Dining out: Oktoberfest fun, free food, a $13K martini and more
It’s mid-September, which of course means it’s Oktoberfest time. Bars and restaurants around the suburbs are celebrating, and we picked out a few events and specials to get you started. And for those of you who commute downtown, Grubhub is offering a free lunch on Tuesday, which will free up your budget a bit to grab a $13K martini after work.
Prost!
Oktoberfest events are happening around the suburbs, so don your lederhosen and dirndls and get ready raise a stein.
• Bub City in Rosemont is kicking off “Bubtoberfest” on Thursday, Sept. 19, with featured local beers including Noon Whistle’s Festbier and Revolution’s Oktoberfest. Food specials include a jumbo pretzel with sea salt and housemade beer cheese sauce and beer-braised bratwurst with sauerkraut, Dijon mustard and fries. The fun lasts until Oct. 6.
• Penrose Brewing is hosting a day of German-inspired fun for all ages from 2-10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, in a tent behind the brewery at 509 Stevens St., Geneva. They’re partnering with Craft Urban to offer German fare to complement the brewery’s beers and hard seltzers. There’ll be music, a ceremonial barrel tapping and a stein-hoisting tournament. General entry tickets are $10; $20 includes a souvenir stein. Free for kids.
• Sketchbook Brewing in Skokie and Evanston will host their Oktoberfest celebrations Friday through Sunday, Sept. 20-22, with stein-holding competitions, hammerschlagen, kids’ activities, food, music and lots of beer. You can bring your own stein or buy one of theirs.
• L. Woods Tap & Pine Lodge will be hosting an Oktoberfest feast that includes a choice of Stiegl Pils, Hacker-Pschorr or Hofbrau Dunkel paired with a Bavarian Bierhaus Platter Tuesday through Sunday, Sept. 24-29. The $56.95 special includes an Oktoberfest brat, knackwurst, pretzel twists, deli mustard and bier cheese dip, a choice of beer-braised short ribs with mustard glaze, roasted Brussels sprouts and German potatoes or Pork Schnitzel with braised red cabbage, buttered spaetzle and onion gravy, and for dessert, a slice of German chocolate Cake with toasted coconut, salted pecan and housemade hot fudge.
• Bluegrass in Highland Park is bringing out their Oktoberfest dishes, including the pork shank, which sells out daily, plus Wiener schnitzel and sausages for dine in or carryout.
Free food!
There’s so much going on in the suburbs that we don’t frequently cover events in the city, but this could be something for commuters who work downtown. On Tuesday, Sept. 24, Grubhub will celebrate its 20th anniversary with free lunch during its Food Feastival at Daley Plaza.
The Feastival, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., will spotlight more than 20 local restaurants from neighborhoods across Chicago, including favorites like Lou Malnati’s, Portillo’s, Taylor’s Tacos and Luella’s Southern Kitchen, offering free small bites of their most popular dishes.
A DJ will provide the grooves and you can grab a special anniversary gift while you’re there.
To further support the community, Grubhub is partnering with Rescuing Leftover Cuisine to safely rescue any food not consumed and redistribute it to neighbors experiencing food insecurity.
Martini with a twist
As long as we’re already talking about the city, we might as well mention this, which has been popping up in news feeds with click-baity headlines: Adalina, an Italian restaurant in Chicago, is serving a $13,000 martini.
The Marrow Martini, created by Adalina’s Colin Hofer, who was named Sommelier of the year by Michelin Guide in 2022, is a smoked heirloom tomato mezcal martini. But here’s the twist: it’s garnished with a 9.00 carat total weight diamond tennis necklace.
The cocktail, which they say is the most expensive martini in the U.S., is offered in collaboration with jewelry brand Marrow Fine, which has a storefront below the eatery. The necklace features 150 diamonds set in 14 karat gold.
Negroni week
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. No Santa isn’t coming to town, it’s Negroni Week.
Now through Sunday, Sept. 22, bars and restaurants around the world will be mixing classic Negronis and variations in support of Slow Food's mission to foster a more sustainable and equitable world of food and drink.
Locally you can support the effort and save $5 on Negronis at Carmine’s Rosemont in the suburbs and select Rosebud Restaurants in Chicago. They’ll donate 10% of the proceeds to Slow Food while you slowly sip the bitter deliciousness.
• Send dining news to rwest@dailyherald.com.