—Odyssey is hosting two pasta lunch cruises for Chicago Marathon participants as well as family and friends Saturday, Oct. 12 (11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; 3-5 p.m.). Offerings will include a caprese pasta salad; and a pasta station featuring three-color cheese tortellini and imported rigatoni noodles. The cost starts at $40.44; call 888-957-2320 or visit www.odyssey.com .
—Porkchop, 941 W. Randolph St., is hosting a complimentary bourbon tasting with local Chicago distillery Koval on Thursday, Sept. 19, 7-9 p.m. Guests can enjoy free Koval samples and learn about the distillery process from a Koval representative. See chicagoporkchop.com .
—On Thursday, Sept. 19, at 6 p.m., Tavernita and 900 North Michigan Shops will host an exclusive evening of "Fashion, Cocktails & Bites" at Tavernia, 151 W. Erie St. Guests are invited to enjoy a cocktail reception, an informal fashion show and a five-course dinner. Admittance to "Fashion, Cocktails & Bites" is free; the five-course sharing menu, available for $30 per person, will feature Tavernita's new fall plates. RSVP at 312-274-1111.
—The 5th Annual Taste of the Gold Coast will take place Thursday, Oct. 3, 6-8 p.m., at the Sofitel Chicago Water Tower, 20 E. Chestnut St. Among the participating restaurants are Cape Cod, Jellyfish, RL Restaurant, The Grill on the Alley, Carmine's and Wow Bao. Tickets are $125; see tasteofthegoldcoast2013.eventbrite.com .
—Slurping Turtle Executive Chef & Top Chef season 11 contestant Aaron Cuschieri and OON Executive Chef & Partner Chef Matt Eversman will prepare a seven-course tasting dinner at OON, 802 W. Randolph St. Dishes will include quick cured squab breast, smoked scallop and Pandan white chocolate mousse. The cost is $80 (and $30 for optional alcohol pairings). Call 312-929-2555 or visit oonrestaurant.com .
—Jake Melnick's Corner Tap, 41 E. Superior St., is offering Oktoberfest-themed specials. Items include the Bacon Brie Burger ($12.95), the smoked Gouda mac ($8.95) and peach BBQ wings ($10.95). Call 312-266-0400 or visit www.jakemelnicks.com .
—Takito Kitchen, 2013 W. Division St., is hosting a "Beyond Takito" dinner Sunday, Sept. 22, 5-8 p.m., to mark the restaurant's six-month anniversary. The $55-per-person, five-course menu will include zucchini bread, mohinga branzino, quail and kale, lamb sausage and peach upside-down cake. See www.TakitoKitchen.com .
—Dunlay's on the Square, 3137 W. Logan Blvd., has announced the New Belgium Beer Garden Night Tuesday, Sept. 24, 6-9 p.m. Executive Chef Kevin Ives will present four New Belgium brews paired up with four upscale beer-centric pub dishes, such as a Paulina Meat Market beer brat on a pretzel roll with a housemade beer mustard sauce. Tickets are $25 each; call 773-227-2400.
—Glen Ellyn's Waterleaf restaurant, 425 Fawell Blvd., will host a Duckhorn Vineyards wine dinner on Thursday, Sept. 26, beginning with a 6:30 p.m. champagne reception. There will then be a four-course prix fixe dinner complete with Duckhorn Vineyards (Napa Valley) wine pairings beginning at 7 p.m. Admission is $85; call 630-9442-6881.
—Musician Buddy Guy will headline Shaw's Crab House's annual Oyster Fest Block Party on Friday, Oct. 18 in the parking lot on Rush Street between Hubbard and Illinois streets. Pre-sale tickets are available through Sept. 4 for $20 each (promotional code: OYSTER25). The celebration will cap the restaurant's 25th annual Oyster Fest extravaganza, which will feature events/specials all week leading up to the block party. Visit www.ticketweb.com and www.shawscrabhouse.com .
—The city's inaugural Sam Adams' Lakeview Taco Fest will take place Sept. 21-22 on Southport Avenue between Addison Street (3600 North) and Newport Avenue (3500 North). Among the slated businesses participating are Café El Tapatio, 3400 N. Ashland Ave. (traditional beef, chicken, steak and pork tacos); Toons Bar & Grill, 3857 N. Southport Ave. (Tex-Mex smoked brisket and pulled-pork Asian slaw tacos); and The Pony, 1638 W. Belmont Ave. (duck, smoked beef and pork belly tacos). A gate donation of $5 benefits the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce. For more, visit www.chicagoevents.com .
—Bon Appetit presents Chicago Gourmet and Vermilion restaurant are hosting the official kickoff to this year's event with a dinner honoring women in the hospitality industry, taking place at Vermilion (10 W. Hubbard St.) 6-9 p.m. on Wed., Sept. 25. "Five Chefs for Women" showcases a five-course dinner prepared by renowned women chefs also appearing at Chicago Gourmet, including Rohini Dey of Vermilion, Carrie Nahabedian of NAHA/Brindille, Mindy Segal of Hot Chocolate, Ina Pinkney of Ina's and special international guest chef Svetlana Riscova of Elements in Latvia. Tickets are $70 each (exclusive of tax and gratuity). Reservations are required; call 312-527-4060.
—The second annual Fine Chocolate & Dessert Show (Oct. 18-20) and National Chocolate & Dessert Show (Oct. 20-22) will take place in the halls of Navy Pier. This event for both professionals (National Chocolate & Dessert Show) and food enthusiasts ( Fine Chocolate & Dessert Show) is open to the public and will give attendees the chance to see demonstrations on how to make all kinds of chocolate treats. See www.chicagochocolatefestival.com .
—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 Andersonville Development Corporation will present the inaugural Andersonville City Made Fest—the first-ever all-local street festival that highlights Chicago-made beer, music and products in that neighborhood—Sept. 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.
Send items to Andrew@WindyCityMediaGroup.com .
