Columbia Yacht Club's Chowdah Fest

The Columbia Yacht Club of Chicago, 111 N. Lake Shore, hosts Da Lobsta at Chowdah Fest event 6:30 p.m. March 31; $55. Judging the chowder contest will be Ina Pinkney, Jimmy Bannos, Sr. and former Blackbird mixologist Lynn M. House. dachowdah

Sunda Wine Dinner

Sunda New Asian, 110 W. Illinois, is hosting a five-course educational wine dinner featuring Far Niente Wines 6:30-8 p.m. April 9; $150. Courses include Japanese Waygu ribeye with Okinawan potato salad paired with 2010 Nickel & Nickel Napa Cabernets, Hayne Vineyard. sundachicago

"Blackhawk's Live" at Old Town Pour House Oak Brook

WGN's Chicago Blackhawk's Live broadcast with coach Joel Quenneville returns 7 p.m. April 1 at Old Town Pour House's new Oak Brook location, 8 Oak Brook Center. Tickets, starting at $75 (includes dinner), go on sale at noon March 27. oldtownpourhouse

Ay Chiwowa! Hosts a Mexican Beer Dinner

Ay Chiwowa!, 311 W. Chicago, partners with Crown Imports to host a Mexican beer dinner 6:30 p.m. April 3; $40. The four-course pairing includes pork tostada with braised achiote pork meat, pickled onions and cilantro partnered with Modelo Especial. aychiwowa

Koi's New Dim Sum Brunch Menu

Chef/owner Sandy Chen of Koi Fine Asian Cuisine and Lounge, 624 Davis, Evanston, launched a dim sum brunch mid month. Selections include short rib with black bean sauce; shrimp and chive dumplings; red bean sesame balls; rice rolls and tofu custard. Items (nearly 60 in total) range from $3.50-$5. koi

Plein Air Cafe Opening

Hyde Park's newest eatery-- Plein Air Cafe, 5751 S. Woodlawn, opens March 24. pleinaircafe

Rack House's New Menu

Chef Nester Soto of Rack House Kitchen & Tavern, 222 E. Algonquin, Arlington Heights, is now offering a new spring menu featuring 20 items under $10 menu that includes ginger soy steak skewers, smoked peel 'n eat shrimp and gluten-free whiskey barbecue rib fingers. rackhouse

Mercadito Spring Cooking Classes

Chef Patricio Sandoval of Mercadito, 108 W. Kinzie, holds two "Spring Awakening" cooking classes 6:30 p.m. March 24-25 at Double A; $55 per session. Chef Sandoval demonstrates how to use seasonal fruits and vegetables in Mexican dishes. The price includes a five-course lunch and cocktails. mercadito

JW Marriott Serves Up Complimentary Cupcakes

Spring is in the air and in anticipation of its arrival executive chef Michael Reich and pastry chef Kimberly Junior of JW Marriott Chicago, 151 W. Adams, will hand out complimentary lavender white chocolate cupcakes in celebration of the change of season 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 20. There's only one catch visitors must be guests at the hotel, Facebook fan or follower on Twitter (proof required). jwmarriott

Mario, Make Me a Model Semi-finalists Unveiled

Online voting begins March 19, 2014 for the next round in the Mario, Make Me a Model 2014 competition sponsored by Mario Tricoci Salons & Day Spas. The public can vote through mid-April for their favorite model. Five of the seven semi-finalists listed below will move on to the finals, a runway competition on May 16, at the Museum of Broadcast Communications.

Desiree White, 22 (Chicago IL)

Julia Swibes, 16 (Munster, IN)

William Lott, 19 (LaPorte, IN)

Ashley House, 17 (Philo, IL)

Kaitlyn Kush, 17 (Oak Forest, IL)

Joseph Dolecki, 21 (Villa Park, IL)

Aireal Boyd, 24 (Fargo, North Dakota)

III Forks Dunn White Sox Burger

The boys of baseball return soon and Chef Billy Caruso of III Forks, 180 N. Field, salutes the season with the Dunn burger (16oz USDA prime beef, three-year aged Hooks Wisconsin sharp cheddar, Raisin River slab bacon with fries; $24.95) for Sox third baseman Adam Dunn. For an addition charge a fried egg ($2.95) and foi gras ($19.95) can be added. The specialty burger is on the bar bites menu. 3forks

Franklin Tap Hosts a Revolution Brewing Event

Franklin Tap, 325 S. Franklin, hosts a Revolution Brewing tapping event 5-7 p.m. March 27. Brews include: A Little Crazy (Belgian-style pale ale) $5, 16oz; T.V. Party (rye IPA) $7, 16oz; 4th Year Beer (Belgian-style quad) $10, 12oz; Bean Gene (barrel-aged Porter with coffee) $9, 10oz and Rise (American stout) $8, 12oz. franklintap

Himalayan Restaurant's Holi Celebration

Himalayan Restaurant and Bar, 8265 W. Golf, Niles, celebrates the India's Holi holiday noon-3 p.m. March 16. The restaurant's lunch buffet will be priced $10.95. Activities include a family-oriented garment tie-dying party. T-shirts will be provided. http://www.himalayanrestaurant.com

