Dining

Dining out: New SLYCE opens, Blanco adds brunch, Maggiano’s hosts Make-A-Wish wine dinners

Posted April 17, 2024 9:31 am

Rick West

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SLYCE Coal Fired Pizza Company opened its fourth location at 5500 N. River Road, inside the Embassy Suites Hotel in Rosemont. Courtesy of SLYCE

You can never have too many weekend brunch options, and now there’s a new one at Blanco Cocina y Cantina in Oak Brook. There’s also a new SLYCE in Rosemont, a cool update to Preservation in Geneva and more happening on the suburban dining scene.

Head out for a SLYCE

SLYCE Coal Fired Pizza Company recently opened its fourth location at 5500 N. River Road, inside the Embassy Suites Hotel in Rosemont.

Open for lunch and dinner with a late-night bar, SLYCE specializes in coal-fired pizzas, as well as small plates, wings, salads, sandwiches and Italian desserts. Dine-in and carryout is available from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

The mother and daughter team of Laurie and Brittany Barth co-founded SLYCE in 2010. The Rosemont restaurant joins locations in Highwood, Vernon Hills and Wauconda.

Blanco Cocina y Cantina in Oak Brook is now serving brunch every Saturday and Sunday. Courtesy of From the Hip Photo

Thanks a brunch

Now you can grab some desalmuerzo at Blanco Cocina y Cantina, 2022 Spring Road, Oak Brook, from the restaurant’s new brunch menu available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Menu highlights include the bacon and egg cheese crisp, baja breakfast burrito, ancho-spiced French toast, and chorizo and egg tacos. Lunch offerings range from tacos to burritos to salads, and everything can be enjoyed with brunch cocktails such as a bloody Maria, jugo verde, el carajillo, mimosas, micheladas and more.

Preservation in downtown Geneva recently redesigned their front dining room in an art and vinyl lounge. Courtesy of Preservation

New jazzy Front Lounge at Preservation

The evolution of Preservation in downtown Geneva continues with its new Front Lounge.

The restaurant began as Preservation Bread & Wine 14 years ago, a cozy 30-seat restaurant on Third Street. They’ve since added a four-seasons room and a large outdoor heated patio it shares with sister restaurant Atlas Chicken Shack.

The new art and vinyl lounge takes the place of the front dining room, and features a mix of different size and shaped tables and stools that can be arranged in different configurations, along with three walls of banquette/booth seating on the edges.

Guests can flip through records and request music for the turntable while they enjoy handcrafted cocktails, a robust wine list and food.

The Geneva Chamber of Commerce will hold a celebratory ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 24, with festivities to follow.

Head to Timothy O’Toole’s to watch the Chicago Bears (probably) select USC quarterback Caleb Williams during the NFL draft Thursday, April 25. Associated Press

With the first pick, the Chicago Bears select …

Timothy O’Toole’s locations have you covered when the Chicago Bears pick twice in the first round of next week’s NFL draft with plenty of big-screen TVs and on-draft drink specials. Head to Libertyville, Gurnee and Lake Villa Thursday, April 25, for Timmy’s Pale Ale pints ($6) and pitchers ($24), Beer for Ballgames drafts ($6) by Off Color Brewing and other specials, all while dining from the full menu.

Wine dinner for Make-A-Wish

You can eat, drink and help the Make-A-Wish Foundation during J Lohr Wines dinners at 6 p.m. Friday, April 26, at Maggiano's in Chicago, Naperville, Schaumburg and Vernon Hills; 6:30 p.m. in Oak Brook; and 7 p.m. in Skokie.

The four-course meal starts with hors d’oeuvres served with Make-A-Wish sangria, followed by a chopped salad paired with Arroyo Vista chardonnay. Four cheese ravioli in vodka sauce will be served with Pure Paso Proprietary Red and a grilled veal chop will be paired with Seven Oaks Paso Robles cabernet. Enjoy a glass of Bay Mist white riesling with a piece of lemon mascarpone cake for dessert.

Tickets for the 21-and-older event are $90 and can be purchased at Eventbrite. $10 from each ticket will go to Make-A-Wish.

Prairie Grass Cafe consultant Hannah Rose Higdon, left, and chef and co-owner Sarah Stegner were recently honored during the 18th annual Disability Matters North America Awards in Milwaukee. Courtesy of Prairie Grass Cafe

Kudos

Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook was honored on April 4 for their sensory-friendly dining hour program during the 18th annual Disability Matters North America Awards in Milwaukee. Prairie Grass was the only small business honored at the awards.

Chef and co-owner Sarah Stegner and consultant Hannah Rose Higdon conceived the program in 2023. The sensory-friendly hour creates a safe and comfortable environment for people with autism, sensory input disorders, sensory sensitivities or other physical, cognitive or development disabilities and their families, friends and caregivers to enjoy a meal in a relaxed and crowd-free dining experience with limited people and contact.

The sensory-friendly dining program continues through Saturday, June 29. Call (847) 205-4433 for reservations.

• Email dining news to rwest@dailyherald.com.

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