Entries associated with the tag "North Shore Distillery":

thursday

A Nickel & Nickel wine dinner at Park Grill features 2006 Medina and Truchard chardonnays, a 2005 Suscol merlot, a 2005 Sullenger cabernet, and a 2004 Far Niente Dolce dessert wine, paired with appetizers and a four-course meal. Nickel & Nickel midwest regional sales manager Jim Doehring will discuss the wines. 7 PM, 11 N. Michigan, 312-521-7275, $85.

North Shore Distillery cofounder Sonja Kassebaum serves samples of her company's gin and absinthe at Cooking Fools; there'll also be appetizers, a traditional absinthe drip fountain, and cocktails by resident mixologist Angie Jackson. 6-8:30 PM, 1916 W. North, 773-276-5565, $30.

Joel Berg signs All You Can Eat: How Hungry Is America?, about the problem of hunger in the U.S. 7 PM, the Book Cellar, 4736 N. Lincoln, 773-293-2665.

friday

Lush Wine and Spirits in University Village hosts a free vertical tasting of four vintages of Schmaltz Jewbelation (from this year and the past three years). 6-8 PM, 1257 S. Halsted, 312-738-1900.

saturday

In honor of the holidays, Cellar Rat has a free tasting of ten champagnes and sparkling wines, from cava to prosecco. noon-6 PM, 1811 W. North, 773-489-2728.

tuesday

At Smoke Daddy's Good/Bad Santa Party, Good Santa will hand out candy canes and other treats, while Bad Santa will be passing out beer, shots, and condoms. There'll be $3 draft beer, $2 eggnog drinks, and half-price wings; Christmas movies will be shown all day and live music starts at 9 PM. 11:30 AM-11 PM, 1804 W. Division, 773-772-6656.

wednesday

The Fifty/50 is offering drink specials, including $5 "Dreydel shots" (potato vodka and Goldschlager) and $1 glasses of Manischewitz wine, to attract Jewish patrons on Christmas Eve. There's also a $30 all-you-can drink package from 8 to 11 PM and "a Menorah of beer and shots" after 11 PM; buy eight shots or beers and get the ninth free. 8 PM, 2047 W. Division, 773-489-5050.

Friday from 6:30 to 9 PM, Viet Bistro and Lounge hosts a free tasting of spirits from North Shore Distillery, including gin, vodka, and the new Sirène absinthe; mixologist Rashed Islam will serve samples of two new martinis he’s created with North Shore spirits, and chef-owner Dan Nguyen will make appetizers. Reservations required.

Alliance Française hosts a cooking class with ingredients from Green City Market Saturday; participants will meet at 9 AM at the market in Lincoln Park to shop for organic lamb, tomatoes, French green beans, and early-fall apples. They'll then head to the Alliance Française kitchen to make tomato soup, roasted lamb with vegetable garnish, and an apple cake. $85, $75 members.

The Oak Park Micro Brew and Food Review, Saturday from 3 to 7 PM on Marion Street between Lake and North, features 50 craft beers from 15 local breweries, including Metropolitan, Two Brothers, and Goose Island, as well as locally sourced food from Oak Park restaurants like the new Marion Street Cheese Market, Trattoria 225, and Buzz Cafe. All disposable materials used at the event will be compostable or recyclable. A VIP event from 2 to 3 PM at Marion Street Cheese Market (100 S. Marion) includes a tour of the new eco-friendly facility, tapping of "select" microbrews, and samples of sustainable specialty cheeses. $35, $65 for VIP tickets.

The Whole Foods FlavorFest returns Saturday from 11 AM to 9 PM and Sunday from 11 AM to 8 PM at Webster and Racine, with free samples of natural foods, live music, kids' activities, and cooking demos from local chefs including Dean Zanella of 312 Chicago, Bruce Sherman of North Pond, and Jason Hammel of Lula Cafe.

Purple Asparagus, a nonprofit dedicated to "bringing families back to the table" by promoting good eating, hosts "Corks and Crayons," a fund-raiser dinner, Sunday from 4 to 7 PM at Webster's Wine Bar. In addition to food including specialty pizzas, crab cakes, and tandoori chicken kebabs, there'll be wine for the adults, plus live and silent auctions and kids' activities. $65 adults, $25 kids 13-18, $15 kids 2-12, free kids under 2 (members $60/$20/$12).

