Weekly Planner: Portsmith's Specials and Mother's Day Truffle Party
Dinner Specials at Portsmith
One of the most acclaimed new restaurants in River North last year is rolling out a series of weekday specials, which should provide a little added incentive to check it out, revisit, or make it part of your regular rotation. Sunday through Wednesday, Portsmith shines the spotlight on its specialty seafood in a range of new ways, from three-course meals to fish and chips.
It all starts with Sunday supper, a Restaurant Week-style weekly prix fixe that offers three courses for $35. Dishes change weekly, courtesy of executive chef Nate Henssler, but examples to look forward to include scallop rumaki, lemon sole with black truffle beurre blanc and coconut tapioca custard.
Mondays are “Mussel Mania,” which provides a unique way to highlight this menu fixture. The chef uses the opportunity to pay homage to his New England roots, offering mussels in New England-style clam chowder broth every Monday night with a bottle of Stella Artois for $10.
Next up is “Fish Fry Tuesday,” which serves fish and chips like you’ve never had before. The all-you-can-eat special comes with beer specials like $3 Miller High Life and $4 Three Floyds Alpha King every Tuesday.
Then it’s on to “Wine Wednesday,” wherein select bottles of wine are half priced with the purchase of two dinner entrees.
Spring Menu at Nonnina
Spring is in the air — and on the plate — at Nonnina, where chef Tony Priolo is livening things up at his River North Italian mainstay with a bevy of fresh flavors and a kaleidoscope of color. The new lunch and dinner dishes skew lighter and brighter thanks to items like pizza with lamb sausage, fresno peppers and salsa verde; ravioli primavera with artichoke- and ricotta-filled pasta, peas, fava beans and spring onions; and halibut con farro with carrots, asparagus, leeks, fava beans and peas. Altogether, the menus read like a bucket list of quintessential spring flavors.
Mother’s Day Truffle Party
With Mother’s Day around the corner, what better way to celebrate mom than with a little chocolate party? Katherine Anne Confections has you covered with the perfect event, a chocolate truffle party on May 12. Loaded with apt gift ideas for all those chocolate-loving moms out there, the Logan Square shop is a fitting stopover this time of year, and to honor the holiday the cafe is hosting a special high tea-themed truffle-making party perfect for mother-son and mother-daughter activities. Guests will learn how to create their own hand-rolled truffles, making recipes totally from scratch. At the end of the event, everyone will leave with a sampling of the truffles made that day. Mimosas, scones and tea sandwiches will be on hand to sip and snack on during the class. It all starts at 11:00 a.m. on May 12. Tickets are $70 and can be purchased here.