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  WINDY CITY TIMES

Dining news: SpritzBurger closing; distillery opening; Alpana Singh
by Andrew Davis, Windy City Times
2016-02-23

This article shared 3329 times since Tue Feb 23, 2016
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—Hearty Boys-owned SpritzBurger, 3819 N. Broadway, will close March 13 to make way for a mixed-use development that will replace the strip of businesses along 3817-45 N. Broadway south of Sheridan Road, according to DNAInfo. A Facebook post reads, "Hearty Boys Catering kitchen is moving west but I'm sad to say that SpritzBurger must close Sunday March 13." A Windy City Times review of SpritzBurger is at www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/DISH-SAVOR-SpritzBurger-Bites-Asian-Tapas-/47120.html .

—CH Distillery, 564 W. Randolph St., has announced plans for a second distillery that is slated to open for production at the end of 2016. Construction is already underway on the 20,000-square-foot facility at 1611 S. Clinton St. The distillery—which will focus primarily on vodka, rum and liqueur production—will have an initial capacity of 20 times the West Loop distillery's current production capabilities.

—Proprietor Alpana Singh has announced Terra & Vine—her third restaurant—which debuts later this year in downtown Evanston at 1701 Maple Ave. at Church Street Plaza. The restaurant will feature rustic Mediterranean fare with Italian emphasis—complete with a custom wood-fired grill—along with a 115-seat dining room. The restaurant will also house an adjacent 40-seat bar, named Bar Terra, which will showcase a selection of menu items.

—The sold-out 17th Annual Chicago's Best WingFest brought out nearly 2,000 people who consumed more than 50,000 wings. The following were proclaimed winners, in a double-blind judged competition: Best Mild Wing: a tie between Reverie and Gators; Best Hot Wing: Timothy O'Toole's; Best BBQ Wing: Dinosaur BBQ; Best Exotic Wing: Output; Rookie of the Year: Dinosaur BBQ; and Best of the Fest: Dinosaur BBQ.

—Acadia, 1639 S. Wabash Ave., has hired Mari Katsumura as its executive pastry chef. Prior to joining Acadia, Katsumura most recently worked alongside Chef Dana Cree as pastry sous chef at Blackbird, along with holding positions at the three Michelin-starred Grace. Desserts currently include coconut custard, persimmon, cambozola and Japanese cheesecake.

—Eastman Egg Company is among the eateries participating in Restaurant Giving Week through Feb. 28. The initiative is a part of Zero Percent's new crowdfunding platform, foodrescue.io. The fast-casual breakfast-and-lunch eatery will be offering donors a Scratch Biscuit Slider at its Ogilvie location, 500 W. Madison St. . The slider features Slagel Family Farm egg, house sausage and white cheddar on a scratch baked biscuit. Other known participating restaurants include The Doughnut Vault, Parson's Chicken & Fish, Lou Malnati's and Hannah's Bretzel.

—County Barbeque, 1352 W. Taylor St., will host Half Acre beer night on Thursday, Feb. 25, at 6 p.m. Guests can taste limited release beers paired with delicious County Barbeque plates. Beers on draft include Nitro Chocolate Camaro, Softly, Daisy Cutter and a surprise draft. ( Brewery representatives will also be on site to give away Half Acre swag. )

—The Fourth Annual Cider Summit Chicago will take place at Navy Pier on Saturday, Feb. 27, at 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 4-8 p.m. Cider Summit Chicago is presented by Binny's Beverage Depot and will once again benefit Heartland Alliance and The Great Lakes Cider & Perry Association. Admission for the 21-and-over event is $35-$40; see CiderSummit.com .

—Corridor Brewery & Provisions, 3446 N. Southport Ave., will debut weekend brunch on Saturday, Feb. 27. Brunch will take place on Saturdays and Sundays at 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The brunch menu's focus is on brioche waffles, but other brunch dishes include the breakfast pizza, crab Benedict, ploughmans and omelettes. There'll also be brunch cocktails.

—The Northalsted Business Alliance will host the Frost Fest Craft Beer Festival on Feb. 27-28. Admission is $35 for each event. Tickets are available exclusively on www.northalsted.com .

