Frasca's National Pizza Week Offerings

Executive Chef Todd Stein of Frasca Pizzeria & Wine Bar, 3358 N. Paulina, kicks off National Pizza Week, beginning Jan. 12, with a line up of specialty pizzas starting with its Sausage variety (fennel sausage, Havarti cheese, cured tomato and pickled fennel; Hawaii via Italy (speck ham, Calabrian chili's and roasted pineapple, Jan. 13); The Smoke Daddy (barbecue chicken, Smoke Daddy barbecue sauce, onions, Jan. 15); Brussels Sprout (shave Brussels sprout, caramelized onions, herbed fonduta, Jan. 16); Popeye (garlic spinach, pancetta, farm egg, white truffle oil, Jan. 17) and Mary's Lamb (lamb sausage, Fresno chiles. fresh mozzarella and salsa verde, Jan. 18). The restaurant features a BOGO deal for guests visiting Jan. 14. Wine and other beverages specials will be featured. frascapizzeria

Dawson's Winter Cocktails Have Arrived

Baby it's cold outside so drop in The Dawson, 730 W. Grand, and warm up with one of beverage director Clint Roger's hot winter cocktails varieties that include the Ski Bunny (Atlantico Reserve rum, Smith & Cross rum, Laird's bonded apple brandy, Bonal Gentiane Quina, Samurai chai tea, Yellow Chartreuse liqueur, Tonga vanilla bean cream and cinnamon; $12) the Matterhorn (house hot chocolate mix, Genepy des Alpes liqueur, Punt e Mes vermouth, Woodruff whipped cream; $12) and Field & Stream (Famous Grouse scotch, Benedictine liqueur, spiced ginger hazelnut and lemon; $11). dawson

Ski Bunny. Photo Credit:Jessica Lynn Capron

White Oak's NYE Dinner

White Oak Tavern & Inn, 1200 W. Webster, rings in the new year with two farm-to-fork dinner seatings 6-6:30 and 9-9:30 p.m. Dec. 31; $75. Chef John Asbaty's five-course dinner includes an entree choice of poached walleye with crispy sunchokes, brown butter and wilted spinach or grilled beef with potato puree, Brussels sprouts, pickled carrots, truffle and beef jus. Wine pairings are available for an additional cost. Reservations are required. whiteoak

E3VIP Offers Special $100 Packages for Two Bears Games

Luxury tailgating entertainment group E3VIP is offering exclusive packages (includes tailgating and game tickets) for the Bears vs Saints (Dec. 15) and gridiron rivals Bears vs Lions (Dec. 21) games. Tailgating begins at 4:30 p.m. for the Saints game and 9 a.m. for the Lions matchup. Tickets are $100 (per game). E3VIP's heated party tent is located in the Adler Planetarium parking lot at Linn White and Solidarity drives. E3VIP

Timothy O'Toole's Bad Santa Ugly/Sweater Party

Timothy O'Toole's, 622 N. Fairbanks, hosts its Bad Santa/Ugly Sweater event 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 19. The specialty drink for the occasion-- cookies and milk flavored Santa shots; $3.  Pints of winter brews, including Sam Adams Winter Lager; Revolution Eugene Porter and Deschutes Jubelale, will be priced $5. timothyotooles

Shaw's Santa Brunch

Santa and Mrs. Claus makes a stop at Shaw's Schaumburg location, 1900 E. Higgins, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 21. Brunch features seafood and traditional serving stations along with a build-your-own hot chocolate bar; $52 for adults. Kids age 12 and under eat free. Santa will be available for photos. shaws

BeerFX's "Barrel Aged" Event

Louis Glunz joins in BeerFX's movie premiere and beer tasting event 3:30 to 7 p.m. Dec. 13 at the Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N. Kedzie. The movie short "Barrel Aged" is an inside look at the behind the scenes brewing process of  Turn Brown For What!'s imperial brown ale aged for more than 10 months in an Angel's Envy bourbon barrel. Tickets are $45, includes sampling. beerfx 

Macy's Walnut Room's Holiday Cocktail

Macy's flagship store's Walnut Room, located on the seventh floor, 111 N. State, has partnered with Round Barn Winery, Distillery and Brewery to create the black walnut holiday cocktail (DiVine Black Walnut Creme, chocolate espresso sauce, candied walnuts and nutmeg served in a holiday mug), available through January. The liqueur is available for purchase at Macy's stores. macys

Chef Homaro Cantu's Berrista Opening

Chef Homaro Cantu owner of Moto restaurant is set to open Berrista Dec. 12 The coffee house, located at 4219 W. Irving Park, will pair its home-brewed coffee with homemade "healthy" treats including selections made from the "miracle berry," the source of the recipes found in Chef Cantu's The Miracle Berry Diet Cookbook.  berrista

PHOTO CREDIT: Amy Stallard

Fairmont Cookie Connection

The chefs at The Fairmont Millennium Park present the inaugural "Chocolate and Cheer Cookie Exchange," 5:30–7:30 p.m. Dec. 4 in the Rouge Room at the Fairmont, 200 N. Columbus. In addition to sampling all the cookies you can eat guests will have the opportunity to mingle with the chefs while enjoying wine and non-alcoholic beverages; $50. www.themillenniumparkhotel.com

Amy's Candy Bar Pops-up in Hyde park

If you're a baby boomer you more than likely had a penny candy store in the neighborhood or a neighborhood store with an extensive candy counter. Amy's Candy Bar, featuring an array of gourmet chocolates, international confections and nostalgic favorites such as candy buttons, licorice and Turkish taffy, is the upscale version of those neighborhood gems of a by-gone era. Amy's Hyde Park pop-up location (the original store opened in 2011 in Lincoln Square) opens for a six-month period Nov. 21 in the Hyde Park Shopping Center, 1546 E. 55th Street. amys

American Junkie Makes Menu Changes

Chef Matt Wilde of American Junkie, 15 W. Illinois, has introduced new menu selections at the River North sports bar. Items include the comfort dish Matt's chicken pot pie (carrots, celery, peas, fresh herbs and creamy chicken filling in a hand made pie crust) and seasonal specialty dishes like baked brie and winter vegetable tater tots. americanjunkie

Kit Kat Lounge Celebrates Brit's B'day

The Kit Kat Lounge and Supper Club, 3700 N. Halsted, salutes Britney Spears' birthday with a special brunch and the "Blackout Britney" martini (Effen black cherry vodka; tasrt cherry juice, splash of Champagne with sugar rim and cherry garnish) 11 a.m.to 4 p.m. Nov. 30. Diva Madam X performs Brit's songs. All drinks will be half-priced 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. kitkat