Dining events: $5 Ritas at On The Border for National Tequila Day
National Tequila Day
Saturday, July 24, is National Tequila Day. So, On The Border is offering up its Grande House Rita - on the rocks or frozen - for $5. Add on a meltdown for 99 cents.
On The Border is at 1512 S. Randall Road, Algonquin, (847) 960-3915; 1915 Glacier Park Ave., Naperville, (331) 472-8740; 535 N. Lakeview Parkway, Vernon Hills, (224) 433-5450; ontheborder.com/.
Sips of Summer
Morton's The Steakhouse gets a jump on National Tequila Day with its Sips of Summer: A Cocktail Experience four-course pairing menu dinner from 6-8 p.m. Friday, July 23. Featuring cocktails made with agave-based tequilas from Casamigos paired with tastes inspired by Jalisco, Mexico, diners can try a tequila shrimp street taco paired with a watermelon mint margarita, carne a la parrilla paired with a summertime paloma, shrimp and crab campechana paired with a “New Fashioned,” and a chocolate ancho chile torte paired with a smoky cinnamon horchata. The dinner, which is $99 per person, is available at the Naperville, Rosemont, Schaumburg and Chicago (Wacker) locations.
Morton's The Steakhouse is at 1751 Freedom Drive, Naperville, (630) 577-1372; 9525 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Rosemont, (847) 678-5155; and 1470 McConnor Parkway, Schaumburg, (847) 413-8771; mortons.com/event/sips-of-summer/.
Taco Tuesday
Catch 35 in Naperville is getting in on the trend by serving items from its ghost kitchen - Niños Fresh Mexican Kitchen - in the bar and on the patio on Tuesdays only. Dine on specialties such as quesabirrias, steak and fish tacos, carne asada, shrimp fajitas, enchiladas verdes and wings al pastor. Plus, try a new margarita, such as the moscato (mango or strawberry, Don Julio Blanco, triple sec, fresh lime juice and a moscato float), original (Jose Cuervo Gold, triple sec, fresh lime juice and sweet and sour) or pineapple jalapeño (Reposado Tequila, triple sec, St. Germain, muddled jalapeño and fresh pineapple and fresh lime juice). Or stop in to the seafood restaurant on Mondays for half off select bottles of wine.
Catch 35 is at 35 S. Washington St., Naperville, (630) 717-3500, catch35.com/.
Fire & Ice
Jazz up your week with a four-course dinner set to live music during the July Fire & Ice Chef's Dinner at The Chocolate Sanctuary. The Lake County Symphony Orchestra String Quartet will be performing selections from Mozart, Broadway, Latin, Bach, Gershwin and more to accompany the specialty $50 per person dinners starting at 6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, July 28-29. Dine on gnocchi and carpaccio paired with Flaco Spanish Cabernet, blackened shrimp and gazpacho paired with a mezcal cucumber jalapeño margarita, and tuna duo (super white tuna poke topped with a pineapple relish and cocoa- and wasabi-crusted seared ahi tuna) paired with a Continental Sour Whiskey Sour. End on a sweet note with Banana's Foster Baked Alaska paired with Cafe Brewer Diabolique. Reservations are required.
The Chocolate Sanctuary is at 5101 Washington St., Gurnee, (224) 944-0808, thechocolatesanctuary.com/.
The sipping is fine
Missing happy hour with friends and co-workers? Grab a group and head to CityGate Grille's Sipping in Summer wine tasting from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, July 29. For $35, you'll receive five tasting tickets. Choose wisely as there will be 20 varietals available. Reservations are required. If you can't make it Thursday, every Wednesday is half-price wine - by the bottle or the glass - all day. The special is good for dine-in only.
CityGate Grille is at 2020 Calamos Court, Naperville, (630) 718-1010, citygategrille.com/.
Summer sips
Seasons 52 is speaking rosé this summer with its new rosé cocktail flight. For $11.50, enjoy smaller sips of the rosé lemonade (Ketel One Botanical Grapefruit and Rosé Vodka, Royal Post Rosé and lemon), sparkling strawberry rosé (strawberry-infused Prairie Organic Vodka, strawberry preserves and Jansz Brut Rosé) and rosé sangria (Royal Post Rosé, honey lavender, white cranberry and lemon). Order the flight while dining in or to go.
Seasons 52 is at 3 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, (630) 571-4752, and 1770 E. Higgins Road, Schaumburg, (847) 517-5252, seasons52.com/home.
Indulge
Perfect for summer, the Hyatt Lodge will be hosting a five-course Orin Swift wine dinner on Friday, July 30, at its lakefront restaurant Water's Edge. Start the evening with a reception at 5 p.m. featuring passed hors d'oeuvres, wine and live music before moving into the private dining room for dinner at 5:45 p.m. Executive Chef Joshua Karther has devised pairings including barramundi with tamarind sauce and English peas with Mannequin 2019 California Chardonnay; smoked pork belly over creamy polenta and lavender agrodolce with Abstract 2019 California Red; char-roasted beef tenderloin, asparagus and cherry gastrique with Papillon 2018 Napa Valley Red; and chocolate budino, chocolate panatella and balsamic strawberries with 8 Years in the Desert Papillon Red Blend. Dinner is $129; reservations are required.
Water's Edge is at Hyatt Lodge, 2815 Jorie Blvd., Oak Brook, (630) 568-1234.
Events are subject to change. Send restaurant news to clinden@dailyherald.com.