Fulton's on the River, 315 N. LaSalle St., is dedicating a four-course prix fixe menu to cornavailable for $50/personFridays through Sundays in August. Items will include corn and avocado salad; Catalina spot prawn with corn anglaise, spiced popcorn and fresh popcorn shoots; Berkshire pork loin with crisp polenta, orange blossom honey demi-glace and freeze dried sweet corn; and buttermilk panna cotta with housemade caramel corn. Visit www.fultonsontheriver.com .
In addition, Fulton's on the River is introducing a menu item for the month of September. The Butcher's Trio is available for $60 (including wine pairing). Executive Chef Kevin Schulz is selecting a trio of meats that will change throughout the month. The Butcher's Trio will always contain one four-legged, one two-legged and one legless (seafood) animal.
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 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 .
Celebrity chef David Burke has opened Burke's Bacon Bar (610 N. Rush St.), an innovative sandwich shop at The James Chicago. For exampletogether with David Burke's Primehouse Executive Chef Rick GreshBurke has conceived the "handwich," a delicious bite that fits in the palm of your hand. There will also be items such as bacon peanut brittle and bacon chocolate chip cookies. Visit www.burkesbaconbar.com .
At that same location, JIMMY has opened as well. According to a press release, "The art of the cocktail is the centerpiece of the JIMMY experience and the menu is inspired by iconic cinema, which presented cocktail culture in a sleek and accessible manner." Sample cocktail items include the Bondsman (apple brandy, vodka, lime, cranberry juice, agave and seltzer) and the Mexican Julep (tequila, watermelon, lime, agave and cilantro muddled in a silver cup with crushed ice). See www.jimmyatjames.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.
The 1st Annual Chicago HogFight will take place at Mahoney's Pub & Grille, 551 N. Ogden Ave., on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2-8 p.m. Chef AJ from Chef AJ's Carry Out and Catering, Chef Brian Jupiter from Frontier, Chef Vinny from Fireplace Inn and two others (TBA), will battle it out for the title of "Hog-Father"and $1,000 in prize money. Tickets are $25; see www.hogfight.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.
Hofbrauhaus Chicagothe only German microbrewery, beer hall and restaurant in the Chicago areawill celebrate its first Oktoberfest Sept. 13Oct. 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 Festthe first-ever all-local street festival that highlights Chicago-made beer, music and products in that neighborhoodSept. 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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