Dining out: Specials, Long Grove Cocoa Crawl, Restaurant Week and more
Restaurant Week continues
Chicago Restaurant Week continues through Thursday, Feb. 8. See choosechicago.com/restaurants/chicago-restaurant-week/:
Morton's The Steakhouse is serving up a three-course dinner for $44 for Restaurant Week. Start off with a soup, salad or appetizer like sliced beefsteak tomato and blue cheese or a cup of baked five-onion soup. Move on to the entree options: center-cut filet mignon (6 ounces), double-cut prime pork chop (16 ounces), honey-balsamic glazed salmon, chicken Christopher, chicken Bianco or shrimp scampi capellini. End with double chocolate mousse, crème brûlée or Key lime pie. Tax and gratuity not included. Morton's suburban locations are at 1751 Freedom Drive, Naperville, (630) 577-1372; 9525 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Rosemont, (847) 678-5155; and 1470 McConnor Parkway, Schaumburg, (847) 413-8771.
Tokio Pub in Schaumburg fetes the week with $22 lunch and $33 dinner. Options at dinner include the volcano roll, crazy dragon roll and lemon-lime rainbow roll, the ramen burger or Japanese fried chicken and beignets for dessert. Tokio Pub is at 1900 E. Higgins Road, Schaumburg, (847) 278-5181 or tokiopub.com/.
New bar specials at City Gate Grille
City Gate Grille in Naperville has amped up its weekly bar specials. Come in Monday for $5 burgers in the bar and $5 mules. Tuesday brings $1 raw oysters and half-price classic cocktails, while Wednesday finds half-price bottles of wine and half-price flatbreads. On Thursday, take advantage of half-price beers and a half-price bar menu from 4 to 6 p.m. Plus, Naperville Restaurant Week continues through Thursday, Feb. 8, when City Gate's special four-course dinner is $44. City Gate Grille is at 2020 Calamos Court, Naperville, (630) 718-1010 or citygategrille.com/.
Game-time pasta chips
Just in time for the Super Bowl, this week Olive Garden added loaded pasta chips to its menu. They are an Italian twist on nachos - lightly fried pasta chips topped with Italian cheeses, a meat sauce with chicken, meatballs and sausage, cherry peppers and an Alfredo drizzle. The app will be available until April 1. Olive Garden has locations across the suburbs. olivegarden.com/home.
Long Grove Cocoa Crawl
Love hot chocolate? Then the free Long Grove Cocoa Crawl from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, might be for you. Guests should start at the Visitor's Center where they can pick up a map of participating businesses. All 19-plus stops will be serving something cocoa-related - from hot cocoa to hot chocolate snacks. Some of the complimentary items being served include the Hot Cocoa Supreme at the Covered Bridge Creamery; Hot Chocolate Bark at the Long Grove Confectionary; Hot Chocolate Popcorn at Signature Popcorn; and Hot Cocoa Krispy Treats at How Impressive. The Long Grove Visitor's Center is at 308 Old McHenry Road, Long Grove, longgrove.org/.
Taste for a cause
Operation Taste 2018, which brings together celebrity chefs from around Chicago for the annual walk-around tasting to benefit Operation North Pole, kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 5, at Avalon Banquets in Elk Grove Village. Chef Jimmy Bannos Jr. of The Purple Pig and chef Fabio Viviani of Sienna Tavern will conduct demonstrations and food tastings in support of Operation North Pole's mission to serve children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Tickets cost $125 and include two hours of food samples, live cooking demonstrations from celebrity chefs, beer and wine. Avalon Banquets is at 1905 E. Higgins Road, Elk Grove Village, operationtaste.com/.
<b>DMK's pretzel bun</b>
DMK Burger Bar in Lombard and Oak Brook are upping their gourmet burger game with the introduction of the pretzel bun. The lightly salted pretzel crust adds another dimension to DMK's grass-fed beef burgers. DMK is at 2370 Fountain Square Drive, Lombard, (630) 705-9020, and 541 Oak Brook Center, Oak Brook, (630) 974-6881. See dmkburgerbar.com.
Coppola wine dinner
Sip and savor at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, at Pinstripes in Oak Brook during an interactive four-course wine dinner featuring Francis Ford Coppola Winery. The Pinstripes' chef and a Coppola winery expert will lead guests in a discussion about each pairing. First course includes scallops on the half shell paired with Sofia, Blanc de Blancs, before moving on to a braised beets salad paired with Diamond Collection, merlot. The main course pairs espresso-crusted filet mignon with sweet potato and broccolini with Director's Zinfandel. Finish with strawberry and chocolate crostata paired with Sofia, Brut Rose. The dinner costs $50 including tax and service; preregistration is required at pinstripes.com/oak-brook-illinois/event/four-course-wine-dinner-featuring-coppola-winery/. Pinstripes is at 7 Oakbrook Center Mall, Oak Brook, (630) 575-8700 or pinstripes.com/oak-brook-illinois/.
<b>Throwback Thursdays</b>
Miss the '90s? Drink in Schaumburg has the solution: '90s Throwback Thursdays hosted by B-96 and WBMX hot mix DJ Tim Spinnin' Schommer. Hit the dance floor and jam to dance classics from the '90s. Enjoy old-school drink prices, too, like $2.50 well cocktails and $3.50 Jamo and Fireball shots. Drink is at 871 E. Algonquin Road, Schaumburg, (847) 397-3100 or drinknightclub.com/.