cardamom-scented ground lamb fried rice. Tickets are $99 per person for dinner only, and $150 with paired drinks, exclusive of tax and gratuity; call Lucy Kendall at 312-222-9604 or email events@tantachicago.com .
—Chicago Restaurant Week will take place Jan. 30-Feb. 12. The restaurants will offer three-course lunches for $22 and three- or four-course dinners for $33 and $44. Among the 250+ restaurants participating are 312 Chicago, Big Jones, Browntrout, May St., Cafe, Oceanique, Piccolo Sogno, GT Fish & Oyster and Vermilion. Make online reservations at www.choosechicago.com/things-to-do/dining/chicago-restaurant-week/ .
—Furious Spoon will be a fast-casual Japanese ramen shop in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood by Michelin Star Chef Shin Thompson that will open in February—and it has exceeded its Kickstarter goal of $15,000 ( by at least $12,000 ). The funding raised via Kickstarter will be used to add additional design elements to the restaurant. Visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1476414745/furious-spoon.
—Francesca's Restaurant Group has announced the "Take Me to Tuscany" getaway, a five-day trip to the Italian countryside featuring wine-estate stays and vineyard visits to the restaurant group's Italian partners for Francesca's Restaurants and Davanti Enoteca. Guests can enter now until Saturday, Feb. 28, at the close of business at any Francesca's Restaurant Group concept ( Francesca's Restaurants, Davanti Enoteca, and Glazed and Infused ). For more information on all locations and concepts, visit www.miafrancesca.com .
—Paris Club Bistro & Bar, 59 W. Hubbard St., will hold a French cooking class Saturday, Jan. 17, 1-3 p.m. Chef Christian Eckmann will demonstrate the techniques of making coq au vin ( chicken braised in red wine ), which will be served alongside pommes puree and enjoyed with a glass of French wine. The cost is $60, plus tax and gratuity; call 312-595-0800.
—Frontier, 1072 N. Milwaukee Ave., celebrates Fat Tuesday with a Louisiana shrimp boil on Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 6 p.m. For $33 per person ( excluding tax and tip ), guests will enjoy an all-you-can-eat shrimp boil complete with potatoes and corn. Purchase tickets at www.thefrontierchicago.com/events-tickets.
—The 16th Chicago's Best WingFest will take place Feb. 22 at Bailey Auditorium, 1340 W. Washington St., 1-5 p.m. WingFest has tailgating, wings from 25 area restaurants, competitive wing-eating, six categories of competition and more. Funds raised will benefit Chicago Neighbors United. General admission tickets for this 21-and-over event are $40; see www.WingFest.net .
—Famous Dave's has launched its new Sunday brunch menu. Every Sunday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., in Oswego ( 2440 Route 34 ) and Bolingbrook ( 704 Janes Avenue ), diners are invited to enjoy an all-you-can-eat buffet style brunch with more than 25 food options for breakfast, lunch and dessert. The brunch buffet is $13.99 per person and includes one non-alcoholic drink; there is also a $6 Bloody Mary bar.
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