Dining out: Beer for a cause, Mexican Independence Day specialty and more
Pour for a purpose
93 Octane Brewery recently debuted a special draft beer called Golden Pour Purpose, brewed to raise awareness and support for Cal’s Angels — a local nonprofit dedicated to granting wishes, raising awareness and funding research for pediatric cancer.
Throughout September, 50% of all proceeds from the sale of Golden Pour Purpose, a golden ale with citrus notes and malt sweetness, will be donated directly to Cal’s Angels.
You can try a pour at 93 Octane’s original taproom in St. Charles or their recently opened 6,600-square-foot brewery in Elmhurst.
Dinner under the stars
Enjoy the beauty of nature around a communal table beneath the open sky while dining on a curated multicourse meal at Cantigny during the Red Oak Farm Table: Midwest Harvest at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18.
The five-course meal starts with tuna crudo, followed by broccolini salad, a seared branzino, then New York strip steak. Finish the night with a baked meringue and fruit compote. Each course is paired with a specially chosen cocktail or wine.
The dinner is $135 per person. Reservations can be made at Cantigny’s website.
Celebrate Mexican Independence Day
Mexican Independence Day is Tuesday, Sept. 16, and Bien Trucha group is honoring the day with one of the quintessential Mexican dishes — chiles en nogada — for a limited time.
Their version of the red, white and green dish, which dates back to Puebla in 1821 when the dish was prepared for the future emperor after the signing of the treaty granting Mexico independence from Spain, features poblano peppers stuffed with shredded pork, pine nuts, almonds, raisins, peaches and apples and is topped with a walnut-based cream sauce, pomegranate seeds and parsley. It’s available for dine-in Sept. 12-16 or catering.
Jazzy tea
Head to St. Charles Saturday for an afternoon steeped in cool during The Graceful Ordinary’s jazz high tea. The event will feature live music while you dine on canapés and sweets paired with unlimited loose-leaf teas from The Irie Cup.
Tickets start at $66 for adults, $42 for kids 3-12, and free for kids younger than 2. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase.
Collab dinner
Cima Restaurant in Rosemont will host an exclusive, one-night collaborative dinner Tuesday, Sept. 16, featuring four of Chicago’s top chefs.
The evening begins with a reception and hors d’oeuvres by consulting chef and two-time James Beard Award-winner Sarah Stegner and Cima’s executive chef Gee Cuyugan. That’s followed by a five-course seated dinner from chef Kevin Hickey of The Duck Inn and Cima chef de cuisine Jesse Resendiz, blending Midwestern seasonality with Mediterranean-inspired flavors. Tickets, which are limited, are $105 per person or $145 with a wine pairing and are available at Eventbrite.
New fall menu items
Old Town Pour House, with locations in Naperville and Oak Brook, has released its fall-inspired Chef Selects lineup, which rotates every couple of months.
From Sept. 10 to Nov. 4, diners can dine on smoked brisket Reuben egg rolls served with spicy cider ale mustard aioli and smoky chipotle Thousand Island ($13.95) and an Oktoberfest burger topped with beer-braised onions, smoked provolone, sliced sausage, cider ale mustard and bacon-braised sauerkraut on a pretzel bun ($16.95).
The featured cocktails are the “Jam” aretto Sour, with Disaronno Amaretto, Maker’s Mark bourbon, raspberry and blueberry syrups and lemon juice ($13.45) and the AperFall Spritz, which adds dry cider, cranberry juice and cinnamon to the Aperol and sparkling wine ($13.45).
Oktoberfest dinner
If it’s September, it must be Oktoberfest. Try some tastes of Germany during special $80 Oktoberfest beer dinners at Wildfire in Glenview, Lincolnshire, Oak Brook and Schaumburg Sept. 11-17.
Great Lakes Brewing Co. will handle the beers for the four-course menu, which includes Swiss-German cheese fondue and Königsberger meatballs paired with Midwest IPA, chicken schnitzel paired with Eliot Ness Amber Lager, krustenbraten roast pork paired with Oktoberfest, and German cheesecake paired with Edmund Fitzgerald Porter.
• Email dining news to rwest@dailyherald.com.