—For National Oyster Day ( Aug. 5 ), Hugo's Frog Bar & Fish House ( www.hugosfrogbar.com ) & Tavern on Rush ( www.tavernonrush.com ) will hold specials. Hugo's will have $1 oysters all day long. At Tavern, guests will enjoy $1 oysters on the half shell, $2 stone oven baked oysters ( available in jalapeno bacon or lemon garlic styles ) and $10 fried oyster baskets.
—Yoshi Katsumura, the owner of Boystown restaurant Yoshi's Cafe ( which opened in 1982 ), has died of cancer at age 65, according to Opus Chicago. A memorial service will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 17, at the Midwest Buddhist Temple, 435 W. Menomonee St. He is survived by his wife, Nobuko.
—bellyQ's Bill Kim is inviting guests to explore his new menu, which consists of five sections of items meant for sharing. Some of the offerings include crab rangoon with Jonah crab and chili lime sauce; Thai-style fried chicken with scallion and lime; kale-and-green papaya salad; marinated Korean shortribs; and warm kimchi potato salad. See BellyQChicago.com .
—State and Lake Chicago Tavern at theWit is launching a new beer brunch starting Aug. 8, and it will be available every Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m.-2 p.m. The Beer Brunch features Goose Island-inspired culinary creations paired with brews for $20. Call 312-239-9502 for reservations.
—Ramen Takeya, 819 Fulton Market, is offering some new Japanese specials. Among the items are Japanese beef curry, mini unagi donburi ( BBQ eels over a bowl of rice ) and tonkatsu sandwich ( a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet sandwich ). See RamenTakeya.com .
—Cindy's, the rooftop restaurant and open-air terrace located on the 13th floor of the Chicago Athletic Association hotel, 12 S. Michigan Ave.—has started serving weekend brunch 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Cindy's seasonally driven brunch menuwill focus on shareable American breakfast fare from Executive Chef Christian Ragano, complemented by a spirit-driven cocktail menu, featuring "Sunrise Potions & Elixirs," a kombucha selection and "Tisanes & Mocktails." See CindysRooftop.com .
—Firefly Kitchen, a Brooklyn-inspired upscale neighborhood bistro, has officially opened its doors at 111 Green Bay Road in Wilmette. New York City chef Dean Salerno, who relocated to Chicago, offers a seasonal menu made from scratch and inspired by his deep NYC roots. Call 224-408-2464, or visit FFKitchen.com andOpenTable.com .
—For National Sandwich Month in August, several places are advertising their offerings. Barcocina, 2901 N. Sheffield Ave., has maple sausage pancake sliders; Belly Shack, 1912 N. Western Ave., has pork-belly and vegetarian bahn mi items; Michael Jordan's Steakhouse, 505 N. Michigan Ave., has its grilled-cheese sandwich; and ReBar, 401 N. Wabash Ave., is offering fried-chicken sliders and braised shortrib sliders.
—Wine & spirits expert, speaker and educator Belinda Chang has joined managing partner Brian O'Connor and executive chef/partner David Ochs' Chicago steakhouse project, Maple & Ash, 8 W. Maple St. A native Chicagoan and James Beard Award-winning sommelier, Chang returns home after eight years in NYC honing her skills as wine and service director at Danny Meyer's The Modern and general manager at Graydon Carter's Monkey Bar.
—Izakaya Mita, 1960 N. Damen Ave., is ready to debut new drinks and specials. Currently on offer seven days a week, all day long, are $3 shots of Iwai, a Japanese whiskey. There are also three new craft beers on tap: Hitachino Nest Saison Farmhouse Ale, Coedo Kyara India Pale Lager and Baird Temple Garden Yuzu Ale.
—Roka Akor Chicago, 456 N. Clark St., is hosting an eight-course dinner with Roka Akor San Francisco Executive Chef Roman Petry on Wed., Aug. 5, at 6:30 p.m. Some of the featured items include shigoku oysters, scallop sashimi, prime filet tartare, chanterelle mushroom rice pot and condensed-milk ice cream. The cost is $98, with a $50 option for a sommelier's wine pairing; call 312-477-7652.
—Mr. Brown's Lounge, 81 E. Wacker Dr., will celebrate Jamaica's independence day Aug. 6. Chef Chris Douglas, a Jamaica native, will offer items such as $7 Island Rum Punch, $4 Red Stripe and $7 Jamaican jerk chicken. See MrBrownsLounge.com .
—The Chicago History Museum's third annual Chicago Hot Dog Fest will take place Aug. 7-9. It will be Friday, Aug. 7, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 8, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 9, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., at the corner of Clark and LaSalle streets. Some of the vendors include Boricua Dog, Flashy Hotdogs, Chubby Wieners, and Frannie's Beef and Catering. See ChicagoHotDogFest.com .
