Entries associated with the tag "The Chopping Block":

thursday30

Zapatista hosts a winemaker dinner with Sebastian Zuccardi, the third-generation owner of Familia Zucardi, one of the largest family-owned winery in Argentina. A reception with sparkling wine and hors d'oeuvres will be followed by five courses, each paired with a Zuccardi wine. 7-9 PM, 1307 S. Wabash, 312-435-1307, $50 (not including tax and tip).

friday31

The Chopping Block’s Merchandise Mart location presents Haunted Happy Hour, with a wine tasting and appetizers including "grilled bat wings, bacon-wrapped cockroaches, skeleton mix, and deep-fried eyeballs." Costumes encouraged; reservations required. 5-7 PM, 350 N. Orleans, 312-644-6360, free.

A five-course Halloween Winemaker Dinner [PDF] at Trattoria Roma features Vasse River and Beach Head wines from Margaret River Wines in western Australia; winemaker Sharna Kowalczuk will attend. Among the menu options: Caesar salad, pumpkin-filled ravioli with sage-brown butter sauce, and veal medallions sauteed in a lemon, white wine, and caper sauce. Costumes are optional, but the best ones will win prizes. 6:30 PM, 1535 N. Wells, 708-383-7543, $59.

saturday1

Taste Food and Wine offers a free Unibroue Beer Tasting; selections from the Canadian brewery’s lineup will include Blanche de Chambly, Maudite, La Fin du Monde, and Trois Pistoles. 3-6 PM, 1506 W. Jarvis, 773-761-3663.

monday3

The American Institute of Wine and Food hosts a dinner at Kendall College to benefit Share Our Strength, which works to end hunger for kids in the U.S. Kendall alumni, including Elizabeth Dahl (Boka), Shawn McClain (Custom House, Green Zebra, Spring), and Kristine Subido (Wave) will prepare dinner, with wine pairings by sommelier Angela Roman of the Signature Room at the 95th. 6 PM, The Dining Room at Kendall College, 900 N. North Branch, 202-478-6528, $150.

wednesday5

In Fine Spirits hosts a six-course Harvest Beer Dinner featuring brews from Flossmoor Station Brewing Company, with brewmaster Matt Van Wyk in attendance. 7:30-9:30 PM, 5420 N. Clark, 773-334-9463, $60.

Got a little black dress you've been dying to wear, Carrie Bradshaw? It's the suggested attire for women (men should wear "business chic") at the launch of the Little Black Dress Wine Club (more here) 6:30 PM Wednesday on the East Bank Club roof terrace. In addition to boutique wines from around the world, hors d'oeuvres will be served. It's $60 in advance, $75 at the door, and proceeds benefit Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.

The Signature Room at the 95th offers a two-day class on garden-fresh cooking, this Saturday from 8 to 10 AM and Sunday from 1 to 3 PM. Executive chef Patrick Sheerin (brother of Michael, the new chef de cuisine at Blackbird, profiled this week in the Reader) will guide participants on a trip to Green City Market on Saturday; on Sunday he'll show them how to create brunch specials with what they purchase. The class is $75 per person, which includes brunch and champagne on Sunday (including the tip).

Doesn't sound like the most conducive environment for remembering your lesson, but Fox and Obel offers a class called Ceviche and Cocktails at 6 PM Tuesday. Executive chef Adam Schop of of DeLaCosta will explain the intricacies of "cooking" raw fish in citrus while Bridget Albert, master mixologist for Southern Wine and Spirits, concocts Latin-inspired cocktails. The class is $45.

This could be the first and last time you see "vegetarian" and "boot camp" in the same sentence: The Chopping Block's three-day Veggie Boot Camp, a vegetarian version of the culinary boot camp it offers the third week of every month, runs from 10 AM to 1 PM Tuesday through Thursday at the school's Merchandise Mart location. Topics include "Greens and Grains," "Seasonal for Summer," and "Ethnic Adventures"; tuition is $225.