photo: courtesy honey butter fried chicken
Fried chicken and pimento mac and cheese await you at Honey Butter Fried Chicken, opening Saturday.
• Sunday, 9/8: If you were at Soldier Field for the game this past Sunday, you may have noticed its recently added vendor: DMK Burger Bar. We talked to DMK’s David Morton last week about what will be available at the stadium this season and his plans for some Bears-themed burgers.
• Monday, 9/9: A third Saigon Sisters (251 E. Huron St., 312-944-0211) is now open at the Galter Pavilion in the Northwestern Memorial Hospital. A new breakfast menu specific to this location offers an egg-stuffed bahn mi and breakfast baos. The kiosk will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner—nice for hospital staff and visitors.
• Saturday, 9/14: The first Chicago site of Savory Spice Shop (4753 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-293-4559) comes to Lincoln Square. The native Schaumburger David Trout says the shop stocks more than 400 individual herbs and spices in addition to 160 of its own hand-crafted blends, in amounts as small as a half-ounce.
• Saturday, 9/14: Just in time to catch the last rays of summer, Chicago’s first brick-and-mortar shop for Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams (3404 N. Southport Ave., 773-348-7139) is up and scooping. We tried some samples of the decadent ice cream in the office, and the general consensus was positive. Jeni Britton Bauer herself will host the preview party (featuring free ice cream) this Friday from 7 to 10 p.m.
• Saturday, 9/14: After a year of waiting, Honey Butter Fried Chicken (3361 N. Elston Ave., 312-671-6965) is finally open. Christine Cikowski and Josh Kulp, the duo behind the Sunday Dinner dining club, serve up crispy poultry topped with butter dollops at this counter-service spot. Dinner service starts this Saturday, with the owners planning to expand into lunch hours in a few weeks.
Morsels
Bruce Finkelman and Craig Golden (Longman & Eagle) announced plans this week for Thalia Hall (1215–1225 W. 18th St.), the historic Pilsen building the pair bought in June. On the ground floor, a restaurant/tavern called Dusek’s Board & Beer will focus on food paired with beers. The press release cites shellfish with stout, cured meats with a Belgian dubbel, and Vietnamese clay pot fish with—fittingly for the etymologically related neighborhood—pilsner. The menu will be designed by L&E’s Jared Wentworth. A downstairs bar called Punch House will specialize, accordingly, in punches served in glasses, carafes, bowls, or growlers. And on the second floor, a landmarked theatre will be restored to host community, music, and arts events. Phew!
Cronuts might be trending, but at Lake View’s Hutch (3301 N. Clark St., 773-248-1155), croissant French toast hits the sweet spot. That is just of the items from their brunch menu, which launches this Saturday. An array of pancakes, meat and egg combos, such as a short rib frittata, and breakfast cocktails round out the eye-openers. Brunch service lasts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday.
Ada Street (1664 N. Ada St., 773-697-7069) also launches its brunch this Sunday. Their menu boasts pretzel bread pudding with maple whipped cream, buttered popcorn grits, and potato latkes with house-cured salmon. Ada St.’s brunch is on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
You can now order delivery from County Barbeque (1352 W. Taylor St., 312-929-2528) on their Facebook page, thanks to a recent partnership with GrubHub and ChowNow. As an added bonus, those who use the new service between today and Sunday will receive a free side of County corn pudding (offer ends September 15th).
In honor of National Breakfast Month, diners at Kanela Breakfast Club (both locations) can receive complimentary monkey bread, a $4 value, with their meals Monday through Friday. Just mention the deal, which lasts through September 30th, to the waiter or waitress.
Swirlz Cupcakes (705 W. Belden Ave., 773-404-2253) celebrates its 7th birthday this Saturday by giving away free mini cupcakes from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The event marks the kickoff of Swirlz’s partnership with the National Kidney Foundation; between September 14 and March 14 (World Kidney Day), patrons can donate to the organization in the store on its online fundraising page, and for the last two weeks of September and first two weeks of March, 100 percent of proceeds from specified cupcakes will be donated as well.
It’s a meeting of the minds at DryHop Brewers (3155 N. Broadway, 773-857-3155) tonight. The craft brewery collaborated with Flossmoor Station Brewing Company to bring Chicago beer nerds the new brew, Smoking Nanners, which is a 5.5 percent smoked Hefeweizen. Starting at 6 p.m., a different keg of Flossmoor beer will be tapped at the DryHop brewpub every hour, culminating with the release of Smoking Nanners at 9 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.