Weekend Planner: St. Joseph's Day Zeppole, Spring Flower Workshop, Sundays at Southport & Irving, Seven Spirits Series at The Violet Hour

St. Joseph's Day Zeppole at Osteria Via Stato

After the onslaught of green beer and general debauchery that comes with St. Patrick's Day, it's refreshing to see a wholesome holiday come along. Especially one hinged on Italian doughnuts. St. Joseph's Day takes place March 19, and to celebrate the holiday, Osteria Via Stato is slinging traditional zeppole. One of the few spots to get them in Chicago, Osteria Via Stato makes their fritters with a cream filling and house-marinated cherries, available on March 19 in packages of six or 12. Orders can be placed by calling the restaurant by March 17 for pick-up all day Friday and Saturday. Zeppole will also be available as a dessert option at the restaurant on March 19. 

Spring Flower Workshop at Hotel Burnham

With spring on the very near horizon, it's time to start thinking about flowers. Not only picking flowers and making bouquets, but also drinking them. Hotel Burnham puts the spotlight on florals with their Spring Flower Workshop, in partnership with Flowers for Dreams. The event takes place in the hotel's Reliance Room at 11:00 a.m. March 20, wherein attendees will learn how to create spring bouquets to take home, all while creating and sipping flower-infused cocktails. Atwood's head bartender Ray Anguiano will also be stocking a gratis build-your-own mimosa bar with various edible flowers. The price to attend is $30 per person, with a portion of proceeds going to the UCP Seguin and Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance. For those of you who can't make March 20, Hotel Burnham is hosting another Spring Flower Workshop on April 3.  

 

Osteria Via Stato
Zeppole at Osteria Via Stato



Sunday Happenings at Southport & Irving

Sundays are action-packed at Southport & Irving, which rounds out the weekend nicely through special supper menus and "unscripted" cocktails. The former is a weekly family-style affair, which features buttermilk fried chicken, mac & cheese, cheddar biscuits, and seasonal vegetables, all for $13 per person. Drink-wise, "Unscripted Sundays" is a new incentive that entails a menu-less cocktail program on Sundays. Customers just answer a few questions and bartenders will create cocktails based on your responses. 

Seven Spirits Series at The Violet Hour

In other cocktail news, The Violet Hour is kicking off a new Seven Spirits Series this weekend, on March 20. The classes focus on the science and history of distillation, with each class examining particular spirits or groups of spirits, with a hands-on demo to wrap up each segment. The inaugural class, taking place at 6:00 p.m., hones in on gin, vodka, and potable bitters. The price to attend is $75 per person, which includes a snack, supplies, cocktails, and plenty of tastes. Guests also have the option to pay $175 for all three classes. To book, contact Aubrey at aubrey at the violet Hour 

 

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