Entries associated with the tag "Room 21":

thursday6

Chef Daniel Tucker shows how to make fresh mozzarella at home as part of Room 21’s cooking demo series, which runs the first Thursday of each month (next month features eggnog). Mozzarella samples will be served with prosciutto and a wine pairing. Reservations recommended. 6-7 PM, 2110 S. Wabash, 312-328-1198, $10 (which you’ll get back as a discount on your tab if you order dinner at the restaurant).

Taste products from Vermont Butter & Cheese with company founder Allison Hooper at Pastoral's Loop store. 5-7 PM, 53 E. Lake, 312-658-1250, free. 

friday7

Lush Wine and Spirits on Halsted hosts a tasting of winter brews from Bell's. 6-9 PM, 1257 S. Halsted, 312-738-1900, free. 

saturday8

The sixth annual Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beer, presented by the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, features area breweries including Mickey Finn’s, Goose Island, Three Floyds, Flossmoor Station, and Rock Bottom as well as farther-flung brewers. The competition covers eight style categories, ranging from classic porter/stout to barleywine to experimental; attendees can sample the entries at one of two sessions. 1-5 PM or 6-10 PM, Chicago Journeyman Plumbers’ Local Union 130, Stephen M. Bailey Auditorium, 1340 W. Washington, illinoisbeer.com, $35 in advance, $45 at the door.

Executive chef Jeff Mauro of Powerhouse shares tips for cooking Thanksgiving dinner, including how to roast the perfect turkey, prepare spoonbread, braised red cabbage, dried fruit couscous, and desserts. There'll be samples of the recipes and wine. 11 AM, 215 N. Clinton, 312-928-0800, $40.

tuesday11

Sheffield's offers a class on the flavors and styles of beer with Brett VanderKamp, John Haggerty, and Fred Bueltmann of New Holland Brewing Company; attendees will taste five New Holland beers paired with appetizers. 7-8 PM, 3258 N. Sheffield, 773-281-4989, $25.

wednesday12

The Freedom Museum’s Table of Nations, a series that “expands minds and palates through stimulating conversations on freedom issues in select countries,” meets at Ethiopian Diamond for dinner and a discussion of famine, genocide, and the current crises in Sudan, Somalia, and other parts of the Horn of Africa. 6-8 PM, 6120 N. Broadway, 312-222-7871, $35, $25 museum members.

Between Boutique Cafe and Lounge offers a fixed-price tasting menu by executive chef Radhika Desai, a contestant on Top Chef: New York, at a viewing party for the premiere of the show's fifth season. Among the offerings: curried lobster bisque, braised duck samosas, and ginger-chocolate mousse in chocolate tarts. 9 PM, 1324 N. Milwaukee, 773-292-0585, $50.

thursday4

Room 21 offers a fish grilling class at 6 PM featuring tinfoil trout, grilled salmon with mustard glaze, blackened swordfish, and scallop and shrimp kebabs with chimichurri sauce; they'll be served with wine pairings. $55.

friday5

The Windy City Wine Festival in Grant Park features 250 wines from more than 50 vendors, plus food from local restaurants, cooking demos, and seminars by chefs and wine experts. Fri 4-10 PM, Sat 3-10 PM, $30, $25 in advance (includes ten tasting tickets).

saturday6 

The Guinness Oyster Fest, from noon to 11 PM at 2000 W. Roscoe, promises fresh-shucked oysters from the Whitehall Hotel’s Fornetto & Mei’s Kitchen, plus live music by Everlast and others and, of course, Guinness. $5 suggested donation.

As part of Aorta Transformata, an art exhibit at Kendall College by culinary student Arianne Vota Smeets depicting the human heart “as it undergoes various temperaments and experiences,” five students from the School of Culinary Arts at Kendall College will create dishes interpreting the artworks for tasting at the two receptions for the show. A chocolate shell filled with honey cream and bitter cherry coulis, for example, corresponds to a piece titled Numb, intended to represent what’s “inside not getting out” when a person is numb to emotion. Sat 6-9 PM, Mon 5-8 PM, artist talk at 5, 900 N. North Branch, free.

sunday7

The Chicago Chocolate Salon features tastings of chocolates from Ghirardelli, Guittard, the Chocolate Traveler, Cyndy’s Sweet Treats, Confection Diva, and others, as well as demonstrations and chef and author talks. 11 AM-5 PM, Grainger Ballroom, Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan, 415-263-6800, $20, $17.50 in advance.

monday8

During Sonoma in Chicago Week, starting today and continuing through Sun 9/14, restaurants including Frontera Grill, Le Lan, Lula Cafe, and Spring will highlight Sonoma County wines; for each bottle sold, the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission and Sonoma County Vintners will donate $3 to Common Threads. And on Wednesday from 6 to 9:30 PM, the Allerton Hotel (701 N. Michigan) will host a Taste of Sonoma food and wine pairing seminar, with Ravenswood winemaker Joel Peterson, wine grape grower Jim Murphy, and chef Bruce Riezenman. $65.

Chef Daniel Tucker leads a hands-on class on how to grill the perfect steak Thursday at 6 PM on the patio at Room 21; besides the actual grilling he’ll cover marinades, salts, and crusts. Participants can choose filet mignon, rib eye, or strip steak and seasonings and sauces like herb garlic, horseradish and Dijon, blue cheese, and béarnaise sauce. They’ll also get sides including grilled asparagus and baked potato, plus bottles of Miller High Life. $55.

Kraft is giving away "Bagel-Fuls" (prepackaged, cream-cheese-filled bagel sticks) Friday and Saturday from 10 AM to 6 PM at the Trib's Mag Mile Art Festival (Pioneer Court, 435 N. Michigan). As Serious Eats commenters and the So Good blog have pointed out, it's a new product but not really a new concept (but some have apparently tried the things and liked them).

Pops for Champagne wine director Craig Cooper leads a tasting of 1996 vintage champagnes—considered one of the best recent vintages—from Henriot, Duval Leroy, and Bruno Paillard Saturday from 3 to 5 PM. $20.

The second annual AleFest Chicago showcases craft beers from more than 50 breweries, including Arcadia, Two Brothers, Flying Dog, and Flossmoor Station, Saturday from 1 to 6 PM at Soldier Field. In addition to beer samples there’ll be food, music by bluesman Joe Moss, and a silent auction and raffle for beer memorabilia and collectibles. Proceeds benefit the Illinois chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America and the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild. $40 (includes 20 beer samples; additional samples 3 for $5). Food Chain contributor Bianca has more on it at our sister site, the promotional Chicago Drinks.  

Copperblue's Sunday Supper, Sunday at 6 PM, has a five-course vegetarian menu with dishes like squash-and-eggplant ratatouille and pine nut caramel crisp. All the produce will come from Green Acres Farm, River Valley Farm, and Klug Farm; some of the farmers will also be there. $95.

Wondering why there aren't any Bastille Day events listed here? Don't worry, we'll have a roundup of all of them on Friday.