Frontier's March Foodie Dinner

Brian Jupiter of Frontier, 1072 N. Milwaukee builds his next "So You Think You're a Foodie" menu around shrimp. The dinner is 8 p.m. March 26; $72, with Half Acre beer pairings available for an additional $25. frontierchicago

Rosebud's Joe Fish Restaurant is Now Open

Rosebud Restaurant's Joe Fish, 445 N. Dearborn, is now open for business. Manned by chef Joseph Farina the menu includes Chilean sea bass with La Quercia prosciutto, sage, lentils and arugula pesto; whole branzino with broccolini, lemon, extra virgin olive oil, fresh herbs and sea salt and filet medallions Diane with peppercorn, wild mushrooms, shallots, white creamy polenta and demi-glaze. There is also a raw bar that features an array of oysters. rosebudrestaurants

 

Bistronomic Celebrates Coq Au Vin Day

Yes, Virginia there is such a day and Chef Martial Noguier has created a special recipe for the occasion, available at all of the LM Restaurant Group's (Bistronomic, Brasserie by LM, Troquet River North and Troquet Ravenswood) establishments March 22 only. Prices vary by restaurant, ranging from $13-$21.

Little Market's March Melt For Meals

Chef Tom Van Lente of  TWO creates Little Market Brasserie's, 10 E. Delaware, March Tuscan cheese melt (taleggio cheese, prosciutto and Calabrian chiles on Tuscan bread; $14.50) benefiting Meals on Wheels. littlemarketbrasserie

iNG's First-Ever Sunday Brunch

iNG Restaurant has created its first-ever Sunday brunch menu. The new items were crafted to go along with the restaurant's beer tasting series. A la carte items include roasted smoke salmon with grilled scallions, sunny-side up eggs, potato croquette with pale beurre monte ($16); maple and stout breakfast sausage with red wine braised added cabbage, caramelized onions and beer sourdough pancake  noodles ($13); orange and Oberon beer French toast with beet butter cream and candied orange ($12) and house-made yogurt with beer-infused honey and granola ($8). ingrestaurant

The Gage Hosts Sumerian Beer Dinner

The Gage, 24 S. Michigan, in partnership with Great Lakes Brewing Company and the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago present a Sumerian beer dinner 6 p.m. March 19; $70. Executive Chef Peter Coenen prepares a three-course dinner for the occasion while representative from the Great Lakes Brewing Company and Oriental Institute provide a historical perspective of brewing in Sumeria. brownpapertickets

Frontier's Crawfish Boil

Brian Jupiter of Frontier, 1072 N. Milwaukee, hosts an all-you-can-eat crawfish boil, complete with potatoes and corn-on-the-cob, 3-7 p.m. March 16; $25.

Jared Rouben's Moody Tongue Brewing Classes

Brewmaster Jared Rouben, in of opening Moody Tongue Brewing Company, holds "Brewing Like a Cook," educational brewing culinary classes starting with a chocolate session 2 p.m. March 8 at Ampersand Pop-Up Test Kitchen located in Kinmont restaurant, 419 W. Superior. Other classes are coffee (March 22); peppers (April 12) and tea (April 19).

The Local Guest Bartender Series

Paul Pastien of Drumbar will be the guest bartender 9-11 p.m. March 10 at The Local, 198 E. Delaware.  Bastien serves up the Highway Man (apple brandy, Averna Amaro, lemon, raspberry simple syrup, Creole bitters, Peychaud bitters, garnished with a cinnamon stick; $13). A portion of the proceeds benefit Big Shoulders Fund Chicago. Drumbar, 201 E. Delaware, hosts an after party following the event from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. drumbar

Geja's Cafe's Goes Green St. Patrick Day

Geja's Cafe, 340 W. Armritage, goes green for St. Patrick's Day (March 17) featuring a green cheese fondue with apples, grapes and bread for dipping; four leaf clover-shaped rice crispy treats also pop up for the occasion. Drink specials include $3 cans of Guinness. gejascafe

The Gage's St. Patrick's Day Specials

The Gage, 24 S. Michigan, hosts a St. Patrick's Day feast March 14-17. Along with the restaurant's popular fish 'n chips, which is always available, food and drink specials will include housemade corned beef with braised cabbage, new potato and horseradish creme fraiche ($20); Irish potato-ale soup ($12); Guinness-braised brisket pot pie ($17) and the Irish breakfast cocktail (High West Oak whiskey, mead, tangerine juice, lemon juice with a blueberry syrup float garnished with a mint sprig). A grand selection of specialty beers (Harp, Smithwick, Murphys and Boulevard Irish Ale) will also be available. thegage

Cheeky Chicago Oscar Bash

Hollywood glamour, red carpet and swag Cheeky Chicago's Oscar party, beginning 6 p.m. March 2 at Untitled, 111 W. Kinzie, has it all. Admission is free. register here.

Studio Paris Hosts Oscar Party

Chicago Planner Magazine launches during an award-winning Oscar bash benefitting Ronald McDonald House beginning 5 p.m. March 2 at Studio Paris, 59 W. Hubbard. Tickets are $150.