Chicago Foodies

Restaurant Specials: July 12 - 18

Chefs and the City is this week, along with other celebration dinners and tastings. 

Wednesday, July 13:

Chicago French Market

Celebrate Bastille Day at the Chicago French Market (131 N. Clinton Street) in the West Loop. There will be an assortment of cheese, wine, and small plates to sample while you walk around and enjoy the market. Cabaret singer, Greta Pope, will perform during the event, which runs from 5 - 7 p.m. The event is free.

Restaurant Specials: July 5th–10th

The big summer holiday is over and the weather is starting to get consistently warm. There are some great events happening this week. Check them out.

Tuesday, July 5:

Fulton's on the River:

Head over to Fulton's to get an all-you-can-eat, family-style dinner for only $25. The dinner special includes $4 beers, $6 cocktails, and $8 glasses of wine.

The menu items include clams, mussels, corn, potatoes, and more. It's a cookout style menu.

Located at 315 N. LaSalle Drive. 

Phone: 312-822-0100

Corona's Cafe

The other day I stumbled upon a great little spot on Irving Park. Corona's Cafe serves up sandwiches, wraps, coffee drinks, and smoothies.

Eddy ordered a turkey and bacon club sandwich and I ordered the tomato and mozzarella foccacia. I also got a pineapple and coconut smoothie.

The staff was friendly and accommodating. The restaurant is small and cozy and has unique decorations.

We sat in the front by the window in comfortable cushioned love seats.

Restaurant Specials: June 27 - July 3

This week it's all about the tastings, and the pre-independence day celebrations.

Tuesday, June 28:

Benny's Chop House

From 6 - 8 p.m. guests can sample different Proseccos and sparkling wines from the Italian region. The event is featuring Sparkling Veneto and hosted by the Italian Trade Commission. Best part of all, it's free to attend.

Located at 444 N. Wabash Avenue in River North.

Phone: 312-626-2444

Restaurant Specials: June 21 - June 27

There are many events happening for the first week of summer. Get out and enjoy the weather! Hopefully it doesn't storm all week...

Rocks: A Night of Burgers & Stone Brews

Rocks in Lincoln Park hosted a burger dinner with a Stone brewery pairing on Monday, June 6. The four-course meal featured special dishes that also incorporated Stone beer in their recipes. Their mid-west representative, Aaron Tyrell, guided us through the different beers and dishes.

Stone Brewing Company is based in San Diego county in California but their following is continuing to grow in the Chicagoland area. Their claim-to-fame is Arrogant Bastard, an IPA with lots of attitude.

The dinner began with a Stone IPA to refresh the palate. The IPA is smooth, yet hoppy. It's on the top of most IPA lover's lists because it is full of flavor and extremely refreshing.

The first course was a beer cheese dip made with a smoked porter that's made with beechwood smoked malt, similar to a scotch. The porter introduces chocolate and espresso flavors and pairs well with tangy barbecue dishes and chocolate. It's a heavier beer, but very drinkable.
The cheese dip, served with garlic bread for dipping was hard to stop eating. Not only was it made with the porter, it was also paired with the porter. The smoky flavor worked against itself nicely.

Restaurant Specials: June 14 - June 19

From celebrity servers to Father's day, there are many events that are worth attending this week.

Wednesday, June 15:

Carnivale

Attend the Casa Noble tequila dinner for $55. The event begins at 7 p.m. atCarnivale and includes a four-course meal from chef David Dworshak paired with craft tequila.

Located at: 702 W. Fulton Market

Phone: 312-850-5005

Blokes & Birds

Is it a club, a speakeasy, or a hat shop? I wasn’t too sure when this restaurant was under construction last year. Looking seemingly out-of-place in the casual block of Clark street, I was intrigued for the opening.

While I was far off from attending opening night, I heard a strong buzz around this new Lakeview restaurant.

Offering their spin on English pub fare, I was thrilled to experience Blokes & Birds for myself.

