—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 .
—Kudan Group, which also facilitated the sale of former Elk Grove Village dance club Hunters, represented Julie Mai Kirkel in the sale of 5025 N. Clark St. ( formerly T's ). The owners of Uptown's Crew Bar and Sofo Tap plan to completely redesign the 5,000-square-foot space. An upscale bar/restaurant is slated to open later this year.
—Nouveau Tavern, a New Orleans-style restaurant, is set to open in River North at 358 W. Ontario St. Executive Chef Norman Hargrove, formerly of The Peninsula's Pierrot Gourmet, has created the menu. Dishes will include, among others, shrimp and creamy Stoneground Heirloom grits, blackened catfish with Brussels sprouts, and seafood gumbo.
—French eatery Troquet, 1834 W. Montrose Ave., has announced its new fall menu. Featured dishes include coq au vin, pork loin, steak Lyonnaise, braised pork shoulder and a fish of the day. Highlights from the newly conceived menu include poutine with shredded duck confit; La Épinard salad with baby spinach, roasted butternut squash, candied walnuts, parmesan cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette; and Bauernwurst, a pork and beef sausage with onions and mushrooms. See www.Troquetchicago.com .
—In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Roka Akor, 456 N. Clark St., is offering the "Decoding Annie Parker" cocktail—made with Eiko Fuji Sake, Quinta do Tedo, lemon juice, raspberries and strawberries—throughout October. The cocktail is available for $11 and a portion of the sales will be donated to Editha House Rooms in the Illinois Medican District Guest House, which provides affordable lodging for adult cancer patients and their adult caregivers traveling for medical treatment.
—Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse invites guests to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness month this October and enjoy a classic pink cosmopolitan ( $12 ). The restaurant will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from cosmopolitan sold to the Lynn Sage Foundation in support of finding a cure for Breast Cancer. See www.gibsonssteakhouse.com . ( Other restaurants in the Gibsons Restaurant Group who are donating to the foundation include Luxbar, Quartino, and Hugo's Frog Bar & Fish House. )
—Rogers Park's MorseL restaurant, 1406 W. Morse Ave., has closed. The restaurant at 1406 W. Morse Ave. is the second of owner Colm Treacy's businesses to close this year. The Cook County sheriff's office shut down T's in March after building owner Julie Mai claimed Treacy hadn't paid rent for months.
—Dining out for Equality will take place Thursday, Oct. 10. A portion of the evening's sales at each restaurant will benefit pro-LGBT group Equality Illinois. Among the participating restaurants are Wood, Hamburger Mary's, Yoshi's Cafe and Nookies Edgewater. See www.eqil.org/events.html .
—The Grid has announced a new restaurant concept that has opened in the former Baume & Brix space, 351 W. Hubbard St. Chef Dirk Flanigan, formerly of Henri and The Gage, serves as the opening chef. Highlights include spicy green curry mussels; roasted swordfish with olive oil, rosemary, caper and fennel salad; and a build-your-own slider board with pulled pork shoulder, pickles and slaw. See thegridchicago.com .
—American Junkie, 15 W. Illinois St., is hosting Chicago Costume's 5th Annual Halloween Fashion Show Wed., Oct. 9, 7-10 p.m. The event will include an appearance from British musician Natalia Kills. General admission is complimentary; a VIP ticket is $25. See www.lostinspace-aj.eventbrite.com .
—mk, 868 N. Franklin St., will host a special gathering in the restaurant's renovated lounge space to benefit Un86'd—a Chicago charity created to aid in monetary relief for restaurant professionals—on Monday, Oct. 7, 9 p.m.-12 a.m. Admission is $30 , which includes two beverages from mk's selection of craft cocktails, beer and wine as well as a raffle ticket and bites from the restaurant's recently introduced bar menu. Visit www.mkchicago.com .
—Throughout October ( Breast Cancer Awareness Month ), Riva ( at Navy Pier ) will highlight several dishes on its menu. Each time a dish designated with a PINK RIBBON is ordered, $1 will be donated to benefit the Lynn Sage Scholars Program at Northwestern University ( www.lynnsagefoundation.org ). Featured dishes include Riva lobster Diavolo ( $42 ) and Atlantic salmon ( $29 ). See www.RivaNavyPier.com .
—The Doughnut Vault has teamed with Vintage Step Vans to restore a 1957 International Metro as its food truck, according to Thrillist. Doughnut flavors include buttermilk glazed and blueberry as well as ones with a lemon-poppyseed glaze. Follow @VaultVan_G on Twitter to get the truck's location.
—Allium ( inside the Four Seasons Hotel, 120 E. Delaware Pl. ) will hold "Pink" Thursday, Oct. 3. At 6-8 p.m., guests can enjoy Laurent-Perrier Rose Champagne, Allium's Pink A'Peel cocktail, passed bites, fashions and mini-manicures as Allium Goes Pink to benefit breast-cancer research. There is a suggested donation of $35; a portion of the proceeds will benefit The Lynn Sage Foundation. Call 312-799-4900 or visit www.alliumchicago.com .
—Geja's Cafe, 340 W. Armitage Ave., will host its 40th Annual Professional/Amateur Wine Tasting Contest Sunday, Nov. 3, at 1 p.m. ( Amateurs are defined as not having worked in the wine industry for the previous three years. ) To enter, contestants pay an entrance fee of $20 and must be 21 years of age or older; to RSVP, call Geja's Cafe at 773-281-9101.
—Twisted Spoke, 501 N. Ogden Ave., has announced Nomad Brewing, a follow-up to its 15th anniversary New Belgium collaboration beer. This limited supply of the first-ever Nomad Brewing ale is available on tap at Twisted Spoke and also in 750-ml bottles at all three Lush Wine & Spirits locations for $25 each.
—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 .
—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. 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 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 .
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