—Garrett Popcorn is set to open its first suburban Chicago location in Schaumburg's Woodfield Mall, and to celebrate the occasion, the store plans to debut never-before-seen flavors that will stay on the menu permanently, NBC Chicago noted. Among the new flavors are Almond CaramelCrisp Mocha, Almond CaramelCrisp Dark Hot Chocolate, Cashew CaramelCrisp White Hot Chocolate, CaramelCrisp Infused Coffee and Hand-Dipped Nut CaramelCrisp Clusters.
—Peruvian restaurant Tanta, 118 W. Grand Ave., is hosting its own twist on Thanksgiving through Wed., Nov. 25, with items such as pavito al Horno ( $33 ), with roasted turkey leg confit, kabocha squash & fingerlings ajiaco, honey and panca sauce, and celery, apple and beets salad; codillo crocante ( $34 ), with crispy pork shank, baked sweet potatoes, cippollinis, and cherries escabeche; and aeropuerto Thanksgiving ( $24 ), with veggie-fried rice, raisins, noodles, crispy turkey scrambled egg tortilla, spicy sesame sauce, and pickled vegetables. See TantaChicago.com.
—Jake Melnick's Corner Tap, 41 E. Superior St., will offer its Tipsy Turkey Dinner ( $17.95 ) Thursday, Nov. 26, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. The full dinner includes House-Smoked Turkey Breast served with Milk Stout Gravy, Cornbread Stuffing, and Hard Cider Cranberry Sauce as well as Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Bacon Roasted Brussel Sprouts, and Caramelized Butternut Squash. Visit JakeMelnicks.com.
—Brasserie by LM, 800 S. Michigan Ave., will be offering a $35 prix fixe menu beginning at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 26. The four-course prix fixe offers guests their choice of appetizer, entree, side and dessert—not inclusive of tax and gratuity. Items include roasted chestnut soup, roasted turkey roulade, green-bean casserole and apple-and-cranberry cobbler, among other items. See brasseriebylm.com/.
—Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse in Oak Brook ( 2105 Spring Rd. ) will offer a special three-course menu from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. Menu options include roasted butternut and acorn squash soup; roasted turkey served family style with house-made cranberry sauce, candied yams, roasted green beans with almonds, mashed potatoes and seasonal stuffing; chocolate mousse parfait, pumpkin pie and apple purse. The price is $20-$40; see GibsonsSteakhouse.com.
—The Tortoise Club, 350 N. State St., will be open Thanksgiving Day with a holiday buffet 12-7:30 p.m. ( $79 for adults; $25 for kids 4-12; and free for children under 4 ). The buffet will feature traditional holiday favorites, signature salads and sides, prime-rib and roasted-turkey carving stations, an iced seafood tower and a dessert bar. See TortoiseClub.com.
—In celebration of Thanksgiving, Chef/Owner Ryan McCaskey installs a special Thanksgiving menu at Acadia, 1639 S. Wabash Ave., on Thursday, Nov. 26, at 1-7 p.m. At the recently named two-star Michelin restaurant in the South Loop, Thanksgiving diners enjoy a holiday five-course meal for $85 per person or $135 with wine pairings, enticing guests with versions of holiday staple items including chestnut soup, spinach salad, turkey saltimbocca and sticky toffee apple cake. Call 312-360-9500.
—This Thanksgiving, The Florentine, 151 W. Adams St., will offer a fixed four-course meal ( 4-10 p.m. ) for $65 with an optional wine pairing for $25. In addition to the fixed four-course menu, the full The Florentine menu will be available for a la carte ordering. Call 312-660-8866.
—Mercat a la Planxa, 638 S. Michigan Ave., invites guests to a Spanish feast this Thanksgiving ( 3 p.m. until closing ) with a wide selection of tapas and other plates. Lighter first courses include Ruta de Xato al Mercat ( a salad made with house smoked salmon, bitter greens, Cornicabra olives and nora chile picada ) as well as Truita de Patata ( potatoes, eggs, smoked wild char roe and potato aioli ). In addition, Mercat serves its Pavo in the style of turkey ballotine with razor clam stuffing and sherry pan gravy. Tickets are $75 each; call 312-765-0524.
—Staytion Market and Bar at Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel, 1 W. Wacker Dr., offers a twist on the typical holiday feast with Thanksgiving Unusual. Chefs will re-create the most popular dishes of the season by spicing up these "leftover" favorites such as turkey sliders ( $9 ), roasted Brussel s( $8 ), pumpkin flatbread ( $12 ) and turkey paninis ( $12 ). A classic Thanksgiving turkey feast featuring turkey porchetta with caramelized turnips, sweet potato, gold raisin-and-walnut stuffing and sage gravy will also be offered for $24. It will be available 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
—Adamus ( in the Silversmith Hotel, 10 S. Wabash Ave. ) will offer holiday shoppers 20 percent off all lunch menu items on Friday, Nov. 27. ( Lunch is served at 11 a.m.-2 p.m. ) Silversmith Hotel will also offer a Cyber Monday Hotel Deal of a special room rate of $99 per night, valid for stays between Dec. 3, 2015-Feb. 28, 2016; use rate code "CYBR" if applying online at Website Link Here .
—Devon Seafood Grill, 39 E. Chicago Ave., is offering, for the Thanksgiving holiday, a menu ( 11 a.m.-8 p.m. ) that includes three courses of holiday favorites at $38 for adults and $19 for children ages 4-12, plus tax and gratuity. Items will include butternut squash soup, Maine lobster bisque, turkey, cornbread-and-sausage stuffing and cheesecake with fruit compote, among other items. Visit Article Link Here .
