\—Maison Brasserie, 333 E. Benton Pl., will close its doors March 30, after opening last May, according to the Chicago Tribune. During its last week, only the restaurant's house favorites—among them the roasted chicken—will be featured. The 140-seat brasserie features classic, everyday French fare.
—Grass Fed, 1721 N. Damen Ave., is featuring a three-course Easter lunch on Sunday, March 31, for $25 per person (excluding tax and gratuity). Items will include baby shrimp risotto, rosemary marinated leg of lamb and molten chocolate lava cake. RSVP at 773-342-6000.
—Chicago's Shedd Aquarium is cooking up a selection of healthy food choices for children ages 12 and under through a new partnership with Healthy Fare for Kids and Sodexo, the aquarium's food-service provider. President and founder Diane Schmidt, a local parent and health educator, developed the initiative with James Beard Award-winning chef Sarah Stegner, co-owner and co-chef of Prairie Grass Cafe, and Carol Wagner, holistic nutrition consultant.
—The Spirit of Chicago will celebrate Easter on Sunday, March 31, with a brunch and dinner. The event will feature a buffet (including Thai BBQ sirloin beef, Caribbean roasted chicken and penne al forno), interactive emcee entertainment, treats for children and a guest appearance from the Easter bunny. Admission starts at $54.90; call 866-273-2649.
—On Easter Sunday, March 31, Schaumburg's Rosebud Old World Italian restaurant is offering a brunch buffet priced at $35 per adult and $15 for kids aged 6-12. (All children under 6 eat free.) Items will include everything from waffles to a pasta station to a Bloody Mary bar. Call 847-240-1414 or visit www.rosebudrestaurants.com .
—Dining Out for Life will take place April 25 in several North American cities, including Chicago; visit www.diningoutforlife.com . Last year, Chicago raised more than $110,000 to continue its mission of providing housing and services to men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS. Among the dozens of participating restaurants are Club Lucky, Andies, Crew Bar & Grill, Salpicon, and Longman & Eagle.
—Big Jones, 5347 N. Clark St., will host a piggyback dinner Thursday, April 18, at 6 p.m. to benefit The Southern Foodways Alliance with James Beard Award-winning authors Matt Lee and Ted Lee in celebration of their new cookbook, The Lee Bros. Charleston Kitchen. The Lee Brothers will be signing their new cookbook as Executive Chef Paul Fehribach prepares dishes featuring recipes from The Lee Bros. Charleston Kitchen and a few Lee Bros. classics from their earlier books. It's $100 per person; see www.bigjoneschicago.com/bigjonesblog/?p=2019.
—El's Kitchen & Bar, 1450 W. Webster Ave., has weekend brunch 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Guests may enjoy bottomless Bloody Marys and mimosas with the purchase of brunch for $15. Also, some of El's signature items include El's Brisket Eggs Benedict and Chicken & Waffles.
—Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation as well as Food Justice and American Injustice, will speak at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Student Center East, 750 S. Halsted St., on Thursday, April 4, at 5 p.m. (A contributor to The Atlantic magazine since 1994, Schlosser has also written for The New Yorker, Rolling Stone and other publications.) Admission is free; for more info, call 312-996-6354.
—One Million Degrees will host the 6th Annual Food + Wine Tasting at the Bridgeport Art Center, 1200 W. 35th St., 6-11 p.m. Mayor Rahm Emanuel is the honorary chair of the event; chefs and a sommelier from such restaurants as Sepia, Boarding House and Bistronomic will be present. See "6th Annual Food + Wine Tasting" on Facebook for ticket prices and more info.
—Café Ba-Ba-Reeba!, 2024 N. Halsted St., is hosting a "Bodega Wine Dinner" Tuesday, April 16, at 6 p.m. There will be nearly 30 wines and spirits to sip and savor while learning from expert conossieurs on hand. Also, there will be a flamenco dinner show Monday, April 22, at 7 p.m. The cost is $30 each (plus tax and tip) for the dinner and $15 (plus tax) for the flamenco event; all 773-935-5000.
—Celebrate Chicago's culinary offerings at many of the city's most notable chef-driven restaurants during the Fifth Annual Chicago Chef Week, March 17-22. Nearly 75 restaurants will offer a three-course, prix fixe dinner menu for $44 each; for those who serve lunch, there's a $22 menu. See chicagochefweek.com for the full list of participating restaurants.
—Municipal Bar + Dining Company, 216 W. Ohio St., is now open for lunch starting at 11 a.m. on weekdays. Lunch appetizers include steak tartar ($12) and lobster avocado salad ($15), while lobster roll ($15) and chorizo gourmet burger ($14) are among the sandwiches offered. Call 312-951-2125 or visit www.municipalbar.com .
—Baconfest Chicago will take place at the UIC Forum, 725 W. Roosevelt Rd., on Saturday, April 20. The lunch session will be 12:30-3 p.m., and the dinner session will be 6:30-9 p.m., with a one-hour VIP event happening before each. A panel of judges bestows the Golden Rasher Awards on chefs and guests for achievement in the bacon arts. Tickets are $100 each; see baconfestchicago.com for more details.
—Kanela Old Town is now open at 1552 N. Wells St. This is the restaurant's second location, and is owned by Chris Lardakis (owner of Kanela Breakfast Club in Lakeview) and Alexi Giannoulias (former Illinois state treasurer). Kanela will be open daily for breakfast, brunch and lunch beginning at 6:30 a.m. See www.kanelacafe.com .
—The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 2430 N. Cannon Dr., explores the role food plays in our lives with the premiere of its newest self-developed exhibit, "Food: The Nature of Eating." The exhibit runs March 23-Sept. 8. See www.naturemuseum.org .
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