Pub crawl to visit 14 taverns
Fourteen bars in Northcenter, centered at Lincoln Ave. and Irving Park Rd., are hosting a "Discover Northcenter Nights" pub crawl Thursday, May 19, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. For $20, or $25 that night, guests will receive discounted drinks and drink specials along with a variety of entertainment. To sign up, call the Northcenter Chamber of Commerce at (773) 525-3609 or visit www.signmeup.com/51410. Also visit wwwnorthcenterchamber.com.
Guests can park their cars and check in at Martyrs, 3855 N. Lincoln Ave. A trolley will transport participants to the other bars beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Other participating bars are Brownstone Tavern, 3937 N. Lincoln Ave.; Celtic Crown, 4301 N. Western Ave.; Cy's Steak and Chop House, 4138 N. Lincoln Ave.; Gannon's, 4264 N. Lincoln Ave.; The Globe Pub, 1934 W. Irving Park Rd.; Glunz Bavarian Haus, 4128 N. Lincoln Ave.; Horseshoe, 4115 N. Lincoln Ave.; Islands, 3856 N. Ashland Ave.; Katerina's, 1920 W. Irving Park Rd.; O'Donovan's, 2100 W. Irving Park Rd.; Riesi's Bierstube, 2034 W. Irving Park Rd.; Wild Goose, 4265 N. Lincoln Ave.; and Xippo's, 3759 N. Damen Ave.
"We hope this first year's 'Discover Northcenter Nights' will launch a popular annual event for businesses and neighbors in our community and beyond," said chairs Suzanne Kraus, Michelle Kunze and Wrina Sellers.
Are your ribs best?
Think you make the best ribs in Chicago? Northcenter Chamber of Commerce challenges you to join its Best Ribs contest for amateur cooks. The contest is part of the seventh annual Ribfest, June 11-12. The first place winner receives $500. Three other prizes are awarded. The entry fee is $50.
Contestants receive one slab of baby back ribs, one slab of St. Louis ribs and one whole chicken. Cooking utensils, grills and barbecue sauces and seasonings are the responsibility of the cook. Celebrity judges will consider the ribs' and chicken's sauce, flavor, tenderness and texture as well as "showmanship" — the creativity of the booth and cook.
Setup will begin at 10 a.m. and judging is at 3 p.m. Sunday at Northcenter Town Square on Belle Plaine Ave. at 4100 N. Damen Ave., across from Osco.
For information or to sign up, call (773) 525-3609, email karyn@chicagoevents.com or visit www.northcenterchamber.com.
Ribfest takes place along Lincoln Avenue from Damen and Irving Park to Warner.
Over 10,000 people are expected at the fest that features ribs and a variety of other food from area restaurants and other vendors, live music, plus games and activities for families. A suggested donation of $5 benefits the Northcenter Chamber of Commerce.
Dip into 1,050 gallons of fondue
With 120,360 first dates and 14,697 engagements taking place at Geja's Café, 340 W. Armitage Ave., the classic fondue restaurant has long been known as Chicago's most romantic destination. Geja's Cafe will kick off its 40th Anniversary celebration on Sunday, June 26, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. by featuring the World's Largest Pot of Cheese Fondue, melting over 1,050 gallons of cheese in an effort to break the record set in the Guinness Book of World Records. The public is invited to enjoy this complimentary fondue, enough to serve over 35,000 individuals. Leftover cheese fondue will be donated to local food shelters through the Chicago Food Depository. A few lucky couples will win a Dinner For Life contest judged by Chicago celebrities, and a new menu design will be unveiled. From June 26-30 all guests will receive a 40 percent discount on food bills and the restaurant will feature a special wine list with 1965 prices.
It all started with a fateful 1958 trip to Europe for John Davis, one of Chicago's foremost wine experts and proprietor of Geja's Café. After college, Davis and a pal rented a French Renault auto and set off to tour Europe, stopping for 80˘ unlabeled bottles of local wine along the way. Little did Davis know that he would found Geja's Café, where nearly two million patrons have savored 260 tons of cheese fondue and consumed over 850,231 bottles of wine.
"We felt subversive drinking wine back in the '60s," Davis says of the beverage, which had not yet become the popular drink it is today in the United States. His European wine experience led Davis to start a small wine and cheese shop on Wells Street in 1965. Davis recalls great musicians like B.B. King and Miles Davis playing at the jazz club across the street and infamous counter-culture icons Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman stopping in during the 1968 Democratic Convention.
In 1971, Davis relocated Geja's Café to Armitage Ave. where his little wine and cheese café evolved into a fondue restaurant consistently voted Chicago's #1 romantic spot — most recently in February 2005 by AOL subscribers. The exceptional longevity of Geja's Café has made it a landmark in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. Not much about the restaurant has changed in its 40-year history.
"When people who proposed here come back to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary it makes it really special for them to be able to reminisce in the restaurant they remember," says Davis. The timeless charm of the original décor is in the details, including dim lighting, draped booths, exposed brick walls covered with endless racks of wine bottles, and live Spanish flamenco and classical guitar. Its intimate romantic atmosphere has made Geja's Café Chicago's most popular restaurant on Valentine's Day, with diners lining up outside to make reservations each year. The restaurant also features year round Winemaker Dinners and Champagne Festivals and an annual Pro/Am Wine Tasting contest.
Geja's Café is known for romantic fondue dining and an extensive list of fine but moderately-priced wines. Hours are Monday through Thursday, 5 to 10:30 p.m.; Friday, 5 p.m. to midnight; Saturday, 5 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.; and Sunday, 4:30 to 10 p.m. Valet parking is available. For more information, visit www.gejascafe.com. For reservations call (773) 281-9101.
'Cooking with Sergio'
The Twisted Lizard, located at 1964 N. Sheffield Ave. (at the intersection of Armitage and Sheffield avenues), is pleased to announce the second of its "Cooking with Sergio" monthly cooking classes, featuring Sergio Sanchez. The current menu at The Twisted Lizard showcases Sergio's native Southwestern Mexican cuisine and bears Sergio's original recipes.
The cooking class will be held on Tuesday, May 24, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the restaurant. This second class will continue the theme of recipes for "people on the go" and will focus on Mexican appetizers. Four of Sergio's original creations will be offered: Molletes (Mexican version of bruschetta); Quesadillas (stuffed with portobello mushrooms); Sopes (Mexican individual pizzas); and Flautas (crispy Mexican taquitos).
Recipes for each of the above four dishes will be given to each class participant, and samplings of each dish will be complimentary. Space in the cooking area is limited to the first 10 persons to respond by calling (312) 560-9211 (leave your name and phone number). After capacity is reached, respondents' name will be placed, in order received, on a waiting list for the next class. "Cooking with Sergio" will be held every four weeks on the fourth Tuesday of each month. The next date will, therefore, be June 28.
Why not savor Sergio Sanchez's innovative creations at The Twisted Lizard? Just remember, there is no charge for this unique cooking class.
The restaurant, open seven days a week, is a comfortable, warm, and casual spot with inviting surroundings. For specific hours of operation, call (773) 929-1414. |