Slow Food Chicago also has a fund-raiser BBQ dinner Sunday, at 6 PM at Kendall College, to honor Chicagoland delegates to this year's Terra Madre, a Slow Food conference in Italy. Kendall students will cook and serve smoked meats and side dishes. $20.

Willis P. Jenkins, Allá, and Tirra Lirra play a fund-raiser at the Empty Bottle for the Dill Pickle Food Co-op Wednesday at 9:30 PM. The Logan Square community-owned grocery store, which now has 255 members, is slated to open at 3039 W. Fullerton by March 2009. $12, $10 in advance.

Thursday

• Uncommon Ground on Clark hosts a free tasting of cocktails made with spirits from North Shore Distillery and appetizers by executive chef Brian Millman from 6 to 8 PM.

    

Friday

• John Freyer of Dogfish Head Brewing Co. leads a free tasting of his company’s beers, paired with cheeses, at West Lakeview Liquors from 6 to 9 PM. The star of the show is the just-released Festina Peche, a light-bodied summer brew in a Berliner Weisse style made with peaches. 
• Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral’s three-day Taste of Greece on LaSalle Street (Fri-Sat 4-11 PM, Sun noon-11 PM) features Greek food, beer, wine, ouzo, dancing, and music by the John Linardakis Band. Also: a silent auction, raffles, children’s games, and tours of the cathedral. $2.

   

Saturday

•  New Belgium Brewing Company's annual Tour de Fat begins with registration at 9 AM, followed by a bike parade at 10. The parade ends at 11, at which point the kegs get tapped and the "revivalation," with live music and other entertainment, begins. Festivities last until 4 PM, culminating with "Would You Trade Your Car for a Bike?," in which the winner of the contest of that name will hand over his or her car title and keys in exchange for a new commuter bike and trailer.

• Amelia Saltsman, author of The Santa Monica Farmers' Market Cookbook, gives a talk titled The Fabled Farmers' Markets of Southern California from 10 AM to noon at the Chicago History Museum (a Culinary Historians of Chicago program). $5.

• Pizza Fest Chicago, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 10 PM at Racine and Fullerton, features not only slices and whole pies for sale by eateries including Connie's Pizza, Nonna's Italian Pizzeria, and Vinci, but also a contest for the city's best pizza (thick crust, thin crust, and gourmet), a pizza-eating competition, "acrobatic pizza dough tossing" by the U.S. Pizza Team, live music, wine tasting, cooking demos, and cornhole competitions. $5.
• The first Chicago Kids' Restaurant Week kicks off Saturday from 9 AM to 12:30 PM at Green City Market with cooking demos, food tastings, and culinary activities for kids; it continues through Sat 6/28 with a prix fixe dinner deal at restaurants including Blue Water Grill, Lula Cafe, Otom, Prairie Grass Cafe, and Vie. From 5 to 6:30 PM, kids under 11 pay their age, while adults and kids 12 and over each pay $20.08. A dollar from each meal benefits Green City Market.
• At West Lakeview Liquors from 6 to 9 PM, Highland Park single malt scotch, from the Orkney Islands, is on the table in a free tasting showcasing the 12-, 15-, and 18-year-old batches.

   

Sunday

• The Farmers' Market Fiesta, from noon to 3 PM at Frontera Grill, offers food, margaritas, cooking demos by Rick Bayless, and stalls with local artisanal products ($45, $15 kids under 12). It's followed by a six-course dinner with wine pairings, featuring early summer produce, meat and fish from local farms and producers ($150). All proceeds benefit the Frontera Farmer Foundation.

   

Wednesday

• Bev Art Brewer & Winemaker Supply presents a winemaking class Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at Whole Foods in Lakeview. Budding vintners can create their own wines from an assortment of juices, ranging from Australian shiraz and French sauvignon blanc to estate-grown Stag’s Leap District merlot and Sonoma Valley pinot noir; they’ll learn about techniques of aging and cellaring wine as well. Each student will make a six-gallon vat of wine—enough for 25-30 bottles. Bev Art will ferment and rack it for ten weeks; at a second session (exact date TBD at the first), students will balance their wines by adjusting tannins and residual sugar levels and, finally, bottle them. $65 plus $70-$200 for supplies including juice, bottles, and labels.