—LKH Management ( LKH )—the group behind Lake View's Hydrate, Elixir, Replay and Halsted's Bar & Grill—announced that Paul Dobroski will join the company as executive chef for both its new Replay and Elixir locations in Andersonville, scheduled to open in August. He will be supported by sous chef Bernardo Ibarra, who served in the same capacity at Girl & the Goat for four years.
Unlike the Lake View locations, the Andersonville sites "will each serve an innovative and distinctive food menu," according to a press release. Replay Andersonville will offer breakfast and brunch items in addition to lunch, dinner and late-night dishes.
—The I|O Godfrey—on the fourth floor of The Godfrey Hotel, 127 W. Huron St.—invites people to stretch their muscles amid panoramic views of the city with the launch of a weekly Rooftop Yoga & Brunch program on Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. Yoga and brunch are $35 total; separately, they're $18. Call 312-374-1829.
—Peruvian restaurant Tanta, 118 W. Grand Ave., has launched its Rooftop Recovery Brunch at 1-4:30 p.m. on Sundays. In addition to discounted bottles, an industry discount ( with proof of employment ) and live music, Executive Chef Jesus Delgado has created a menu specifically to help cure hangovers with dishes including leche de tigre Clasico, yuquitas, empanadas, cebiches and more. Visit TantaChicago.com .
—Carmella's Café on the Lake has opened in Marquette Park in Gary, Indiana. The restaurant serves breakfast, coffee, hot dogs, Polish sausage, spinach pie and sandwiches. See more at "Carmella's Cafe" on Facebook.
—James Beard Award winner Chef Tony Mantuano has debuted a more modern design and revamped menu at Spiaggia's sister restaurant Cafe Spiaggia, paired with Wine Director Rachael Lowe's new wine list and brand-new desserts from Pastry Chef Melanie Diamond-Manlusoc. After a seven week renovation, the cafe reopened July 16.
—Gapers Block and Reach Out and Read ( ROR ) will host its third annual Hot Dog Cookoff on Saturday, Aug. 1, 12-5 p.m., in the parking lot at Schubas on Southport Avenue. The event will feature new interpretations of the classic Vienna Beef hot dog by chefs from Harmony Grill, Wiener and Still Champion, Monti's, ThePizzle.net and two-time defending champions ManBQue. Admission is $20 for adults, $10 for children under 12, and includes tasting portions of all the chefs' creations. Visit http://www.lh-st.com/Shows/08-01-2015+Gapers+Block+Hot+Dog+Cookoff.
—Noelle Scaggs—of the band Fitz & The Tantrums, and creator of her own food and travel guide, Adventures With Scaggs—has teamed with Chef Jeff Mahin and Co-Creator Francis Brennan of Stella Barra/Summer House and Do-Rite Donuts to create a "limited-edition" donut that will be featured at Do-Rite Donut locations across Chicago through Aug. 3. It is a maple old-fashioned donut with candied Fresno chilies.
—Buona has expanded to St. Charles, Illinois. The 15th location of the family-owned business will officially open Tuesday, Aug. 4, at 2425 W. Main St. To kick things off on opening day, the first 100 guests in line will automatically win free beef for a year at Buona. See Buona.com .
—For National Oyster Day ( Aug. 5 ), Hugo's Frog Bar & Fish House ( www.hugosfrogbar.com ) & Tavern on Rush ( www.tavernonrush.com ) will hold specials. Hugo's will have $1 oysters all day long. At Tavern, guests will enjoy $1 oysters on the half shell, $2 stone oven baked oysters ( available in jalapeño bacon or lemon garlic styles ) and $10 fried oyster baskets.
—Mr. Brown's Lounge, 81 E. Wacker Dr., will celebrate Jamaica's independence day Aug. 6. Chef Chris Douglas, a Jamaica native, will offer items such as $7 Island Rum Punch, $4 Red Stripe and $7 Jamaican jerk chicken. See MrBrownsLounge.com .
