Graham Elliot's Lobster Dogs

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Celebrity chef and three-time James Beard Award-nominee Graham Elliot serves up his fancy lobster corn dog for the opening of Taste of Chicago today (July 8) only.


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Izakaya Sake Dinner

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Izakaya Mita, 1906 N. Damen, hosts a summer sake dinner July 22. Owner Helen Mita's seven-course dinner will be paired with a hand-selected sake list, most created from women breweries.

Monica Samuels, national sales manager of Vine Connection, assisted with the selections. Two seatings are available, 6 and 8 p.m. Tickets ($65) are available at 773.799.8677. 


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French Pastry School Recipe

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Download The French Pastry School of Kennedy-King College at City Colleges of Chicago's, 226 W. Jackson, complimentary tomato chutney recipe.


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Windy City Smokeout

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Barbecue, beer and bands. It doesn't get any better in Chicago during the summer with food festivals held just about every weekend.

If you haven't been to Windy City Smokeout it's time to check it out. WCS is July 10-12 at 560 W. Grand.

Barbecue roundup includes: Celebrity chef and champion competitor Pitmaster Myron Nixon along with Dinosaur Bar-B-Que; Pappy's Smokehouse; the Salt Lick; Hogapalooza; Ubons; Smoque; Chicago q; Lillie's Q and Bub City.

Music talent include: Cheyenne Rose; Drew Baldridge; Shawn Lacy; the Railers; Peachy Pyron; Sundy Best; Jukebox Mafia and Courtney Cole.

Check out the video from last year's event.


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New Chef/New Concepts @The Butcher's Tap

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The Butcher's Tap, 3553 N. Southport, is offering a new brunch configuration: "brunch boards & buckets," available Saturday and Sunday only.

New chef Sean Currie, in the process of revamping the menu, started with brunch creating meat, cheese and fruit offerings served on wooden pig-shaped boards.

The buckets in the brunch concept are buckets of Champagne, beer or bloody Marys. Because in chef' Currie's words "What's brunch without booze?"

Chef Currie plans to initiate a monthly burger program as well as sandwich and salad updates.

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Roscoe Village Burger Fest 2015

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The best place in town to get a burger July 11-12 is at the Roscoe Village Burger Fest. Vendors Butcher & Burger; Cortland's Garage; McGee's Tavern & Grille; Rockit Burger Bar. View all participants and music lineup here.

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First Fridays @Organic Roof Top Farm

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Farmer Allison of Organic Roof Top Farm, with her urban agriculture interns, host an open house for First Fridays at the Farm from 5 p.m. to sundown today (July 3) at uncommon ground's, 1401 W. Devon, certified organic rooftop farm. Admission is free. The farm returns the first Friday in August.

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Benny's Chop House's "Dead" Menu

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Dead fans there are no limits to specials in Chicago July 3-5 saluting the band's farewell gig at Soldier Field.

Benny's Chop House, 444 N. Wabash, pays tribute with the "Fare Thee Well" drink and food menu featuring the Ramble on Rose (Benny's Chop House original vodka, Pallini Peachcello, fresh lime, mint sprig, rose water, $12); Good Old Rebel (house-infused jalapeno Chinaco Blanco tequila, pomegranate, Luxardo Maraschino, verjus, fresh lime, red grapes, $13): Paradise Waits (pisco porton, Belle de Brillet pear cognac, citrus espuma, angostura bitters, $14) cocktails.

Food specials are : Franklin's Shellfish Tower (Cape Breton lobster, Alaskan king crab, jumbo prawns, $38); Dover Soul-Shine (Dover sole, lemon-caper Beurre Blanc, $50); Rib Eyes of the World (16-oz USDA prime natural, $48; 16-oz USDA prime dry aged bone-in, $59 and 20-oz USDA prime dry aged bone-in, $73 ) and Crazy Fingers Tart (cherry tart, hempseed tuile, homegrown herbs, $11).


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Palmer House's Day of the "Dead"

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Lockwood Restaurant & Bar and Potter's, both located in the Palmer House Hilton, 17 E. Monroe, hosts a weekend filled with Grateful Dead food and drink specials in honor of the iconic rock group 's farewell concerts July 3-5 at Soldier Field, 1410 S. Museum Campus.

Food specials include the psychedelic pizza (shrooms, lentil, smoked dates, fine herbs, and whipped ricotta, $16); Jerry roll (egg roll wrapped falafel, shaved cabbage and carrots, bean sprouts, cilantro, sweet n' orange sauce, $10) and the brownie (candied kale, smoked caramel, bourbon laced with walnuts, $10).

Drinks are the Dead Head (Sauza tequila, Smirnoff vodka, Beefeater gin, chambord, sour mix); Bertha's Bourbon Treat (Woodford Reserve bourbon, Tuaca liqueur, dulce de leches sauce, Half and Half) and the Sour Hippie (Blue Curaçao, chambord, Cruzan rum, sloe gin, sour mix). Cocktails are $10 each. (Stanley Mouse commemorative poster pictured)

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Rare Tomatin Whisky Tasting

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Special guest Scott Fraser guides visitors through an exclusive tasting of aged Tomatin Highland Single Malt Scotch whisky, created from bubbling pure spring water, during an event 7 p.m. July 9 at Fountainhead, 1970 W. Montrose.

The exclusive selections include: Tomatin 12 year; Tomatin 18 year; Tomatin 30 year and Tomatin Cu Bocan. Tickets are $20, includes a 20 percent discount toward a purchase in the Fountainhead Market.

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MK The Restaurant Takes Summer Break

Michael Kornick's MK The Restaurant, 858 N. Franklin, is closed through August 5 for its annual summer break and private client rental.

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The Band Perry @Naperville Ribfest

There's a hole lot of barbecue and music going around and Naperville Ribfest, July 2-5, is joining in. Festivities include two stages; an International craft beer tasting and a carnival.

Rib vendors include: Armadillo's BBQ and Rib Company, Atlanta, GA: Desperados BBQ and Rib Co., Independence, OH; The Howling Coyote; Mojo's Rib Shack, Coolville, OH; Bigfoot BBQ Cooking Teem, Mentor, OH; Smokin' Joe's; Texas Outlaws, Houston, TX; Uncle Bub's; Robinsons; SGT. Oinks BBQ Co. and Colonel Dan, Chesapeake, VA.

The music lineup is equally impressive and includes: The Band Perry (pictured); Paul Rodgers of Bad Company; Hot Hot Robot; Replica; 7th Heaven; Rio Bamba; School of Rock; Stephen Neal; M&R Rush; Sammy Hagar and the Circle; Kellie Pickler; Tres Moustache; LiveWire; Derringer and Rye; Kim Simmonds and Savoy Brown and Lil Red and The Howlin Wolves.

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Uptown's Rib Fesitval

Enjoy a weekend of barbecue and music during Windy City RibFest Uptown getting underway noon July 3 at Lawrence and Broadway.

Barbecue vendors include: Aussom Aussie Australian BBQ; Chicago BBQ Company; BBQ King Smokehouse; Porky Chicks BBQ; Sweet Baby Ray's and Texas Thunder BBQ.

The entertainment lineup includes: Funkadesi; Liquid Soul; Swizzle Tree, Trippin Billies; Lucky Boys Confusion, Guitarra Azul and Rod Tuffcurls & the Bench Press. Black Ensemble Theatre holds a special performance.

Hours are noon to 10 p.m. July 3-4; noon to 9 p.m. July 5.


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