Tuesday, 10/22
The three-course $25 prix fixe menu at Deleece (3747 N. Southport, 773-325-1710), available on Mondays and Tuesdays, spotlights fall flavors this week, from a field-green salad topped with candied pecans and maple-balsamic vinaigrette to butternut squash cannelloni.
Wednesday, 10/23
Sip wines from sustainably grown Willamette Valley grapes when Van Duzer Vineyards visits The Glunz Tavern (1202 N. Wells St., 312-642-3000) in Old Town for a $65 paired, four-course dinner at 6:30 p.m—the meal (which includes five wines to taste, plus tax and gratuity) will place special emphasis on the vineyard’s Pinot Noirs, offering them alongside both roasted Cornish hen and cheesecake. Call the restaurant to make reservations.
Friday, 10/25
Act quickly: A chat with Francophone food writer Patricia Wells—the only woman, and only foreigner, to have served as a dining critic at a major French publication—at the Alliance Française of Chicago (54 W. Chicago Ave., 312-337-1070) is on the verge of selling out. She'll talk with Bill Daley of the Chicago Tribune about her lifetime of cooking in France, followed by a tasting of her recipes courtesy of Greg Biggers of Café des Architectes. Tickets are $10 for Alliance members and $20 for the general public, and you can call the Alliance to find out if they're still available.
Saturday, 10/26
It’s the 25th year for Meals on Wheels’ annual Nourish fundraiser—yes, tickets run for $150 at minimum, but that gets you samples from the chefs behind spots like UrbanBelly, The Gage, Vera, and more than 30 others, plus cocktails from the mixologists at bars such as Scofflaw and Brindille. (For $350, you get all of the above, plus a 7-course meal.) And the event generates more than a quarter of Meals on Wheels’ yearly operating budget. Buy tickets online here.
Saturday, 10/26
Six cheesemakers from across the country will be on hand to share free samples of their wares from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Cheese Extravaganza at the Standard Market (333 E. Ogden Ave., Westmont, 630-366-7030), the cap on a month of cheesy events and specials. Like what you taste? One of the offerings, a sheep’s-milk blue cheese from Shepherd’s Way Farms in Minnesota, will be on sale for half price Saturday only.
Sunday, 10/27
Not enough cheese yesterday? Slip over to Bin 36 (339 N. Dearborn St., 312-755-9463) from 2 to 5 p.m. for another artisanal cheese experience, with more than 36 varieties from around the world on hand to nibble along with wine pairings and other snacks. Tickets are, you guessed it, $36 here.