Dining out: Portillo’s heart-shaped cakes are back, plus wing competitions and more
We’ve got a little more than a week until Super Bowl Sunday, one of the biggest chicken wing eating days of the year. If you can’t wait that long, this weekend offers a couple of excellent primers with wing competitions in Elgin and Libertyville. Plus, Portillo’s heart-shaped chocolate cakes are back for Valentine’s Day, and you can support a cause while enjoying a nice dinner in Naperville.
Do you heart cake?
Love is in the air at Portillo’s, where the ever-popular chocolate cake is available again in heart-shaped form for Valentine’s Day.
The specially shaped cake is available for preorder for pickup and shipping now through Feb. 11 and will be in restaurants Feb. 12-16.
Also special for the holiday is the chocolate strawberry shake, mixing the chocolate cake frosting with strawberries for a sweet frozen treat. It’s available through Feb. 28.
Wing competition, part one
You can decide which wings reign supreme when the four Chicago-area Timothy O’Toole’s locations compete against each other in the third annual Wing Fest from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2, at the Libertyville location.
Diners can take advantage of all-you-can-eat wings while the culinary teams from the Chicago, Gurnee, Lake Villa and Libertyville O’Toole’s serve up two chef-inspired wings (one spicy, one anything goes) and four of the award-winning wing flavors from the menu.
Tickets to Wing Fest are $45 per person and include 12 flavors of unlimited wings, along with live music, prizes and a raffle. A cash bar will be available.
Wing competition, part two
Do you have what it takes to be king (or queen, but it doesn’t rhyme) of the wing? Head to Chicago Street Pour House in Elgin for a wing-eating competition at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2.
Competitors get three minutes to eat as many traditional wings as they can. The winner takes home $250 and gets their name engraved on their buffalo wing trophy. Second place gets $100. All contestants win a prize (antacid, maybe?).
It’s $20 to enter the 21-and-older contest. Drink specials include $4 Goose Island drafts and $5 Red Bull cocktails and bombs at the bar.
Happy Galentine’s!
It’s not often that a TV character invents a holiday and it sticks (all respect to Frank Costanza, but Festivus didn’t really catch on). But you can celebrate Galentine’s Day thanks to Leslie Knope and a 2010 episode of “Parks and Recreation” at The Hampton Social’s locations in Burr Ridge, Chicago, Skokie and South Barrington.
From Feb. 1-13, grab your gal pals and enjoy bottomless sparkling rosé plus an appetizer for $50 per person. Book via OpenTable.
Have dinner and help victims of the LA fires
SixtyFour — Wine Bar & Kitchen in Naperville is holding its second fundraiser to help victims and first responders of the Los Angeles wildfires.
Known for having 64 wines available by the glass, SixtyFour will donate 50% of food revenue from guests who dine in from 5-9 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, to World Central Kitchen, an organization feeding residents, firefighters and many more affected by the fires. Reservations can be made via Resy.
Ice cream for breakfast?
Saturday, Feb. 1, is National Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. For real.
If you’re gonna honor it, do it right. Jeni’s is opening all locations (Chicago, Naperville and Oak Brook) at 9 a.m. Saturday and offering special limited-edition flavors.
Try the Blueberry Johnny cakes pint, featuring cornbread pancakes and blueberry-maple jam in a buttery sweet cream. They’ll also have a special menu of breakfast-related flavors in shops, a l’affogato special and activities for kids.
Wine dinner
Catch 35 in Naperville is hosting a wine dinner at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, featuring wines from Frank Family Vineyards. Each of the five courses prepared by chef Eddie Sweeney will be paired with a specially selected wine.
Start with blue crab cocktail paired with a 2022 Stag’s Leap sauvignon blanc. A BLT salad and a 2022 Frank Family Vineyards chardonnay is next, followed by a char glazed salmon with a 2021 Frank Family Vineyards pinot noir. Beef short rib pot pie is served with a 2021 Frank Family Vineyards cabernet sauvignon, and the meal ends with Biscoff panna cotta and a glass of 2019 Stag’s Leap Petite Syrah.
Dinner is $115 per person. Call (630) 717-3500 for reservations.
• Email dining news to rwest@dailyherald.com.