Chicago French Market's Jinglefest will take place Saturday, Dec. 16, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. There will be holiday-cookie decorating ( courtesy of Vanille Patisserie ), a Santa styling station, and gifts/dishes form more than 30 vendors, among other highlights. See ChicagoFrenchMarket.com .
Entente, 3056 N. Lincoln Ave., enters its second year of business with the expansion of not only its beverage program, but also the team behind it. Elizabeth Mendez joins the team as general manager/beverage director and Christopher Harris is the sommelier. Harris joins the team after most recently serving as general manager and sommelier at Chicago's Smyth + The Loyalist.
Stock and Ledger, the first of two restaurants at 70 W. Madison St., is now open for lunch and dinner. ( The 195-seat restaurant will feature two private dining spaces, The Corner Office and Library Room, accommodating 10-50 guests. The entrance to the restaurant, located in the lobby of the 57-story office building, will also seat 40 guests in the atrium area all year long. ) In early 2018, the team will welcome quick-serve spot The Lunchroom, a 4,000-square-foot space adjacent to Stock and Ledger. See www.stockandledger.com .
Truluck's Seafood, Steak, and Crab House has its first Midwest locationa two-story, 11,000-square-foot spot in Chicago at 41 E. Chestnut St. The Windy City debut is a milestone for the franchise, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2017. Menu items include miso-glazed sea bass; prime ultimate steakhouse ribeye; and a surf and turf pairing a seven-ounce filet and a five-ounce South African lobster tail. See Trulucks.com .
Jake Melnick's Corner, 41 E. Superior St., has several holiday offerings, including the "Merry Cheesemas" Burger, which is topped with pepper jack cheese, bacon, avocado and Jake's housemade cheese sauce; the Sloppy Tottiea plate of Jake's housemade creamy mac and cheese topped with saucy sloppy pig mix, tater tots, BBQ sauce and green onion; and Mustard Mania wings. See www.JakeMelnicks.com .
Bar Cargo has now opened at 605 N. Wells St. It's a Roman pizza-bar concept brought by Anthony Stefani, the son of famed Chicago restaurateur Phil Stefani. The menu has items such as Wisconsin cheese curds, the Leaning Tower salad ( with butter lettuce, soppressata, bufala mozzarella, tomatoes, olives and lemon vinaigrette ), various sandwiches, and red and white pizzas. See BarCargo.com .
Cafe Spiaggia, 980 N. Michigan Ave., will host its Feast of the Seven Fishes on Thursday, Dec. 21, at 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. Chef Tony Mantuano and Executive Chef Joe Flamm will bring their Italian grandmothers' tradition to the table with a six-course sharable feast that will include steelhead tartar, fluke crudo and Italian Christmas cookies, among other items. Tickets can be purchased for $75 per person, with wine pairings available for an additional $25; visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/feast-of-the-seven-fishes-tickets-39016356974.
Gene & Georgetti Rosemont, 9421 W. Higgins Rd., is offering holiday specials ( on items ranging from bacon-wrapped scallops to bone-in osso buco ) available Thursday, Dec. 21 through Christmas Eve, Sunday, Dec. 24; and Thursday, Dec. 28 through New Year's Eve, Sunday, Dec. 31. In addition, Gene & Georgetti will pour up festive holiday cocktails available until Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018. See GeneAndGeorgetti.com .
Dunlays on Clark ( 2600 N. Clark St. ) and Dunlays on the Square ( 3137 W. Logan Blvd. ) will be open for a pre-Christmas brunch on Friday, Dec. 22, and Saturday, Dec. 23, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Guests can enjoy brunch menu classics such as French toast with crunchy French bread dipped in eggs, cinnamon, vanilla and orange liqueur ( $9 ); and the Dunz Omelet with sundried tomato, basil pesto and smoked provolone cheese ( $10 ). Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling Dunlays on Clark at 773-883-6000 and Dunlays on the Square at 773-227-2400.
Big Jones, 5347 N. Clark St., will mark the holidays with its Southern flair. On Sunday, Dec. 24, there will be a Creole Reveillon dinner, a tradition once celebrated in New Orleans' French Quarter after midnight mass. Diners choose one dish per course, with options like American chestnut tamal filled with duck confit and Heritage American buff goose gumbo with housemade meatballs. The full menu is at bigjoneschicago.com/events-archive/a-christmas-eve-reveillon-3/; the dinner is $52/person.
The Windsor, 160 E. Huron St., will be open for a pre-Christmas brunch on Friday-Saturday, Dec. 22-23, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Items will include The Windsor Club, with ham, turkey, bacon, truffle aioli, tomato and basil ( $13 ); and signature monkey bread with cream-cheese frosting ( $10 ). Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 312-943-7777.
Baptiste & Bottle ( 101 E. Erie St., in the Conrad Hotel ) will host a Christmas Day brunch at 12-6 p.m. The cost for adults is $95 and it's $20 for children 3-12. There will be a bottomless boozy eggnog and hot-chocolate station for $24. Menu offerings will include salad and carving stations as well as side dishes ( like roasted Brussels sprouts and candied yams ) and desserts ( like beignets and eggnog ice cream ). See www.BaptisteAndBottle.com .
On New Year's Eve, Shaw's Chicago, 21 E. Hubbard St., is hosting brunch at 9 a.m.-2 p.m. with all of its diner's buffet favorites from classic breakfast items to cold & hot seafood dishes. In addition, all diners will receive a $25 gift certificate to use toward lunch in the new year. Brunch costs $59 for adults, $10 for children ages 7-12, and is free for children under 6 ( exclusive of tax, gratuity, and beverages ); RSVP at 312-527-2722.
On New Year's Eve, Brindille, 534 N. Clark St., will offer a la carte dining options in addition to Chef Carrie Nahabedian's "Flavors of France" menu, highlighting Loire Valley. Tasting menus will also be available, with prices ranging from $125-$250 each according to menus and wine-pairing selections. See Brindille-Chicago.com .
ROOF on theWit, 201 N State St., is hosting a Monte Carlo-inspired New Year's Eve Bash at 9:30 p.m.-2 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 31. Those who purchase ticketswhich range from $150 to $3,000will have access to gaming tables, an open bar and entertainment from Chicago DJ Flipside. See RoofOnTheWit.com .
Geja's Cafe, 340 W. Armitage Ave., will offer New Year's Eve guests fondue and champagne along with classical/flamenco guitar music. Geja's will feature three special reserved seatings on Sunday, Dec. 31, at 5, 7:30 and 10 p.m. Seatings will be $95-$130 each; visit GejasCafe.com .
On Monday, Jan. 1, Commonwealth Tavern, 2000 W. Roscoe St., will open at 10 a.m for a special "First Brunch of 2018," available until 3 p.m. Also, Commonwealth will broadcast the Citrus Bowl featuring Notre Dame vs. LSU Tigers at 12 p.m. Notre Dame Game day specials include $5 Guinness, $5 Jameson, $4 Fireball, $5 22-ounce Miller Lite Stadium Cups and $10 Fighting Irish Nachos. See CommonwealthChicago.com .
Real Urban Barbecue is offering carryout at any of its four locations in downtown Highland Park ( 610 Central Ave #177 ), Vernon Hills ( 1260 S. Milwaukee Ave ), Oak Brook ( 2119 Clearwater Drive ) and Skokie ( 5238 W. Touhy Ave ). Selections include sliced smoked ham, slow-smoked prime rib, char-crusted beef tenderloin, whole hickory-smoked Amish turkey and appetizers ( e.g,. mini-potato pancakes ). Orders must be placed at least 48 hours in advance of pick up; call 847-947-6474.
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