—Troquet River North, 111 W. Huron St., will host a viewing party for the 88th Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 28. The bar will be offering a selection of Oscar-themed cocktails, created by Beverage Manager Breanna DiMaggio and all available for $9 each. ( Options include The Big Short and Mad Max. ) Also, there will be an Oscar-prediction contest, with the winner receiving a $50 gift certificate to Troquet River North. See TroquetRiverNorth.com .

—Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse, 40 E. Oak St., is offering five themed cocktails for Oscar night ( Sunday, Feb. 28 ). For the entire weekend, Feb. 26-28, Del Frisco's will offer cocktails inspired by movies nominated for Best Picture for $12 and a percent of proceeds will be donated to Make A Wish. Choices include 10-Year Sentence, By the Hair of the Bear, The Cover Up, Storm on Mars and Modern Banking.

—Commonwealth Tavern, 2000 W. Roscoe St., invites people to watch the 88th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. With eight 70-inch plasma televisions, guests will have a guaranteed view of all the red carpet and award-show coverage. Patrons will enjoy special Oscars-inspired drinks for $5 each including the Red Carpet martini ( Patron, Patron Citronage, raspberry, cranberry ), Golden Statue cocktail ( Ciroc Peach, peach puree, champagne ) as well as a $5 Right Bee Cider. See CommonwealthChicago.com .

—Boiler Room, 2210 N. California Ave., and LoganSquarist announced the February feature of the monthly PBR Movie Night: Revenge of the Nerds. Boiler Room will screen this '80s classic Sunday, Feb 28, at 8 p.m. Patrons can enjoy Boiler Room's PB&J special; a slice of pizza, 16-ounce PBR and a shot of Jameson for $8.50.

—In celebration of Leap Day on Monday, Feb. 29, RIVA Crab House, located at Navy Pier, will feature drink specials and a $29 three-course dinner menu from Executive Chef Luigi Garcia. The prix-fixe menu features items like lobster corn bisque, cheese agnolotti, filet mignon, tiramisu and more. See RivaNavyPier.com .

—Community Tavern, 4038 N. Milwaukee Ave., is hosting an absinthe dinner in collaboration with North Shore Distillery on Wed., March 2, 6-8 p.m. For $65 per person ( excluding tax and gratuity ), guests enjoy a one-of-a-kind four-course dinner and cocktail experience at the bar. Dishes such as grilled figs, braised lamb-leg tortelloni, duck a la orange and frozen lemon souffle will be paired with various absinthe-based cocktails. Call 773-283-6080.

—The National Maple Syrup Festival will return to Nashville, Indiana, for a second year on March 5-6. New to the 2016 Festival is "Tap the Town" on Feb. 27; this hands-on experience provides guests with the unique opportunity to tap their own maple trees. ( The event also will include a visit to Hinkle-Garton Farmstead, a commemorative bottle of pure Indiana maple syrup and tickets to the National Maple Syrup Festival on March 5-6. ) Visit www.browncounty.com/national-maple-syrup-festival.

—Formento's, 925 W. Randolph St., will host its inaugural "Battle of the 'Balls" on Sunday, March 6, where prominent Chicago chefs will engage in a friendly competition to see who can make the best meatball. Some of the participating chefs include Chris Pandel of B. Hospitality Co., Sean Pharr of The Bristol, Paul Virant of Perennial Virant and Vie, and Joshua Kulp & Christine Cikowski of Honey Butter Fried Chicken. Admission is $60 each; visit battleoftheballs.bpt.me/ .

—Geja's Cafe, 340 W. Armitage Ave., invites guests to the M. Chapoutier Winemaker Dinner on Monday, March 7, at 6:30 p.m. Part of Geja's Winemaker Dinner series, the event features a four-course dinner paired appropriately with select wines. Cost for each dinner is $60 per person, which includes the wines, dinner, tax and gratuity. See GejasCafe.com .

—DMK cocktail bar Henry's, 18 W. Hubbard St., invites guests Saturday, March 12 with specialty food and drink offerings. The laid-back River North lounge features a corned-beef slider with fries for $5 from opening until 5 p.m. Drinks specials include green Jell-O shots and a specialty cocktail. For more information, visit www.henrys-chicago.com .

