—For Thanksgiving, The Florentine, 151 W. Adams St., will offer a special four-course menu for $65. Choices will include items such as lentil soup; butternut squash ravioli or autumn salad; sausage-stuffed turkey breast or roasted whole Mediterranean sea bass; and apple rosemary crostata with ricotta bomboloni and black truffle honey. Call 312-660-8866.
—Frontier, 1072 N. Milwaukee Ave., will host "So You Think You're a Foodie" chef's table Wed., Nov. 20, at 8 p.m. For $65 per person, guests are invited to indulge in a mystery five-course tasting menu showcasing fare specially prepared by Pioneer Tavern Group Corporate Executive Chef Brian Jupiter. Space is extremely limited; call 773-772-4322.
—Urbanbelly has opened at 1400 W. Randolph St. Urbanbelly's menu includes dishes such as kimchi stew, rice noodles with braised pork belly, hominy and kimchi broth; and Urbanbelly Ramen, ramen noodles with braised pork belly and soft-boiled egg. Urbanbelly will launch its carry out and delivery program later in November.
—LM Bistro, 111 W. Huron St., has announced its November Chef Menu, which Executive Chef Ben Reaves created. The Chef Menu, which changes monthly, is composed of four courses available for $39. ( Wine pairings are an additional $20. ) Course items include oysters with an apricot-and-chamomile mignonette with fleur de sel and pepper; leek soup; ribeye with triple sear, roasted mushrooms and sauce bordelaise; and canella pastries with molasses, vanilla ice cream and allspice. See www.lmrestaurant.com .
—Francesca's Restaurant is making its special "Feast of the Pig" menu available Nov. 14-16 exclusively at the Wicker Park location, Francesca's Forno ( 1576 N. Milwaukee Ave. ). The menu is divided into four sections—cichetti, antipasti, pasta and secondi—with offerings such as pork liver pate and whole suckling pig. To make a reservation, visit www.miafrancesca.com .
—Three-time Guinness World Record holder and Pastry Chef of the Year Alain Roby will celebrate the one-year anniversary of his creation of the World's Longest Candy Cane on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the All Chocolate Kitchen, 33 S. Third St., Geneva. Beginning at 6 p.m., Chef Roby will present a 10-foot long smaller replica of his Guinness World Record-breaking 51 ft. candy cane at his store in Geneva.
—Jake Melnick's Corner Tap, 41 E. Superior St., is amping its XXX Wings ( $15.95 ) by layering the Trinidad scorpion pepper into its sauce. ( The pepper is 300 times hotter than a jalapeno, and those ordering the wings have to sign a waiver. ) Finish the entire order and be awarded with a spot on Jake's Wall of Flame.
—Executive Chef Kevin Schulz is releasing a new dinner menu for the River North restaurant Fulton's on the River. New items include such dishes as the gnocchi "carbonara" with poached egg, pork belly and brown butter; filet flight with carpetbagger, firecracker and truffled egg; Georges Bank swordfish au poivre with roasted mushrooms, veal reduction and tellicherry peppercorn; and yellowfin tuna puttanesca with bacon, tomato-garlic coulis, capers and olives. Visit www.fultonsontheriver.com .
—The wine lounge ENO, 200 N. Columbus Dr., will feature a winter "Silk Road" series of spiced fondues made in-house daily with a different infused spice each month. ( The series kicks off in November with cinnamon. Executive Pastry Chef Erin Patsiopoulos will create a chocolate fondue infused with cinnamon served with red hot marshmallows, pumpkin madeleines, apple pie shortbread, candied cinnamon nut clusters, fresh strawberries, pretzel rods, brownie bites, Rice Krispie treats and bananas. ) Call 312-946-7000 or visit www.enowinerooms.com .
—On Monday, Nov. 18, at 6:30 p.m., mk The Restaurant, 868 N. Franklin St., will host a special "Friends of James Beard" benefit dinner with all-star chefs. Owners Michael and Lisa Kornick, along with Executive Chef Erick Williams and Pastry Chef Lisa Bonjour, will welcome Grant Achatz ( Alinea ), Paul Kahan ( avec, ), Grant MacPherson ( Scotch Myst in Las Vegas ), Lachlan MacKinnon-Patterson ( Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colo. ), Mindy Segal ( Mindy's Hot Chocolate ) and Master Sommelier Ken Fredrickson. Tickets are $400 each; call Megan at 312-482-9179 or email mjeyifo@mkchicago.com .
—The Hartman Group is launching the first in a series of one-day learning experiences for food and beverage industry insiders. The one-day course, called "Evolving Culture of Food & Beverage," will be held at the Catalyst Ranch in Chicago on Feb. 5, 2014. For more information and to register, visit www.hartman-group.com/actchicago.
—Crazy Pour ( www.crazypour.com ), Villa Park's newest upscale sports bar and grill, has officially launched. Located at 105 E. North Ave. in Villa Park, the 15,000-square-foot sports bar features more than 160 TVs, 50 plus beers on tap, a gourmet food menu and two outdoor patios with fireplaces. Crazy Pour also provides live entertainment & DJs, pool tables and darts, off-track betting, a "Vegas style" video gaming room and multiple rooms for private parties.
—Sola, 3868 N. Lincoln Ave., has announced its fall menu. Among the offerings are a squash salad, with mustard greens, shaved butternut squash, shallots, water chestnuts, and goat cheese with pumpkin-seed vinaigrette; and barramundi with black rice, napa cabbage, apple-fig compote, squash slaw and port wine syrup. See www.sola-restaurant.com .
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