Opening

Smoothie chain Real Good Juice Co. is rebranding to offer people a more expansive menu filled with organic and local ingredients, with a new corner store opening this week in River North. Real Good Stuff Co. is coming to 701 North Wells Street, and it will offer grab-and-go items, a hot bar, a market, a dessert bar, a smoothie bar, and more.

Morsels

Sad news, especially for Chicago’s wine lovers: The Andersonville location of Pastoral is closing, along with its attached restaurant, Appellation. It offers its final service on Sunday, October 21. The closing comes as part of a larger shift in the Pastoral brand to retail and catering. “We love Andersonville and have absolutely felt the love back,” says Pastoral co-owner Greg O’Neill. “But we are in the process of implementing a ‘back to our roots’ strategy that focuses less on full service restaurants and more on the core strengths and opportunities that got us on the map initially.” More details will be released in the days to come.

Steak lovers, don’t miss this insanely awesome dinner at GT Prime (707 N. Wells St., River North) on Wednesday, November 7. Called the “Tour de Steak,” it features five courses of meat cooked by chefs Grant Achatz, Diana Davila, Tony Mantuano, John Manion, and Giuseppe Tentori — each inspired by a different nation. Achatz, for example, will pay homage to Japan with a cured Miyazaki Wagyu, served with matsutake mushrooms, myoga, and shiso. The dinner costs $225 per person (beverages included), and the proceeds will benefit the University of Chicago Cancer Research Foundation.

The most ambitious craft distillery in Chicago has just kicked it up a notch. CH Distillery (which has some of the most impressive facilities around, as well as a gorgeous cocktail bar) has officially purchased Malört, which is currently made in Florida. It’s going to stay branded as “Jeppson’s Malört” but will be produced by CH in Chicago.

There are a ton of guides to great restaurants but not nearly enough to great independent food markets. Coming to the rescue is the Fooditor Guide to Not Eating in Chicago Restaurants, which is now available for your eating and reading pleasure. The tome is filled with notes on bakeries, butchers, fish markets, and more, and it includes several places I’d never heard of before. Make a checklist for yourself.