Now that we’re cooking more for ourselves, what better way to stay motivated than sharing our cabin fever-induced meals with others? A new Facebook group, Quarantine Meals!!!, started by Leaderbar owner Todd Rubin, has grown to more than 17,000 users already, and even counts some Chicago culinarians among its members. When you’re looking for dinner ideas, check this out.
Before this mess, I did a lot of oyster happy hours, a part of my culinary routine I'm most sorely missing. Luckily, one of my favorite spots, Shaw’s, is offering half-priced oysters to go, a means of getting a tiny bit of luxury at home for a low price. Call 312-527-2722 to order.
They hadn’t started serving last week when I wrote about delivery booze, but now you can get cocktails from The Whistler to take home. They’re offering three different mixes for curbside pickup, including their Verdita and Delhi Cooler. It’s a bargain ($25 for more than 20 servings of mix) and they’ll also let you buy bottles of spirits to go, so all you have to do is pour and stir. You can place an order here.
Last week, I reported that Big Star and One Off Hospitality were sponsoring a restaurant worker relief program. Now the Fifty/50 Restaurant Group has taken over that effort and operates out of West Town Bakery and Diner. The project serves 250 meals, plus grocery essentials, to unemployed restaurant workers every day. If you want to donate, give to The Lee Initiative, which is coordinating these responses all over the country.
Some sadder news (and a lesson): a flurry of restaurants offered delivery post-lockdown, but now a lot of them are now backing off and shutting down for the duration. In the last few days, Honey Butter Fried Chicken and One Off Hospitality (which includes Big Star and The Publican) have shut down their delivery and pickup service. This is motivated by safety concerns for staff, so check before you plan your meals, and if you see something you want, order it now to get some money to the restaurant workers and food into your home.