Dining out: Buffalo Creek brewing up Pumpkin Pie Ale
Pumpkin Pie Ale
Combining the best of both worlds - Thanksgiving dessert and beer - Buffalo Creek Brewing is releasing its limited small batch of Pumpkin Pie Ale on Wednesday, Nov. 13. Brewmaster Mike Marr is crafting the specialty beer with honey, Vermont maple syrup and real pumpkin and fermenting it with Saison yeast. Available in the Long Grove tap room through November, a 12-ounce pour is $7.
Buffalo Creek Brewing is at 360 Historical Lane, Long Grove, (847) 821-6140, buffalocreekbrewing.com/.
Green at Gabi
Vegetarians and vegans rejoice: Mon Ami Gabi in Oak Brook recently added a special menu featuring meat-free takes on classic French dishes. The menu features appetizers such as steamed artichoke, vegan onion soup and root vegetable chopped salad; entrees including cavatelli pasta, spiced cauliflower steak and frites, and a vegetarian platter; sides featuring sauteed mushrooms, cauliflower puree, pommes puree, garlic spinach, frites, French green beans and broccolini; and sorbet for dessert.
Mon Ami Gabi is at 260 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, (630) 472-1900, monamigabi.com/oak-brook/.
Puglia to table
With Arlington Heights' Osteria Trulli coming up on its fourth anniversary in December, executive chef and owner Giovanni DeNigris decided to get a jump-start on the celebration by adding some Puglia-inspired menu items starting Friday, Nov. 15. New Italian dishes will include a traditional Cialeda bread salad with tomato, red onion, croutons, cucumber and extra-virgin olive oil; Handmade Cavatelli ai Frutti di Mare; and Merluzzo Fritto, a specialty Red Mullet fish imported from Puglia that will be served lightly fried. “Puglia's coastal cuisine is so rich and offers us endless variety,” DeNigris says. The dishes will join restaurant staples such as chilled Insalata di Mare, Tartufo Fave Risotto, Spaghetti dell'Adriatico and wood-fire Pugliese pizza.
Osteria Trulli is located at 1501 E. Hintz Road, Arlington Heights, (223) 347-1010, osteriatrulli.com/.
Wine & dine
Don't have dinner plans for Friday night? Consider Gene & Georgetti Rosemont's Cordero Di Montezemolo Wine Dinner at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15. While enjoying the five-course meal, learn about the paired wines from Alice Barera. The dinner features hors d'oeuvres paired with Le Contesse prosecco Brut; vitello tonnato paired with Cordero di Montezemolo Arneis Langhe; risotto al porcini e tartufo paired with Cordero di Montezemolo Nebbiolo; brasato al Barolo paired with Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto; and for dessert, mousse di ciolccolato bianco con frutti di bosco paired with Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo di Chinato. It costs $85, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations are required.
Gene & Georgetti is at 9421 W. Higgins Road, Rosemont, (847) 653-3300, geneandgeorgetti.com/gene-and-georgetti-rosemont/.
Bourbon, beer and a burger
Either finish your weekend or start your week with a deal at Fox & Turtle in Itasca. For $18 every Sunday and Monday, sip on a pour of bourbon and a beer of the week while noshing on a burger.
Fox & Turtle is at 400 E. Orchard St., Itasca, (630) 773-1801, foxandturtle.com/.
Tomahawk Tuesdays
Liven up your Tuesday night with Michael Jordan's Restaurant's new Tomahawk Tuesdays dinner. For $99, two people can share two appetizers (Caesar salad, French onion soup, The Wedge salad or blue cheese garlic bread), a 32-ounce Prime Tomahawk with porcini rub and balsamic ginger jus to share, a choice of two side dishes (creamed spinach, Yukon mashed potatoes, roasted mushrooms and seasonal vegetables) and peanut butter pie to split. It's an extra $64 to add a wine pairing of Plumpjack “Adaptation” 2016 cabernet sauvignon. The special is for dine-in only.
Michael Jordan's Restaurant is at 1225 W. 22nd St., Oak Brook, (630) 828-2932, michaeljordansrestaurant.com/.
Tequila dinner
If tequila is your spirit of choice, A Toda Madre in Glen Ellyn is hosting its first tequila dinner Thursday, Nov. 21, featuring Tequila Fortaleza. During the five-course meal, learn how to properly taste and savor tequila. Arrive at 6:30 p.m. for a reception featuring a complimentary cocktail. Dinner, which begins at 7 p.m., features ceviche Verde paired with Fortaleza Blanco, sopa de frijol paired with Fortaleza Still Strength Blanco, tlayuda (baked corn tostada, braised beef, pinto beans, watermelon radish, cotija, greens) paired with Fortaleza Reposado, taco de pescado paired with Fortaleza Winter Blend, and jericalla de nanche paired with Fortaleza Añejo. Vegetarian substitutions available with advanced notice. The dinner costs $79 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations are required.
A Toda Madre is at 499 N. Main St., Glen Ellyn, (630) 474-0969, atmrestaurant.com/.
Email clinden@dailyherald.com with dining and night life events.