Dining events: Restaurants pumped for March Madness

March Madness

Ready for the NCAA basketball tournament? So are some suburban restaurants, with COVID-19 protocols in place, of course. Here are some specials you might want to consider.

Bub City Rosemont: Parkway Bank Park, 5441 Park Place, Rosemont, (847) 261-0399, bub-city.com/rosemont/. Catch the tournament games on Bub City's 30 TVs while chowing down on Texas hot link trucker snacks, fried pickles, hickory-smoked chicken wings, tavern pizza and more. Wash it down with a craft beer or $6 shots of Jack Daniels Apple and Jim Beam Fire. Staying home? Delivery and carryout is also available.

City Works and Old Town Pour House: 1850 E. Golf Road, Schaumburg, (847) 584-2500, and 929 N. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills, (847) 984-3571, cityworksrestaurant.com/, and 1703 Freedom Drive, Naperville, (630) 448-6020, and 8 Oak Brook Center, Oak Brook, (630) 601-1440, oldtownpourhouse.com/. Catch all of the games on the dedicated HDTV wall now through April 5 while sipping beer and munching on cheese curds, buffalo shrimp, smoked chicken wings and more. Plus, during the tourney, every diner will receive a scratch-off ticket with a chance to win a $50 gift certificate, a $25 gift certificate, a free bar bite, a free side dish or a free dessert.

L. Woods: 7110 N. Lincoln Ave., Lincolnwood, (847) 677-3350, lwoodsrestaurant.com/. For dine-in only at the bar during March Madness games, nosh on $1 wings with a choice of plain, barbecue, buffalo or spicy devil sauce.

Moretti's: Locations in Barrington, Bartlett, Chicago, Crystal Lake, Fox Lake, Hoffman Estates, Lake in the Hills, Mount Prospect, Morton Grove, Rosemont and Schaumburg; morettisrestaurants.com/. On all tournament game days, expect daily food specials plus $5 Sam Adams large drafts and $4 Miller Lite and Coors Light 22-ounce jumbo drafts in a souvenir cup.

Pennyville Station: 112 Main St., Park Ridge, (847) 720-4841, pennyvillestation.com/. Want to spend Friday afternoon watching March Madness games? Pennyville Station is hosting a kickoff event from noon to 5 p.m. Friday, March 19, for $70 per person that includes an open bar featuring domestic beer plus Tito's, Bribon, Tanqueray, Four Roses and Bacardi. Snacks include nachos, wings, mozzarella sticks, sliders, fried calamari, pot stickers and more. Reservations are required.

Shaw's Crab House: 1900 E. Higgins Road, Schaumburg, (847) 517-2722, shawscrabhouse.com/events/march-mondays/. It's March Mondays at Shaw's during the tournament, with 50% off freshly shucked oysters on the half shell and wines by the bottle in the Oyster Bar. Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Yard House: 2301 Fountain Square Drive, Lombard, (630) 495-1912, and 1880 Tower Drive, Glenview, (847) 729-9273, yardhouse.com/home. It's IPA Madness at Yard House now through April 5. Try the bracket beer flight, which includes 4 ounces of four new IPAs - Delicious (Stone Brewing Co.), Voodoo Ranger (New Belgium Brewing Company), Unraveled (Founders Brewing Co.) and Space Camper (Boulevard Brewing Company). If you're watching the games at home, consider ordering the $50 bracket takeout pack for four that includes 16 classic sliders, jumbo Bavarian pretzel with IPA white cheddar beer cheese sauce and chicken nachos. Add on the IPA Madness Crowler four-pack to-go for $40; available at the Glenview location only.

Tea time

Make time for tea from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, March 20, at The Chocolate Sanctuary. For $21 per person, sip on Benjamin Tea and nibble on chocolate chip and vanilla scones, Irish cream brownies, End of the Rainbow cupcakes, chocolate-dipped strawberries, cheesecake tarts with fresh berries, turkey flatbread, carved beef sandwich, roasted beet and goat cheese on brioche, and cucumber on brioche. Or if you want to enjoy the experience at home, $25 per person tea kits are available to order ahead for pickup between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday. Come back on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to take advantage of brunch, which has finally returned. Dine on waffle pops, chocolate sourdough French toast, assorted pastries, made-to-order omelets and more for $25 for adults, $8 for kids, and free for kids 5 and younger. Mimosas and cocktails are $5.

The Chocolate Sanctuary is at 5101 Washington St., Gurnee, (224) 944-0808, thechocolatesanctuary.com/.

Buffalo Trace dinner

If you're a fan of Buffalo Trace, then you might want to consider Niche's special Buffalo Trace four-course tasting dinner at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 25. The $150 per person dinner starts with spiced seared foie gras paired with Sazerac Rye before moving on to country fried sweetbreads paired with Old Rip Van Winkle and Blanton's Single Barrel. Next up is grilled wild boar strip loin paired with 2020 George T. Stagg before ending with smoked vanilla bean mascarpone cheesecake paired with a Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream cocktail. Reservations are required.

Niche is at 14 S. Third St., Geneva, (630) 262-1000, nichegeneva.com/.

Lucky Charm

During March, Martini Room will be serving up the Lucky Charm Martini Flight on Wednesdays for dine-in. For $15, sip on the Frisky Weeski (Crown Royal Whisky, ginger brandy, Fee Brothers Peach Bitters, Fernet-Branca Liqueur, lemonade and lemon juice topped with a lemon and Luxardo cherry), Irish Espresso (Jameson Irish Whiskey, Kahlua, Irish cream liqueur, coffee and cream with dark chocolate-roasted espresso beans), Hot & Tropical (Don Q Coconut Rum, melon liqueur, passion fruit puree, sour apple schnapps, lime juice and pineapple juice with a lime in a sugar-cayenne-rimmed glass), and the Girl Scout Cookie (dark crème de cacao, rum, butterscotch liqueur, green crème the menthe, vanilla syrup and cream in a dark chocolate-mint cookie-rimmed glass). Or, if you'd rather enjoy the flight at home, it's available to order to-go from 3:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The $38 kit includes four 5-ounce jars, which equals eight mini martinis.

Martini Room is at 161 E. Chicago St., Elgin, (847) 741-0349, martiniroomelgin.com/.

Senior special

Perry's Steakhouse & Grille recently added a new senior menu that diners 65 and older can enjoy any day before 6 p.m. The $36 three-course dinner features first-course options of a salad (Perry's Wedge, Caesar, or spinach and warm bacon vinaigrette) or a cup of soup (French onion, turtle gumbo or lobster bisque). Second course includes a choice of Perry's Famous Pork Chop (the lunch-cut portion), 6-ounce filet mignon, 6-ounce chargrilled salmon, ultimate chicken Parmesan, spaghetti squash primavera or fried shrimp. For the final course, diners can choose a side (whipped potatoes, creamed spinach or sweet Brussels sprouts) or a dessert (white chocolate cheesecake, gluten-free flourless fudgy chocolate cake or crème brûlée) to share.

Perry's Steakhouse & Grille is at 5 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, (630) 571-1808, and 1780 E. Golf Road, Schaumburg, (847) 648-7451, perryssteakhouse.com/.

Due to evolving COVID-19 restrictions, note that these offerings are subject to change. Send restaurant news to clinden@dailyherald.com.