What to Eat This Week: Whiskey at Double A, Katherine Anne Confections' New Lunch Menu, and Everything at A10
From subterranean whiskey-sipping to lunch in a chocolate shop and a new restaurant in Hyde Park, here's what you should be eating and drinking this week in Chicago.
By Tuesday night, you'll likely be more than a little worn out from the work week already. Drown your sorrows in your BFF whiskey. A special whiskey tasting is on deck for November 5 at Double A, the clandestine, subterranean River North bar. The latest installment of their monthly Tippling Tuesdays series, the Tippling Bros. bring the "Whiskey Trail" to Chicago, offering up a miscellany of American whiskeys adjoined by country tunes. Guests will have the opportunity to sip a wide variety of whiskeys, from ryes to bourbons, all while learning about the history and production behind them. Though trying to educate guests while getting them drunk seems like an ordeal and a half. There will also be an array of Mexican noshes to go with the booze. Cost to attend is $25 per person, and the event runs from 7:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Reservations can be made by clicking on Double A..
(Sandwich at Katherine Anne Confections)
Katherine Anne Confections is rightfully known for their confections, but did you know they also have a nifty lunch menu? Yes. Thinking outside the chocolate box, the shop unveils a new savory fall menu this week, chock full of local ingredients sourced from the likes of Midnight Sun, Seedling Orchard, C&D Family Farms, and more. Even better, the shop is making its own baconnaise (pretty much just what it sounds like, bacon mayonnaise), butter, and buttermilk dressing to fill out the savory fare. New menu items include a BLT made with crispy bacon, baconnaise, sun-dried tomato spread, and arugula; squash salad with roasted butternut squash, dried cranberries, toasted pepitas, greens, cucumbers, and balsamic; beet and goat cheese sandwich with apple cider-pickled beets, goat cheese, and arugula; and an apple and blue cheese salad with local apples, candied walnuts, blue cheese, spinach, croutons, and buttermilk dressing. Each item comes with a precious little caramel.
(A look at the A10 kitchen)
The big opening this week is A10, Matthias Merges' latest venture and his first in Hyde Park (with a Hyde Park outpost of Yusho to follow soon). The restaurant derives its cuisine from a wide swath of European inspirations. Look for meatball soup with Tuscan kale, octopus a la plancha, wood-fired snails, boudin noir, braised rabbit, and a smattering of pizzas and pastas. The food is executed by chef John Vermiglio, while Alex Bachman leads the charge on cocktail classics, a few of which are on draft. A10 opens tomorrow, with lunch and dinner menus, followed by Sunday brunch.