Weekend Planner: Modern Tea, Empanada Day, Dove's New Menus

Modern Tea at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago

The afternoon tea tradition takes on a modern, upbeat vibe at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago. Available Friday through Sunday from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m., the hotel keeps things more casual and fresh with their approach to tea service. It takes place in the hotel's massive, sleek lobby lounge, which serves as a beautiful backdrop for glistening tiers of food. They even employ a "TeaJ," aka a DJ during tea time, which is hilarious and awesome. Guests select from eight Rishi tea options and four paired food items. The food options include a Traditional spread with smoked salmon, Brie with pear compote, and more; a Sweet spread with chocolate eclair, orange creme brulee, and others; a Savory option with items like crab and truffled deviled eggs; and an Eastern version with the likes of baklava, hummus, and pita. Modern Tea is a mere $35 per person and reservations are required. You can snag a seat via OpenTable or by calling Filini. 

 

Empanada Day at Cantina Laredo

April 8 is a day worth celebrating. Why? Because it's Empanada Day, of course! Cantina Laredo is an apt place to rejoice, seeing as the restaurant will be offering half-priced empanadas in the upstairs lounge from 3:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. The restaurant offers two types of empanadas, one filled with chorizo, shrimp, Monterey Jack cheese, queso fres, and chile de arbol sauce, and another with chicken, roasted poblano peppers, and Oaxaca cheese. They come three to an order. 

Eat Your Way Through Dove's Luncheonette's New Menus

Hope you're hungry, because Dove's Luncheonette just rolled out brand new menus filled with items you're gonna want to pig out on. As opposed to their past all-day menu, the modern diner now features two menu categories: a breakfast version in the morning and a dinner one in the afternoon/evening. In the a.m., expect dishes like breakfast burritos, a fried oyster omelette, burnt ends hash, almond oatmeal, and salmon pastrami and avocado toast. Come dinnertime, options include tortilla soup, cornmeal fried catfish, charred calamari, whole fried fish, and fideos. 

- Matt Kirouac