—Travelle Kitchen + Bar, 330 N. Wabash Ave., invites guests to watch from above as the Chicago River gets dyed green for St. Patrick's Day on Saturday, March 12. At 8 a.m., the lounge opens early for guests to reserve bar tables with a $50 minimum per person to take in the festivities. Visit www.TravelleChicago.com .

—Irish-inspired bar and restaurant GreenRiver ( 259 E. Erie St., 18th floor ) presents a way to celebrate on Parade Day with local brews and bites from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, March 12. St. Paddy's Day Beer Fest tickets, priced at $65 per person, include five five-ounce tastings from local breweries such as Chicago-based Half Acre Beer and Moody Tongue Brewing Company. Call 312-337-0101.

—Claudia—a fine-dining underground pop-up restaurant from Chef Trevor Teich ( L20; Acadia )—is hosting two eight-course dinner seatings featuring a brand-new spring menu on Saturday, March 12. Tickets for the Claudia spring dinners must be purchased via www.claudiarestaurant.com . There is a 5 p.m. seating that can accommodate up to 16 guests, and there's an 8:30 p.m. seating that can accommodate up to 16 guests. Some of the planned dishes include king-crab roll, salmon, squab, and strawberry and chocolate.

—Bar Toma, 110 E. Pearson St., gets into the Irish spirit with "The Lean Green," a wood-fired pizza with spinach and basil pesto, mozzarella and grape tomatoes ( $18 ). The Lean Green is available throughout March as the "Pizza of the Month." For more information, call 312-266-3110 or visit www.bartomachicago.com .

—Put on by Iceland Naturally immediately following the launch of Icelandair's direct route to Chicago O'Hare International Airport on March 16, Taste of Iceland will take place in restaurants, theaters and music venues across Chicago from Thursday, March 17 through Sunday, March 20. In celebration of bringing the tastes of Iceland to Chicago, Thrainn Freyr Vigfusson—one of three head chefs at LAVA Restaurant in Blue Lagoon—will collaborate with a local restaurant in preparing a limited-time three course pre-fixe menu. See http://icelandnaturally.com/article/taste-iceland-chicago-2016.

—Frasca Pizzeria & Wine Bar, 3358 N. Paulina Ave., will bring back its famous Guinness Pizza on St. Patrick's Day ( March 17 ). The wood-fire oven pie ( $13 ) is made with a real Guinness stout crust and topped with bechamel sauce, roasted onions, fingerling potatoes, bacon, three cheeses and a signature egg.

—Lent ( which runs through March 24 ) may be the ideal time of year to enjoy one of Chef Ryan McCaskey's signature lobster rolls ( $18 ) at Acadia, which has received two Michelin stars. Packed with lobster meat from Stonington, Maine, and served on classic lobster rolls, this seafood favorite can also be ordered Connecticut-style—warmed in butter. For more information, call 312-360-9500.

—Also through Lent, Osteria Langhe, 2824 W. Armitage Ave., has a menu filled with dishes inspired by the Piedmont region of Italy, including the Pesce ( $27 ). Chef Cameron Grant prepares this pan-roasted mahi mahi with grape tomatoes, snap peas, Calabrian peppers, fragile and browned butter vinaigrette. For more information, call 773-661-1582.

—For Easter Sunday, March 27, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Lucille at Drury Lane ( 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace ) is hosting a special brunch. Menu highlights include omelet, savory and carving stations as well as a seafood bar and a dessert table. Mimosas and bellinis are complimentary throughout the meal, and there's a Bloody Mary bar. The cost is $10-$45; call 630-530-8300.

—Bill Kim, owner and executive chef of Asian restaurant urbanbelly, has announced that a second location will open in Wicker Park in March. The four-time Michelin awarded restaurant also operates in West Loop's Randolph Street corridor, after relocating from its original location in Avondale in 2013. urbanbelly is just one of Kim's various Asian ventures in the Cornerstone Restaurant Group, which also includes bellyQ and Belly Shack.

Send items to Andrew@WindyCityMediaGroup.com or follow on Twitter @Azygous60610 .


This article shared 3329 times since Tue Feb 23, 2016
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