Dining bites: Rita's Italian Ice brings sweet treats to Park Ridge
Sweet!
If you're a fan of Italian ice, consider heading to Park Ridge to check out the new Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard, which opened in late August. Owned and operated by North Side natives Jim Haran and Jill Spellman, this Rita's, which got its start in Pennsylvania, is the second location in Illinois. The menu features more than 90 rotating flavors of Italian ice, which is made in-house daily. Other sweet offerings include frozen custard, gelatis (layers of Italian ice and frozen custard), Blendinis (Italian ice blended with custard and toppings), concretes (frozen custard blended with toppings), milkshakes, Misto shake (Italian ice and custard blended together), frozen drinks, frozen custard cakes, cookie sandwiches and more. Seasonal flavors available now include Zombie's Blood, plus pie concretes available in apple, Reese's peanut butter, strawberry and chocolate cream. Hours are 2-9 p.m. daily.
Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard is at 157 N. Northwest Hwy., Park Ridge, (847) 696-7189, ritasice.com/.
Think Pink, Part 2
City Works Restaurant and Old Town Pour House: To honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month, through the end of October, City Works and OTPH are hosting Hops for Hope when Bottleneck Management and Goose Island will donate $2 from every Bottlenectar Pale Ale and Virtue Brut Cider ordered to the Lynn Sage Foundation for breast cancer research. City Works is at 1850 E. Golf Road, Schaumburg, (847) 584-2500; 929 N. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills, (847) 984-3571; and 365 W. Dundee Road, Wheeling, (847) 941-0990, cityworks restaurant.com/. Old Town Pour House is at 1703 Freedom Drive, Naperville, (630) 448-6020, and 8 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, (630) 601-1440, oldtownpourhouse.com/.
Morton's The Steakhouse: Order up a Pink Pineapple Cosmo during October and Morton's will donate $1 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. Morton's is at 1751 Freedom Drive, Naperville, (630) 577-1372; 699 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook, (847) 205-5111; 9525 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Rosemont, (847) 678-5155; 1470 McConnor Parkway, Schaumburg, (847) 413-8771, mortons.com/.
Autumn eats
Houlihan's brings on fall flavors with new seasonal items available for a limited time. Consider the giant cheesy tots with housemade dippers ($8.95), triple decker grilled cheese ($12.50), Creole chicken fried chicken with garlic green beans and honest gold mashers ($16.95), butternut squash and sausage pasta ($14.95), and cran-apple cobbler with vanilla ice cream ($6.59) for dessert. As for drinks, new to the menu are Truly lemonade ($5), Guinness Nitro Cold Brew Coffee ($7 a can) and Golden Road Mango Cart Mango Ale ($6 a can). Also, during October, Houlihan's will donate $1 from each $10 Pink Pomtini (made with Tito's Handmade Vodka, pomegranate syrup, cranberry juice and a lemon twist) sold to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.
Houlihan's is at 2860 Showplace Drive, Naperville, (630) 536-0022, houlihans.com/.
Change things up
Speaking of new flavors for fall, Pinstripes recently introduced a bevy of seasonal items. Options include burrata and acorn squash; meatball and provolone sandwich; open-faced grilled salmon served on a focaccia with cucumber-dill yogurt; spicy crispy chicken sandwich; cowboy burger topped with applewood smoked bacon, balsamic barbecue, onion rings, jalapeño and cheddar; blueberry waffles with whipped lemon ricotta; American scramble made with applewood smoked bacon, sharp cheddar, crispy potatoes and toast; and steak and eggs. For a treat, try the classic tiramisu or caramelized cheesecake. As an added bonus, Pinstripes is adding live local music from 7-9 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays. In Northbrook, see Ludlow Solo on Wednesday, Oct. 13, and Mathien on Thursday, Oct. 14. In Oak Brook, catch Nicholas Barron on Wednesday, Oct. 13, and The Wandering Boys on Thursday, Oct. 14. And in South Barrington, hear Larry Anthony on Wednesday, Oct. 13, and Sean O'Reilly on Thursday, Oct. 14. Visit the website for the full schedule.
Pinstripes is at 7 Oakbrook Center Mall, Oak Brook, (630) 575-8700; 1150 Willow Road, Northbrook, (847) 480-2323; 100 W. Higgins Road, South Barrington, (847) 844-9300; pinstripes.com/.
• Events are subject to change. Send restaurant news to clinden@dailyherald.com.