Restaurant Specials: June 6 - 12

There are great events and deals ahead this week. If you're in the mood for great dining and want to get out of the house, check these out.

Restaurant Deals: May 30 - June 5

Kicking off the week with Memorial Day means Summer is finally here. Here are a few deals to enjoy the high temps and spirits.

Monday, May 30:

Shaw's Crab House

Spend your Holiday lunch or dinner at Shaw's for some delicious seafood specials, including raw oysters on the half shell for 50 cents.

The deal is from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Located at 21 E. Hubbard Street.

Phone: 312-527-2722

Craft Beer Week: Thursday Kickoff

The event I've been waiting for is finally on the horizon. Craft beer week begins Thursday, May 19 with a kickoff party hosted by the Garfield Park Conservatory. There are also other events to check out tomorrow evening.

Beer Under Glass:

Local restaurants will serve small plates to compliment the 25 breweries offering up their finest beers. The event is $50 at the door. All guests will receive a passport upon entry. The passport is your ticket into exclusive events and tastings.

Go to Garfield Park tomorrow from 5 - 9 p.m. to experience great beers and food.

Located at 300 North Central Park Avenue.

Restaurant Specials: May 16 - 22

There are many events to look forward to this week including the kickoff of craft beer week and tasting the winners of the meatball recipe contest.

Cooking with Beer

Summer is right around the corner. Surely, cookouts and beer drinking will come up. Here is an appetizer and dinner combo that incorporates beer as an ingredient. Enjoy!

Restaurant Specials: May 9 - 15

The weather is starting to warm up, finally. Check out the following restaurant deals that are happening this week.

Cinco de Mayo Specials

Happy Cinco de Mayo. There are plenty of events and restaurants to enjoy on this Mexican Independence Day celebration. Check out these events happening tonight and throughout the weekend.

Cinco de Mayo Festival

The Cinco de Mayo festival is held May 6-8 in Little Village. For three days you can enjoy food, drinks, and live music. There are also many activities for kids and families.

The event is from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Located at 26th Street & Kostner.

Cooking with Qdoba

Qdoba's creative executives were in Chicago last week, teaching local foodies and how to make some of their signature dishes. ChicagoFoodies was invited to attend the event and learned some fun tricks of my own.

The event was led by Qdoba's executive chef, Ted Stoner at the Lincoln Park location on Clark Street.

They served micheladas with fresh lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, and Modelo. They also had a nonalcoholic drink blended with strawberry puree, lime juice, and ice.

After enjoying drinks and snacks the guests broke into three groups and learned how to make a fresh salsa, a guacamole, and a chile salsa.

Eating Healthy with My Diabetes

There is a new campaign heading to local Jewel Oscos that inform Chicagoans about living healthy with diabetes. There are over 500,000 people living with Diabetes in Chicago alone. Health care professionals, including dietitians and pharmacists, will lead the educational tours. They will teach guests about proper dieting techniques, the importance of balanced nutrition, and choosing from a variety of acceptable meals.

The free programs will last two-hours each, and guests will have the opppourtunity to make follow-up appointments with their local pharmacist.

Restaurant Specials: May 2 - May 8

Of course, this is a big weekend with Mother's Day specials everywhere you look. Also, don't forget about Cinco de Mayo this Thursday. This is a great week to get out and try a new spot in town.

Orange: Contemporary Brunch, with a Peel

With much anticipation, I finally got over to one of the Orange locations and tried out a bit of their menu. I went to the location in Roscoe Village. Orange is known for putting a modern spin on classic breakfast dishes. 

They have a nice, diverse menu with many healthy options. I opted to go with their special for the week which was a grilled chicken sandwich topped with provolone, avocados, and pesto mayo. Mixed greens with balsamic vinaigrette came on the side.

Restaurant Deals: Week of April 25 - May 1

It's all about the wine this week, with multiple wine dinners and tastings all throughout Chicago.

All the deals follow the break.