Chicago Restaurants Roll Out the Red (and Green) Carpet for the Holidays

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The Christmas/Chanukah/Kwanza season is traditionally a time when many Chicagoans enjoy their holiday meal at some of the city’s best restaurants. Despite the pandemic, restaurants still plan to serve their guests the foods we’ve all come to love, and some of the better restaurants are making plans for special holiday dinners and events.

 

Here’s a list of seven of Chicago’s best restaurants, all doing some special things for the holidays.

 

Avli Taverna. Lincoln Park’s Avli Taverna is celebrating throughout December with meal boxes for pick-up or delivery featuring turkey breast or oven-roasted lamb shoulder with inventive twists on Greet classics like spanakopita, pasticcio, and baklava. Holiday baskets and reservations are available through Tock, and cold meals intended for Christmas must be picked up by Thursday, December 24. For the holiday menu at Avli Taverna, click here.

 

Sepia. Sepia in the West Loop is offering holiday takeout packages for both Christmas and New Year’s Eve. For Christmas, you can choose between a grilled rack of lamb or a roast rack of Berkshire pork, along with sides and festive desserts like sticky pudding and Christmas cookies. For NYE, the main course is Belgian ale-braised beef short ribs for two, with upgrades like caviar and foie gras mousse. For the holiday menu at Sepia, click here.

 

Proxi. Chef Andrew Zimmerman, who also runs the show at Sepia, is putting out special menus for Christmas and New Year’s Eve from his sister restaurant, Proxi. For Christmas, an Asian feast for two with steamed pork dumplings, stone bass, grilled Chinese eggplant and roasted kabocha squash. For NYE, Proxi serves up red lentil sambar, braised lamb shank rogan jos and smoked butternut squash. For the holiday menu at Proxi, click here.

 

Robert et Fils.  The Christmas goose is a traditional centerpiece of the holiday table, and Chef Rob Shaner of Robert et Fils is cooking the bird right – Shaner he says he considers goose more flavorful than turkey (we’d tend to agree). There will be other items available to help you make a traditional holiday meal at home, and one that you will remember for years to come. For the holiday menu at Robert et Fils, click here.

 

Wood. In the heart of Boystown, Wood is donning gay apparel and putting out a holiday dinner to remember. Guests will select from several entrees including honey-glazed smoked ham, dry-aged whole duck with soy lacquer and beef Wellington. For more casual celebrants, there are cheeseburger sliders and potato cakes. For the holiday menu at Wood, click here.

 

 

Nonnina. Heat & eat meals from Nonnina take the pressure off the holiday craziness. Meals serve 6-8 people and include starters like stuffed peppers and meatballs and pastas, followed by entrees of classics like lasagna, homemade ricotta cavatelli and chicken Vesuvio.  Desserts? Tiramisu, cannoli, and seasonal pies, of course! For the holiday menu at Nonnina, click here.

 

Firelake Grill House and Cocktail Bar. In the iconic Radisson Blue Aqua Tower in Streeterville, Firelake Grill House and Cocktail Bar is turning out a special holiday menu and holiday-inspired cocktails. The cocktails include a martini of Dorda Double chocolate liqueur and peppermint schnapps and a Santa’s flask of tequila, ginger liqueur, lemon juice and smoked cranberries. For the holiday menu at Firelake Grill House and Cocktail Bar, click here.