—Lincoln Hall and Schubas Tavern ( on 4/20, fittingly ) will offer the "Hi-CBD" cocktail ( Deep Eddy orange vodka, Euphoric CBD-infused simple syrup and lime ) for $10. Also, Brass Heart Restaurant, 4662 N. Broadway, will have the "CBD Soda" ( G4 Reposado tequila, kumquat, cinnamon, organic raw agave syrup and CBD oil ) for $16.
—La Pizza & La Pasta, within Eataly Chicago, is launching an event series called Pizzata! Each month, a notable Chicago figure will host an event all about the traditional Neapolitan-style pizza. ( A "pizzata" is a traditional Italian pizza party that brings together family and friends to celebrate one another or a special occasion. ) Kicking off the series on Thursday, April 25, guests will be able to make a reservation to join the first Pizzata! hosted by Check, Please! host Alpana Singh; visit Website Link Here .
—At Benny's Chop House, 444 N. Wabash Ave., the full menu will be offered 3-9 p.m. on Easter Sunday, April 21. In addition to steak and seafood items, there will be special desserts such as carrot cake, milk-chocolate s'mores cheesecake and banana cream pie. There will also be a kids' menu available. Call 312-626-2444.
—This Easter, River North Chinese destination Imperial Lamian, 6 W. Hubbard St., invites guests and families to celebrate the springtime holiday weekend with new, limited-edition Easter "baskets" and a photo contest with the Easter Bunny himself. The featured baskets, in addition to the full brunch menu, will be available Easter weekend, April 20-21. Brunchers can buy Imperial Lamian's own version of an Easter Basket with the original six rainbow soup dumplings and four additional flavors for Easter fun ( $22 per basket ).
—Walton Street Kitchen + Bar, 912 N. State St., will offer full brunch and dinner menus with special Easter features including deviled eggs ( $8 ) with bacon aioli, house pickles and chives; and a scallion crepe ( $21 ), with braised lamb, asparagus, English peas and a sunny-side-up egg.
—At Baptiste & Bottle, 101 E. Erie St., guests can spend Easter Sunday with family and friends over a three-course prix fixe menu, including a roasted prime rib carving station, at 11 a.m.-3 p.m. The cost $79 per adult, excluding tax and gratuity. See BaptisteAndBottle.com.
—Little Goat Diner, is selling its spring-themed shortbread Easter cookies for $45 per dozen. To place orders, email Lejla at lejla@goatgroupcatering.com .
—Ina Mae Tavern & Packaged Goods, 1415 N. Wood St., will celebrate Easter on Sunday, April 21, at 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The festivities will include Easter baskets, kids' menu offerings and brunch favorites by chef Brian Jupiter. Guest go-to brunch items include Mae's fried chicken & waffle, breakfast po' boy and pain perdu French toast. Reservations can be made at InaMaeTavern.com.
—Chef Luca Corazzina will offer "Easter Benny Brunch" at 312 Chicago, 136 N. LaSalle St., on Sunday, April 21, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. In addition to the regular menu, the Loop restaurant will be whipping up five special eggs Benedict variations ( buffala, spring, crab, avocado and lobster ) made with fresh bread that is baked in-house daily and creative hollandaise sauces. Head Bartender Andres Padilla is also shaking Easter Basket-inspired cocktails with marshmallow Peeps and jelly beans. See 312Chicago.com.
—JoJo's Milk Bar, 23 W. Hubbard St.—known of its over-the-top milkshakes and milk bars, with diner fare—will be open Easter Sunday on 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Jojo's is also known for its cocktail program, with such items as Old Alexander ( Old Forrester bourbon, creme de cacao, cream, pistachio and a dusting of nutmeg ), Not Sangria ( Altos tequila, lavender, lemon, italica and fresh fruit ) and The Queen ( Ketel One grapefruit rose vodka, grapefruit, lime and demerara, garnished with an orange peel and mint ).
