Monday, February 11, 2013
Hearts are beating in Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park. Take a look at where to treat your special someone to a romantic evening this week.
Want to let special someone know you care with a big romantic gesture? Check out these fun options around town to take a date—or even the whole family. Valentine's Day is Feb. 14—that's this Thursday. Put it on your calendar and don't forget. 905 S. Lombard Ave. in Oak Park The Buzz Cafe is the perfect setting if you Valentine's date calls for a laid back night—you can even bring the kids. Adult Menu: pork tenderloin with caramelized pears and a pear brandy cream sauce served with shallot mashed potatoes and fresh asparagus accompanied by roasted red pepper and tomato bisque and an arugula salad with avocado, blood oranges, and a citrus vinaigrette. Dessert is a Death by Chocolate layer cake! - $30 Kid's Menu: classic meatloaf with ketchup…
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Scratch Kitchen and Lounge in Forest Park is open for business with the restaurant's grand opening to come later this month. Patch took a seat the bar recently for a burger and some mac and cheese. Here's what we thought.
The name says it all at the newly opened Scratch Kitchen and Lounge, 7444 Madison St. in Forest Park—even the ketchup and mustard is made from scratch, in-house. Although only sporting a preview menu before their grand opening in mid-February, Scratch has the potential to become a neighborhood favorite with its focus on locally sourced, house-made burgers and mac and cheese. Owner and chef Patrick O'Brien has deep roots in the area, having grown up in River Forest. Although Scratch is his first foray into the restaurant business on his own, he's helped launch several popular local spots, including Avenue Ale House in Oak Park and Francesca's in Forest Park. O'Brien has big plans for his new establishment, even if those plans call for …
Thursday, February 7, 2013
The fun starts at Shanahan's Creole Restaurant and Irish Bar this weekend and continues through next week at FitzGerald's Nightclub.
Stir up a sezerac and bust out the king cake—Mardi Gras is almost here. While the local celebration doesn't heat up as much as it does in good ol' New Orleans, there's still going to be plenty of celebrating going on around town. Festivities kick off this weekend at Shanahan's Creole Restaurant and Irish Bar, 7353 Madison St. in Forest Park. Shanahan's will have a special Mardi Gras menu up from Feb. 8-12. The Mardi Gras menu includes, jambalaya; shrimp creole; crawfish etouffee; red beans and rice; gumbos; shrimp, oyster or catfish po'boys—even alligator picante, which is alligator and shrimp in a spicy tomato sauce served over rice. The Southern Comfort girls will be in house on Feb. 12—also known as Fat Tuesday. Shanahan's hurricanes …
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Scott Kupferschmidt, the new head chef at Forest Park specialty wine store and restaurant, House Red Vinoteca,—is approaching food from the bottle first.
While his kitchen may be small, that hasn't kept Chef Scott Kupferschmidt from thinking big. Kupferschmidt is the new(ish) chef at House Red Vinoteca, 7403 Madison St., recruited in October to bring new life and ideas to the ever-expanding menu and restaurant focus that is growing to define the wine boutique. "We've continued to shift the focus more and more towards the restaurant," Kupferschmidt said recently at House Red. "As a result people are coming in with a different expectation and we're always trying to surprise [customers] with something new and different from what else is on the street." Kupferschmidt seems to be the perfect chef to recreate the menu at the wine-focused business. Between culinary school and working at various …
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Maya Del Sol will be celebrating the end of the world—as predicted by the Mayan calendar—with a party, so you can go out with a blast!
How do you celebrate the end of the world? Throw the biggest party of your life, of course. That's what Oak Park's Maya Del Sol is doing for Friday, Dec. 21 this year—the date predicted by the ancient Mayan calendar for the end of the world. "As a restaurant called Maya we felt it was important to throw a huge party for the end of the world," said Paul Abu-Taleb, manager at Maya Del Sol. At Maya, the thinking goes, if you're going to go out, you might as well go out in style. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 21 and will include three bands, multiple chef's stations from some of Chicago's top restaurants (more on this later this week) and an ice sculptor flowing with margaritas. The event costs $85 for the public and $75 for members …
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Owners say Forest Park's Piggyback Tavern will offer an experience like no other around town.
Sometimes the right place to open your business finds you. When that's the case, plans are thrown to the wind and you just get things done. That's according to Lake Street Kitchen + Bar owner, Rachel Dennis about her new Forest Park restaurant and bar, Piggyback Tavern, 410 Circle Ave., set to open in mid-November. "I might not have done another [restaurant] so soon," Dennis said recently at Lake Street Kitchen + Bar. "But I just loved the space." Dennis first saw Piggyback's home when she was scouting locations for Lake Street Kitchen + Bar, but the space was unavailable at the time. When an opportunity came to take it over, Dennis jumped in feet first. "[Piggyback] will be a place you can go for excellent food and drink, but it will be …
Nancy Bauer
8:38 am on Monday, February 11, 2013
Great news about the door! We'll come back and try again, especially for the fries and mac and cheese. more ›