—There will be a specialty Father's Day menu at The Claridge Hotel's Juniper Spirits & Oysters, 1244 N. Dearborn Pkwy., on June 15-16, featuring a choice of filet, BLT or lobster slider paired with a flight of gin or beer. See juniperspiritsandoysters.com .
—In addition to Italian favorites and healthful offerings, Nonnina, 340 N. Clark St., is featuring Chicago's portrait specialist/photographer Mila Samokhina, who will be on hand 3-7 p.m. to capture family photos. ( The picture/s will be emailed to subjects in high-resolution format. ) RSVP at nonninachicago.com .
—Lillie's Q, 1856 W. North Ave., is offering 10 percent off gift sets for Father's Day. ( Use the code LQDADS. ) Items include sauces, rubs, cooking tools and more. See LilliesQ.com .
—Morton's The Steakhouse is offering a special three-course menu for $59 per person for Father's Day ( Sunday, June 16 ). Guests can choose from signature dishes like Morton's Salad, 10-ounce Manhattan and key lime pie, among many others. See Mortons.com .
—Tied House, 3157 N. Southport Ave., will host a drag-queen brunch Saturday, June 15. Guests can reserve tables between 12-1:30 p.m., and catch performances from Chicago personalities Chamilla Foxx and Bambi Banks-Coulee. Regular brunch service will feature a $6 rose special, with performances every 15 minutes. See TiedHouseChicago.com .
—The 21st Annual Ribfest Chicago will now take place Father's Day weekend, June 14-16. A few of the event's vendors will include City Barbeque, El Campeon, Wrigley BBQ, Porkchop, Famous Dave's and Blowin' Smoque BBQ. Tickets are $10-$50 ( VIP ) each; visit Ribfest-chicago.com .
—After his December arrest in Spain, Chicago restaurateur Attila Gyulai—who left the country amid a burgeoning fraud scandal—was ordered released on house arrest to face criminal charges that he looted his popular West Loop restaurant Embeya of more than $300,000, The Chicago Tribune reported. His business partners, Thai and Danielle Dang, originally filed a lawsuit alleging he had been looting the business. Embeya opened in 2012 to praise for polished cooking by chef Thai Dang; it closed in 2017.
—The 4th Annual Trans Community Ice Cream Social will take place Wed., June 19, on the rooftop of Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., 5:30-7:30 p.m. The event is free, and on RSVP is required. See CenteronHalsted.org .
—Park Ridge restaurant Pennyville Station is now open to the public in the historic downtown area at 112 Main St. The 3,800-square-foot, family-owned restaurant—coined after the town's original "Pennyville" name—is a from-scratch kitchen offering farm-to-table cuisine focused on the seasonal bounty of the Midwest. See PennyvilleStation.com .
—Taureaux Tavern, 155 W. Van Buren St., will host summer Dog Yoga ( "doga" ) once per month in its outdoor courtyard beginning Saturday, June 22, at 10 a.m. Dog owners are encouraged to bring their furry friends along for a 45-minute guided yoga class, all while enjoying complimentary mimosas and a doggy brunch buffet. Guests can stay after the class and fuel up on brunch favorites like avocado toast, yogurt parfait, and lox and bagel, and much more on Taureaux's dog-friendly pergola or outdoor patio. Yoga mats and dogs are not provided. Future doga classes will take place on Saturday, July 20, and Saturday, Aug. 17. Tickets can be purchased at http://bit.ly/TaureauxDoga.
—For Pride Month, Big Gay Ice Cream is teaming with pastry chef Leigh Omilinsky—this time from her new home, Cold Storage, 1000 W. Fulton Market, on June 24-30. There will be Pride Pops ( rainbow sherbet popsicles served with a shot of tequila ), but those who can't make it to Cold Storage that week can enjoy a dairy-free Pride Sundae all month long. A portion of the proceeds from these offerings will be donated to Chicago's Howard Brown Health.
—Windy City Smokeout will be held July 12-14 at a new location right outside of Chicago's United Center. Hosted by Bub City and Joe's Bar, the event is the first official outdoor music festival to take place at the West Loop arena's 250,000-square-foot parking lot along Madison Street. Some of the country acts slated to perform are Old Dominion, Jessie James Decker, Parker McCollum, LANCO and Muscadine Bloodline.
—Travelle Pastry Chef Danielle Marelli will lead a plating workshop at Travelle at The Langham, 330 N. Wabash Ave., on Saturday, July 20, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Participants will learn the art of plate presentation while enjoying a three-course meal ( skillet cinnamon bun; salad du Marche, chicken and waffles, or avocado toast; and strawberries and mascarpone creme ) prepared in combination by Chef de Cuisine Jeff Vucko and Pastry Chef Danielle. Admission is $65 each; call 312-923-7705.
—The 13th annual Veggie Fest will be in Lisle's Danada South Park on Aug. 10-11. Just a few of the recent additions to the international food court include four styles of vegan omelets, buffalo cauliflower wings ( served with vegan ranch dip ), a Buddha bowl with quinoa and a twist on avocado toast. See VeggieFestChicago.org .
—Jeong, 1460 W. Chicago Ave., has a menu that draws inspiration from traditional Korean ingredients from Chef Dave Park's childhood with his grandparents in Korea. However, one of his desserts borrows something from his childhood that is a little less traditional ( and Japanese ): Hi-Chew. Park crafts a sweet stock using Hi-Chews, and incorporates that into making a pillowy mochi, served with a sorbet made with cloudy Korean rice wine Makgeolli as well as grapefruit segments for some added acidity. The whole dessert is topped with a delicate meringue made using omija or "five-flavor" berries that have five distinct tastes ( sour, bitter, sweet, spicy and salty ).
—Throughout the summer, people can stop by Somerset, 1112 N. State St., for Somer Socials each Sunday at 5-7 p.m. The menu will change every Sunday, as Chef Meg Galus serves flavors from her ice-cream cart like Brown Sugar Cookie Dough, Toasted Marshmallow, Mint Chocolate Fudge, Rainbow Sherbet, and Peaches & Cream. Items are $4-$6 each; see www.somersetchicago.com .
—Woven & Bound—inside the Marriott Marquis Chicago, at 2121 S. Prairie Ave.—has unveiled its summer menu. A few of the items on the menu include small bites like sweet-potato fries, Bavarian pretzels and "hurricane" Brussel sprouts; starters like skillet cornbread and lobster mac 'n' cheese; breakfast items such as avocado toast and housemade corned-beef hash; lunch offerings like turkey burgers and fried-chicken sandwiches; and dinner dishes like prime cowgirl ribeye and seared scallops.
—Capitalizing on the diet craze, Warm Belly Bakery is offering the double chocolate walnut keto cookie, for $4 each. Made with an almond flour base, this low-glycemic cookie is also low in sugar and gluten-free, and contains only two grams of net carbs. Warm Belly Bakery is in the West Loop ( 1148 W. Monroe St. ) and Lincoln Park ( 2472 N. Clark St. ).
—Chiya Chai, 2770 N. Milwaukee Ave, is now offering the addition of organic, non-GMO CBD in any chai beverage or cocktail for an additional 50 cents. Chiya Chai offers a chai program with more than 150 different combinations, including traditional masala and cardamom and experimental flavors such as caramel sea salt, cardamom pistachio and coconut creme. Popular cocktails include the Maharaja with gin, cardamom, rosewater, pandanus ( exotic tropical plant ) essence, cinnamon, blueberry juice, fresh lemon juice and triple sec; and the Rum Chai Tea, with Kahlua, white rum, almond milk, rice milk, masala chai blend, vanilla and cinnamon.
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