—Autre Monde Cafe & Spirits ( 6727 W. Roosevelt Rd., Berwyn ) and Carnivore Meats and Seafood invite grill aficionados to a Mediterranean-inspired grilling class on Saturday, Aug. 8, 12-2 p.m. Among other things, attendees will learn the process of purchasing high-quality meat and fish. Autre Monde's Chef Dan Pancake and Chef de Cuisine Andrew Kerns will showcase how to use spices, sauces and rubs to grill a Mediterranean dish. The cost is $50 ( plus tax ); call 708-775-8122.
—To celebrate National S'mores Day on Monday, Aug. 10, Fish Bar ( 2956 N. Sheffield Ave. ) is giving guests complimentary S'mores. Diners have to post an Instagram of the dessert, geotag Fish Bar and use the hashtag #FishBarChicago. DMK Restaurants continues the S'mores fun at Henry's Swing Club ( 18 W. Hubbard St. ), where guests can order tricked-out S'mores all week. Accompaniment include peanut butter, Biscoff spread and assorted candies.
—The Taste of Andersonville Dinner Crawl—featuring selections from 22 restaurants—will take place Wed., Aug. 12, 6-9 p.m. The main location for the Taste of Andersonville is the Swedish American Museum, 5211 N. Clark St. Participants can choose between the Salt or Pepper routes, as well as The Whole Enchilada. Tickets are $30 for each route in advance, $35 at the door ( if available ); The Whole Enchilada is $55 in advance, $65 at the door ( if available ). Visit andersonville.org/dinnercrawl.
—SideDoor, at Rush and Ontario streets, will host a 3 Floyds Brewery Beer Dinner on Wed., Aug. 12, at 7 p.m. Executive Chef Brian Kwak will present a six-course prix-fixe dinner to complement a selection of the latest craft beer releases from the Indiana-based brewery. Admission is $100 each, exclusive of tax and gratuity; RSVP at 312-787-6768 or jvandertuuk@lawrysonline.com .
—Frontier, 1072 N. Milwaukee Ave., will host its fifth annual oyster shucking contest ( along with a shrimp boil ) on Sunday, Aug. 23, at 3 p.m. ( The boil is 12-3 p.m. ) The contest will feature more than 20 chefs from Chicago restaurants including Sink/Swim, Kinmont, Presidio, Sumi Robata Bar, Rural Society, Joe Fish and others. See TheFrontierChicago.com .
—On Saturday, Aug. 29, Famous Dave's will introduce the Famous Dave's Amateur BBQ Competition at the seventh annual Glen Ellyn Backyard BBQ benefitting Bridge Communities. All proceeds from the event will support Bridge Communities in its efforts to help transition homeless families in DuPage County to self-sufficiency. More than 60 teams will compete for trophies and bragging rights in three categories: Best Pork Ribs, People's Choice Sauce and Best Dish. Visit www.glenellynbackyardbbq.org .
—Available through Aug. 31, Hard Rock Cafe's ( 63 W. Ontario St. ) limited-time Goose Island Tropical Bacon Burger will be paired with Goose Island IPA. The burger is a half-pound Angus beef patty brushed with Goose Island IPA glaze and topped with chili spiced bacon, grilled pineapple, mango salsa, chipotle puree, arugula and cheddar cheese. Visit HardRock.com/Chicago.
—Chicago's Best Summer WingFest—advertised as "a bigger and better version" of Chicago's Best WingFest—will be held Saturday, Sept. 5, 1-7 p.m., at the Bailey Auditorium, 1340 W. Washington St. Chicago's Best Summer WingFest will feature double the wing-slinging restaurants, live music, carnival games, a vendor market, craft beer and a full bar. Tickets for Chicago's Best Summer WingFest ( $40 ) will go on sale Wed., June 24, at 12 p.m; visit www.WingFest.net .
—The Andersonville Development Corporation ( ADC ) is presenting the 3rd Annual Andersonville City Made Fest, the only all-local street festival that highlights Chicago-made beer, music and products in the historic Andersonville neighborhood. It will be Sept. 12 ( 12-9 p.m. ) and 13 ( 12-7 p.m. ) at 5000-5100 N. Clark St. There is a suggested gate donation of $5. See Andersonville.org .
—The James Beard Foundation ( JBF ) has announced the third consecutive year of the Taste America: "Local Flavor from Coast To Coast" national epicurean tour, which will visit 10 U.S. cities this fall. Spanning six weekends between Sept. 18 and Nov. 7, the program will stop in Boston, Charleston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Phoenix, San Francisco and Seattle. ( The Chicago stop is Oct. 23-24. ) Tickets are on sale at JBFTasteAmerica.org .
Send items to Andrew@WindyCityMediaGroup.com or follow on Twitter @Azygous60610 .