—Cocktail Courier is offering its Moscow Mule cocktail kit at a special half-price on Monday, Nov. 30, from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. EST. The fully stocked Moscow Mule kit is delivered right to your door, and includes one bottle of Stolichnaya Premium Vodka, fresh ginger syrup, Stolichnaya Ginger Beer, whole limes and a step-by-step recipe to stir up six Moscow Mules. The half-priced kits can be ordered for delivery on your date of choice through Jan. 1, 2016. See CocktailCourier.com.
—To mark the monthlong event "Movember," on Monday, Nov. 30, Chef Roger Waysok ( and his mustache ) will be hosting a complimentary "Sliders, Staches & Suds" patio party at South Water Kitchen at 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Rain, snow or shine, the free lunch will be hosted on the patio and include pulled-pork sliders, a draft beer and mustache shenanigans, and $3 for each additional draft beer. A suggested donation of $10 will go to the Movember Foundation. Reservations are required; call 312-236-9300.
—Wood, 3335 N. Halsted St., is hosting a French-inspired snacks and spirits event on Monday, Nov. 30, 6-9 p.m., to raise funds for Secours Populaire Francaise, a charity providing resources and support for the victims and families of the Paris attack. The evening will feature bites prepared by Executive Chef Ashlee Aubin, as well as chefs such as Lisa Futterman ( Pastoral ), Matt Kerney ( Longman & Eagle ) and Jimmy Papadopoulos ( Bohemian House ), among others. The cost is $50 per person; visit bit.ly/1MTBXYu or purchase tickets at the door.
—GreenRiver, 259 E. Erie St., welcomes Michael Anthony—executive chef and director of Gramercy Tavern and Untitled as well as author of the new cookbook V is for Vegetables—during the week of Nov. 30. Recipes from the vegetable-focused book will be highlighted in GreenRiver's signature "Express Lunch" from Monday, Nov. 30- Friday, Dec. 4, and in a special three-course dinner hosted by Chef Anthony on Thursday, Dec. 3. See GreenRiverChi.com.
—Chef Sarah Stegner of Prairie Grass Cafe is continuing her support of local farmers this winter, as she and chef-turned-farmer Tracey Vowell of Three Sisters Garden will be serving a special brunch and selling unique food items twice a month, starting Dec. 5, at the Immanuel Lutheran Church Winter Farmers' Market, 616 Lake St., Evanston. Items include the Three Sisters Garden Oatmeal Cake with Maple Creek Farm Bacon and Burton Maple Syrup ( $6.50 ), and Sarah's Mom's Pecan Pie ( $5.50/slice $32/full ). See Prairiegrasscafe.com or ILCevanston.org.
—The Park Grill, 11 N. Michigan Ave. ( in Millennium Park ), will hold a gingerbread house decorating party on Sunday, Dec. 6, 1-3 p.m. Attendees can enjoy decorating a gingerbread house complete with candy, icing, treats and a hot-chocolate bar. Individual houses ( $50 ) and family homes ( $85 ) are available. See Article Link Here .
—Chicagoans who celebrate the New Year with Commonwealth Tavern, 2000 W. Roscoe St., will enjoy a $60-per-person package beginning at 8 p.m. which includes microbrew drafts, domestic bottles, call drinks, wine, food buffet, champagne toast at midnight and live DJ. Visit CommonwealthChicago.com.
—On New Year's Eve at Frontier, 1072 N. Milwaukee Ave., there will be a whole-animal meal package starting at 8 p.m. The package ( $85 per person ) includes whole smoked animal service ( pig, goat, lamb and boar ), oysters, salads, sides, desserts, wine, punch, premium liquor, cocktails, craft and domestic beers, a champagne toast at midnight and party favors. See TheFrontierChicago.com.
—South African/Portuguese restaurant Nando's PERi-PERi opened its fourth Chicago restaurant Nov. 21 at 22 S. Wabash Ave. For the first two days of operation, Chicago Fire players took over the grills. Nando's will donate 100 percent of sales on those days to the Chicago Fire Foundation, which works to enhance the lives of disadvantaged youth in and around Chicago.
—Farmheads—the growing hospitality collective responsible for local, farm-fare concepts Farmhouse Chicago and Farmhouse Evanston—has launched Farm Bar, a tavern in Lake View. Now open, the 2,000-square-foot venue will be located at 1300 W. Wellington Ave., which most recently housed Wellington's Tavern. The beverage program has a 24-tap beer system focusing on Midwestern craft offerings, as well as locally produced options from the group's very own line of ciders.
—River North restaurant Bottlefork is offering diners a new way to enjoy Sunday dinner—by "exploring playful cuisine and creative cocktails," according to a press release. Some of the menu highlights include crispy Brussels sprouts with chorizo; creamed kale ( wild boar bacon, sunny duck egg ); Korean BBQ chicken; and stout-braised pork shank. A rejuvenated cocktail menu boasts a new look and feel, categorizing Bottlefork's innovative drinks based on flavor profiles, including "Fruit Forward + Fun," "Smoky + Dried + Spiced," "Dark + Boozy," "Warm + Cozy," and "Gentleman's Cut." See Bottlefork.com.
—BBQ spot Pork Shoppe, 5721 N. Clark St., has launched a weekly trivia night on Wednesdays. The live trivia night hosted by Pub Trivia USA consists of 20 questions in various categories, plus two bonus questions. Round winners receive free shots, and the top three teams winning prizes including $30 gift card for first place, $20 gift card for second place, and $10 gift card for third place. See PorkShoppeChicago.com.
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