Restaurant recommendation: My recommendation is a spot that is the epitome of old-school Italian cuisine: Tuscany on Taylor, 1500 W. Taylor St.
Antipasti include spicy grilled octopus (polpi), calamari fritti and even wagyu meatballs. There are also various pizzas (including the Regina, featuring Tuscan sausage, toasted pepper, mushroom and mozzarella), pastas (gnocchi pomodoro, mezzaluna Cipriani, and linguine with scampi, among other items) and entrees (like Italian sausage with roasted bell peppers, onions and tomato sauce; wood-fired rotisserie chicken; and fried, battered eggplant with tomato sauce, parmesan, fresh mozzarella and herb fettuccine). Oh, yeah: Don't forget dessert items like tiramisu, cannolis, sorbet and torta di formaggio (or cheesecake).
Visit Website Link Here .
Deal or no deal: A Reddit user put together a spreadsheet showing the best and worst deals for Chicago Restaurant Week (CRW), according to NBC Chicago.
The spreadsheet breaks down the offerings into different categories, including "Top $59 dinners," "Top $42 dinners," "Top Brunch" and more. It's based on each restaurant's "Restaurant Week" menu "compared to their current menu."
CRW will take place Jan. 19-Feb. 4. The spreadsheet can be accessed via this link.
That's entertainment: Kit Kat Lounge, 3700 N. Halsted St., has two sets of drag brunches coming up based on very different films—Mean Girls and Magic Mike—followed by a set focused on the one-and-only Madonna.
The Mean Girls brunch will conclude on Jan. 14 (but call ahead to see if the venue will open, considering the weather advisory) while the Magic Mike brunch will happen Jan. 20-21. Both sets of brunches will feature host Keri Traid with diva Shantell D'Marco. Then, on Jan. 27-28, there will be the "Madonna: The Celebration Tour" brunch at Kit Kat with diva Kinley Preston and host Faleasha Savage.
Seatings will be at 11 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. Visit KitKatChicago.com for more info.
Happy, happy: Marina's Bistro, 4554 N. Magnolia Ave., has started a weekly happy hour.
Patrons will be able to enjoy half off drinks and appetizers on Tuesdays through Fridays at 4-6 p.m. Apps include the hummus de gandules (pigeon peas hummus), or the pastelillos de carne or plant-based turnovers. Cocktails include La Playita (white rum, fresh mint, fresh lime juice, house made puree, simple syrup and club soda) and Marina's Punch (dark rum, Amaro liqueur, fresh lime juice, housemade cinnamon syrup and pineapple juice). Mocktails are also available.
Marina's specializes in Puerto Rican cuisine. Check out Website Link Here .
GIVEAWAY!: There are definitely benefits to being a paid subscriber to SAVOR with Andrew—including giveaways. Subscribe by Saturday, Jan. 20, to qualify for a movie two-fer: a book of the Barbie screenplay and a Maestro coffee-table book featuring photos connected with the film. For details, visit SAVOR with Andrew at future3733.substack.com.
