Wednesday, September 3

Be present for the birth of Chicago’s newest craft brewing outfit, Arcade Brewery, at their (free!) launch party at the Logan Arcade (2410 W. Fullerton Ave., Logan Square, 872-206-2859). In addition to having two Arcade beers on tap—the William Wallace Wrestle Fest Scotch Ale and the Grapefruit IPA—the bar will have artist Matthew Waite doing 8-bit caricatures, pizza from Dimo’s, and a performance from Auggie the 9th.

Thursday, September 4

Lunchtime is meatball sandwich time today at the Garage (116 N. Aberdeen St., West Loop) thanks to Tony Quartaro, chef at the forthcoming Formento’s. He’ll be making said meatball sandwich with a side of housemade giardiniera and an antipasti salad from 11 a.m. until they run out.

Friday, September 5

One less late-night craving to worry about sating: Starting tonight, you can get in on an after-dark all-you-can-eat crayfish boil at Carriage House (1700 W. Division St., Bucktown, 773-384-9700) for just $8. Swing by after weekend bar-crawling in the area—the deal runs from 11 p.m. until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

Sunday, September 7

The Bears kick off their season opener against the Buffalo Bills at noon today, and yeah, you could sit at home to watch. Or you could check out the “Fan Fare” Sunday football foods at Max’s Wine Dive (1482 N. Milwaukee Ave., Wicker Park, 773-661-6581). The spot’s got two menus adjusted for your level of hunger: a “heavy” version with a burger and a barbecued pork sandwich, and a “light” option with snacks such as popcorn and peanuts. You can get the Sunday-only menu from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m. through the season.

Drink up at the fifth annual Kegs for Kids event—it’s for the children. More than 60 breweries from all over the country will set up shop at Hopleaf (5148 N. Clark St., Ravenswood, 773-334-9851) from noon until 5 p.m. with tastings of their wares, plus eats from area restaurants and an exclusive coffee roast from Metropolis, all to benefit Helen C. Peirce Elementary School. Tickets are $45 if you buy in advance here and are $55 at the door.