—The Chicago History Museum's third annual Chicago Hot Dog Fest will take place Aug. 7-9. It will be Friday, Aug. 7, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 8, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 9, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., at the corner of Clark and LaSalle streets. Some of the vendors include Boricua Dog, Flashy Hotdogs, Chubby Wieners, and Frannie's Beef and Catering. See ChicagoHotDogFest.com .
—The Taste of Andersonville Dinner Crawl—featuring selections from 22 restaurants—will take place Wed., Aug. 12, 6-9 p.m. The main location for the Taste of Andersonville is the Swedish American Museum, 5211 N. Clark St. Participants can choose between the Salt or Pepper routes, as well as The Whole Enchilada. Tickets are $30 for each route in advance, $35 at the door ( if available ); The Whole Enchilada is $55 in advance, $65 at the door ( if available ). Visit andersonville.org/dinnercrawl.
—SideDoor, at Rush and Ontario streets, will host a 3 Floyds Brewery Beer Dinner on Wed., Aug. 12, at 7 p.m. Executive Chef Brian Kwak will present a six-course prix-fixe dinner to complement a selection of the latest craft beer releases from the Indiana-based brewery. Admission is $100 each, exclusive of tax and gratuity; RSVP at 312-787-6768 or jvandertuuk@lawrysonline.com .
—Frontier, 1072 N. Milwaukee Ave., will host its fifth annual oyster shucking contest ( along with a shrimp boil ) on Sunday, Aug. 23, at 3 p.m. ( The boil is 12-3 p.m. ) The contest will feature more than 20 chefs from Chicago restaurants including Sink/Swim, Kinmont, Presidio, Sumi Robata Bar, Rural Society, Joe Fish and others. See TheFrontierChicago.com .
—Available through Aug. 31, Hard Rock Cafe's ( 63 W. Ontario St. ) limited-time Goose Island Tropical Bacon Burger will be paired with Goose Island IPA. The burger is a half-pound Angus beef patty brushed with Goose Island IPA glaze and topped with chili spiced bacon, grilled pineapple, mango salsa, chipotle puree, arugula and cheddar cheese. Visit HardRock.com/Chicago.
—Chicago's Best Summer WingFest—advertised as "a bigger and better version" of Chicago's Best WingFest—will be held Saturday, Sept. 5, 1-7 p.m., at the Bailey Auditorium, 1340 W. Washington St. Chicago's Best Summer WingFest will feature double the wing-slinging restaurants, live music, carnival games, a vendor market, craft beer and a full bar. Tickets for Chicago's Best Summer WingFest ( $40 ) will go on sale Wed., June 24, at 12 p.m; visit www.WingFest.net .
—The Andersonville Development Corporation ( ADC ) is presenting the 3rd Annual Andersonville City Made Fest, the only all-local street festival that highlights Chicago-made beer, music and products in the historic Andersonville neighborhood. It will be Sept. 12 ( 12-9 p.m. ) and 13 ( 12-7 p.m. ) at 5000-5100 N. Clark St. There is a suggested gate donation of $5. See Andersonville.org .
—Bon Appetit presents Chicago Gourmet has announced that the 2015 Grand Cru will showcase chefs from restaurants nationwide that have been included in title sponsor Bon Appétit magazine's annual Best New Restaurants issue. Some of the chefs are The Purple Pig's Jimmy Bannos Jr., Fat Rice's Abe Conlon and Trencherman's Patrick Sheerin. The Grand Cru takes place Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 26-27, 2-4 p.m., at the Harris Theatre Rooftop. Admission is $199 ( not including tax ) and requires a general admission ticket to Chicago Gourmet; visit ChicagoGourmet.org .
—The James Beard Foundation ( JBF ) has announced the third consecutive year of the Taste America: "Local Flavor from Coast To Coast" national epicurean tour, which will visit 10 U.S. cities this fall. Spanning six weekends between Sept. 18 and Nov. 7, the program will stop in Boston, Charleston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Phoenix, San Francisco and Seattle. ( The Chicago stop is Oct. 23-24. ) Tickets are on sale at JBFTasteAmerica.org .
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