—The Peninsula Hotel will return with its annual Easter brunch. Spanning The Lobby as well as the Avenues Ballroom, the all-day buffet features an extravagant array of savory and sweet dishes prepared by The Peninsula's culinary team. There is something for every palate, from sashimi cut to order, to a "Vegetable Farm" with its colorfully composed salads, to a selection of pastries, tarts and other sweets. There will be three seatings in The Lobby between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., and two seatings in the Avenues Ballroom between 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. The Lobby's Easter Brunch is $225 for adults and $65 for children ages 5 to 12 ( excluding tax, gratuity and alcoholic beverages ); call 312- 573-6685 or email diningpch@peninsula.com .
—Tortoise Supper Club, 315 N. State St., will have its Easter brunch at 9:45 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday, April 21. The buffet will include a carving station ( salmon/ham ), soup ( asparagus and shiitake mushroom ), salads, a raw bar and a dessert table. There will also be brunch specialities like herb-roasted chicken, a Belgian waffle station, scrambled eggs and more. The cost is free for kids under 4, $25 each for kids 4-11 and $69 each for everyone else. RSVP at Website Link Here .
—Tuscany Restaurant on Taylor Street, 1014 W. Taylor St., will feature an a la carte Easter specials menu created by Executive Chef Victorio Padilla. The regular menu will also be available, and specials will include items like burratina ( $12 ), with roasted beet, pesto and a grilled baguette; gnocchi ragu D'Agnello ( $22 ), with lamb, tomatoes, red wine and pecorino; and Speck Eggs and Pizza ( $17 ), with mascarpone cream sauce, fontina over-easy eggs and arugula.
—Bernie's Lunch & Supper, 660 N. Orleans St., will offer a la carte specials in addition to its regular brunch menu for Easter Sunday at 10 a.m.-3 p.m. A la carte options include $12 Scotch egg, $9 hot-crossed buns and a $15 ham, asparagus and cheese quiche. Visit Bernies-Chicago.com.
—River Roast, 315 N. LaSalle St., will have an Easter Sunday chef table. There will be a breakfast station ( bacon, blueberry French toast and more ), salads, hand-carved roasts, sides and desserts. Cost: $55 per adult, $18 for kids 5-12, free for kids 4 and younger; visit RiverRoastChi.com.
—The Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago, 221 N. Columbus Dr., will have a family-friendly Easter brunch at 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday, April 21. It will feature a full brunch buffet with garlic-crusted leg of lamb, an omelet station, snow-crab legs, French toast, an Easter dessert display, complimentary Champagne pours and complimentary self-parking. Guests can even expect an Easter Bunny appearance. Brunch is $56 per adult, $22 per child 11+ and $15 for children 3-10, while kids under 3 eat free. See Website Link Here .
—Forum 55, 55 E. Monroe St., will be hosting an egg hunt all next week for Easter. Starting next Monday, an Easter Egg will be hidden throughout the food hall for a guest to find each day, Monday-Friday. A $20 gift certificate to Forum 55 will be inside each egg. It'll be a silver or gold egg; after it's found, the egg needs to be returned to Jillian at Forum 55 to redeem the gift card.
—Logan Square spot Daisies will mark Earth Day ( April 22 ) with vegetable-forward cocktails. In correlation with Earth Day, a tomato/parsley stem cocktail will be added to the menu. Among other drinks, there will also be the beet Old Fashioned as well as the Night Vision ( Campari/Carpano Antica/carrot and orange juices ).
