Weekday Planner: Balena Happy Hour, Whiskey Sour Day, GT Fish & Oyster Lobster Boils, Wine and Cheese Tasting

Happy Hour at Balena

The happy hour specials just keep coming and coming. In light of Governor Rauner's recent uplifting of the happy hour ban, restaurants and bars across Chicago have been racking up the boozy bargains, and Balena is the latest to join the bandwagon with a slew of weekday specials. Food and drink deals are on deck from 5:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, priced between $4 and $6. These include warm olives, sweet corn Arrabiata, blistered shishitos, chicken liver bruschetta, daily sommelier selection of red or white wine, daily selection of vermouth, happy hour cocktails, and Menabrea 'Birra Bionda.'

Whiskey Sour Day at Lush Wine & Spirits

In other booze news, Lush Wine & Spirits is celebrating National Whiskey Sour Day on August 25 with a special cocktail appropriately dubbed the LUSHious Whiskey Sour. Available exclusively at the bar, the drink contains Bankers Club Kentucky Bourbon, Lazzaroni limoncello, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and a Luxardo Maraschino floater. It's available at the West Town and Roscoe Village locations for $12.

 

Balena
Happy hour specials at Balena



Lobster Boils at GT Fish & Oyster

Cling to summer with a taste of the beach. GT Fish & Oyster's weekly lobster boils are a refreshing, beachy experience, available every Wednesday. Served family-style, in true lobster boil form, the feast includes a full two-pound lobster, clams, sausage, hush puppies, Parker House rolls, corn, potatoes, and Boston creme pie for dessert. Each menu is designed for two people, but the restaurant is happy to adjust portion sizes for larger groups. The cost is $125 for two people. 

GT Fish & Oyster Lobster Boils
GT Fish & Oyster Lobster Boils



Cheese and Wine Tasting at Tesori

Wine tastings are best with cheese. Lots of cheese. Especially an 80-pound wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano. On August 26, Tesori hosts a special wine and cheese tasting from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., wherein chef Danny Sweis breaks open the hulking wheel of cheese in front of guests, providing a front-row seat to the aromatic wheel said to be the "king of cheeses" in Italy. Guests will also enjoy La Marca Prosecco, cocktails, and appetizers along with samples of the cheese. The cost to attend the cheesy event is $25 per person and tickets can be acquired here by searching for "breaking the wheel." 

- Matt Kirouac

 

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