Liberté, égalité, fraternité! Bastille Day Chicageaux-style

On July 14, 1789, revolutionary troops stormed the Bastille, a medieval fortress and prison in Paris, bringing down harsh rule of France’s Bourbon monarchy. The first Fete de la Federation, on July 14, 1790, celebrated the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in France. France — and Francophiles — have been toasting the day ever since. Here are a few events around Chicago.

Join the fight for life: Dine out on Thursday

The single largest HIV/AIDS benefit in the country, the 17th Annual Dining Out for Life, takes place Thursday, April 29. A portion of your meal check at a variety of Chicago and suburban restaurants will benefit AIDSCare Progressive Services, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for Chicagoans with HIV/AIDS through housing,

The best Chicago restaurants ever? Really?

What would you add to the list? What would you leave off?

Chicago Chef Week brings more dining discounts

Chicago Chef Week is coming, March 22 through 28. Like last month’s Chicago Restaurant Week, this is a period of prix-fixe dining deals, with $20 lunches and $30 dinners, this time from local chef-driven restaurants.

Night out: At the Psyche-Out Cafe

There’s no food at his cafe. Chicago mentalist Fred Zimmerman’s “Psyche-Out Cafe” is an evening of mind games, fascinating stories, experiments to test your psychic abilities and demonstrations of ESP that provide a glimpse into the secret world of “psychic” practitioners. The Wednesday, March 3, event is the first of two special March “Magic Chicago” shows hosted by Robert Charles and Benjamin Barnes, with Jeanette Andrews in Edgewater.

Can you handicap Chicago’s Top Chef Masters?

We have upped the ante in our Top Chef Masters contest.

Earn triple points at Lettuce Entertain You today

Today is Triple Points Day at Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises! Members the restaurant group’s Frequent Diners program will threefold points toward future meals if they dine at participating restaurants today.
Lettuce Entertain You was the first Chicago chain to offer a Frequent Diners program, one of many innovations the company, perhaps the single most influential [...]

Eat this! Cassoulet, a hearty winter casserole from Southwestern France

What it is: Cassoulet is an earthy, peasant dish from southwestern France, traditionally a casserole of beans, pork, poultry and herbs, slowly baked until a dark crust forms. Recipes vary throughout the region, though, so that in 1929, Chef Prosper Montagné declared, “God the Father is the cassoulet of Castelnaudary, God the Son that [...]

Writers’ Theatre hosts a marvelous party of Noël Coward favorites

 
UPDATE: Extended through April 18. Also, see more Coward in Chicago.
Noël Coward (1899–1973) is one of the lasting symbols of the glamour and wit of the pre-World War II era. Playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, director, producer … but more than those: As Time magazine said of him, “Coward’s greatest single gift has not been [...]

Eat this! Coq au vin, savory French fare for cool weather

What it is: Hearty fall and winter fare, the iconic bistro dish coq au vin is a savory French braise of chicken with wine, bacon and onions. It’s usually made with red wine, often Burgundy.
Where it comes from: Although the concept of braising goes back to antiquity, published recipes for coq au vin date only [...]