—On Earth Day, April 22, Mercat a la Planxa, 638 S. Michigan Ave., will turn off the lights at 8:30-9:30 p.m., providing dinner by candlelight. The night will feature a "Sustainable Supper" menu crafted specifically for the event, which is a three-course prix-fixe menu ( $50 or $75 with wine pairings ) in which each dish will highlight a Midwest local farm. The salad will be Amanida de Tomaquets I Alberginies Fregides: green tomatoes and crispy eggplant salad with sherry vinaigrette and highlights Klein Quality Farms from Elgin, Illinois. The entree will be Costella de Bou amb carxofes a la Brasa: grilled ribeye and artichokes with Romesco sauce, highlighting CDK Farms from Lena, Illinois; and dessert will be Milfulles de crema pastisera al safra I fruites del bosc: tartlet with saffron custard and red fruits highlighting Kalona Dairy Farm from Kalona, Iowa. Visit Website Link Here .
—A Chicago-area pie shop and non-profit that feeds more than 700 people in need each week took home the $10,000 grand prize in a national business makeover giveaway. First Slice Pie Cafe, 5357 N. Ashland Ave., will unveil its new look—and dish out a year's worth of free pie for guests—in a full-scale celebration slated for Saturday, April 27, at 10 a.m. The first 50 guests in line will receive a punch card valid for free pie for a year. First Slice Pie Cafe was the winning recipient of the $10,000 makeover campaign by integrated marketing and signage specialists at AlphaGraphics, in cooperation with branding and advertising agency Awe Collective.
—Greek Easter is Sunday, April 28—and several Greektown restaurants will be open with items to mark the occasion. For instance, Artopolis will be offering Lenten Poikilia ( an assortment of dolmadakia, taramasalata, fava beans and a special salad with fish ), Lagana ( Lenten flatbread ), a variety of flavors of Halva ( almond, pistachio, vanilla and chocolate ) and Moustokouloura ( a Lenten cookie made with grape molasses and orange juice ). Also, on Greek Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, Athena will be open after the Anastasi Service for people to break their fasts by feasting on traditional pasta delicacies.
—Frontier, 1072 N. Milwaukee Ave., will celebrate Jazzfest with its annual all-you-can-eat crawfish boil on Sunday, April 28, with seatings at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. Tickets are $35 and include all-you-can-eat crawfish, corn and potatoes. Frontier will also offer $10 crawfish Monicas, $8 crawfish pies, $8 frozen daiquiris and $5 Abita specials, in addition to live music. Tickets can be purchased online at thefrontierchicago.com/happenings.
—Dos Urban Cantina, 2829 W. Armitage Ave., is hosting a brunch buffet on Sunday, May 5, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The buffet will feature classic Mexican dishes with creative and seasonal twists, including tamales, chilaquiles, ceviche, a guacamole bar, cinnamon rolls, Texas sheet cake and lots more. The cost is $28/person.
—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.
—Brian Jupiter has changed Frontier's menu in anticipation of Chicago's warmer months. New additions to the "Snack" section of the menu, sold by the piece, include a smoked mushroom fritter ( muenster, confit garlic, rosemary, creamy chimichurri; $3 ) and, back by popular demand, the duck taco ( salsa, queso fresco, crispy potato, red onion, tortilla, cilantro; $5 ). Other new items will include antelope cheesesteak ( $24 ), cucumber salad ( $10 ) and blueberry bread pudding ( $9 ).
—The Hampton Social's downtown Streeterville location, 164 E. Grand Ave., is kicking off its first summer in the city with two patios: a four-season covered dining room as well as an expansive outdoor rooftop that offers seating for up to 62 guests. In addition, there will be menu favorites like the Jar of King Crab ( melted garlic butter, crab meat, grilled bread and grilled lemon ) and drinks such as the concept's frose ( Tito's handmade vodka, rose wine and peach puree ).
—Fisk & Co., 225 N. Wabash Ave., is offering Executive Chef Ashlee Aubin's new spring menu items. The restaurant is known for its mussels, and there are now items like salmon gravlax, spaghetti with lobster and crab, sauteed gnocchi and steak frites.
Send items to Andrew@WindyCityMediaGroup.com , or follow on Twitter @Azygous60610 or on Instagram at azygous333.
