Dining out: Naperville, Chicago Restaurant Week kick off Friday
Rock Bottom expands
As of Thursday, Jan. 25, Gordon Biersch Restaurant & Brewery in Bolingbrook will become Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery. The grand opening takes place Thursday, when the new refreshed space will be unveiled to patrons. The restaurant specializes in handcrafted beers and made-from-scratch food including bacon jalapeño poppers, pretzel-crusted chicken, Maker's Mark bourbonzola burger, bacon chicken mac 'n' cheese, pizzas, Mason jar desserts and more. Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery is at 639 E. Boughton Road, Suite 100, Bolingbrook, (630) 739-6036 or rockbottom.com/locations/bolingbrook/.
A little Sparrow told me
Sparrow Coffee, a Chicago roastery, recently opened its first cafe next to Hotel Indigo in Naperville's Water Street District. Besides high-quality custom coffee, the cafe also sells pastries from DeEtta's Bakery in Naperville, toast, croissants, macaroons, Liege waffles and more. The new modern space invites customers to linger, especially if a custom brew takes a bit longer, like a Japanese drip, which can take 15 minutes. For diners on the go, most brews will only take about three minutes to make and will generally cost between $3 and $5 for a small cup. Sparrow Coffee is at 120 Water St., Naperville, sparrowcoffee.com/.
Naperville Restaurant Week specials
The event runs Friday, Jan. 26, through Feb. 8. Here are a few of the special deals. For more, see dinenaperville.com/naperville-restaurant-week.
City Gate Grille is offering a four-course dinner for $44 available after 5 p.m. Menu options include tuna won ton or crispy zucchini, avgolemono or roasted beet and goat cheese, pesto salmon or steak and portobello risotto, and Cherry Garcia pie or chocolate cake. City Gate Grille is at 2020 Calamos Court, Naperville, (630) 718-1010 or citygategrille.com/.
Old Town Pour House executive chef Marcel Ivan has created special three-course lunch and dinner menus for Naperville Restaurant Week. Lunch is $18, while dinner is $28. The dinner menu includes your choice of one appetizer (drunken shrimp, cheese curds, firecracker roll or fire-roasted tomato bisque), one entree (smoked wings and ribs, IPA jalapeño chicken, fish and chips or risotto) and one dessert (mini Snickers pie or butterscotch bread pudding with cream anglaise). Reservations recommended. Old Town Pour House is at 1703 Freedom Drive, Naperville, (630) 448-6020 or oldtownpourhouse.com/naperville/.
Sullivan's Steakhouse is ready to serve up $44 three-course dinners. Starters include Caesar salad, iceberg lettuce wedge, market fresh greens, or shrimp and lobster bisque. Move on to an entree of hand-cut filet mignon, New York strip, roasted balsamic chicken or fresh fish. For dessert, choose from the New York-style cheesecake or bananas Foster bread pudding. Featured cocktails include The Knockout Martini ($12), Blood & Sand ($12) or Sullivan's Red Blend ($15 a glass). The price does not include tax or gratuity. Sullivan's Steakhouse is at 244 S. Main St., Naperville, (630) 305-0230 or sullivanssteakhouse.com/naperville/.
Burger of the Month
Have you tried Empire's Burger of the Month yet? In January, it's The Boulevard, which includes an angus beef patty, bacon fig relish, smoked Gouda, miso mayo and arugula on a pretzel bun. On the music side of things, bell bottoms are optional when Libido Funk Circus returns for a show at 9:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26. Empire is at 48 W. Chicago Ave., Naperville, (630) 355-9000 or empireburgerbar.com/.
Chicago Restaurant Week
Runs Friday, Jan. 26, through Feb. 8. Here are a few suburban options. For more, see choosechicago.com/restaurants/chicago-restaurant-week/.
Perry's Steakhouse & Grille celebrates Chicago Restaurant Week with a special three-course Rare and Well Done dinner for $44. Start with a salad (choice of wedge salad, kale salad or Caesar salad) before moving on to the three entree options: 8-ounce Filet Perry wrapped with Nueske's applewood-smoked bacon and topped with jumbo lump crab meat; grilled salmon served with beurre fondue and grilled asparagus; and Perry's Famous Pork Chop. End with the dessert trio: vanilla bean crème brûlée, praline cheesecake and Perry's Chocolate Crunch. Featured beverages include the cucumber blueberry cocktail ($15), Redemption Manhattan ($15) and Perry's Private Label chardonnay ($15 a glass) and cabernet sauvignon ($20 a glass). Reservations required. Perry's Steakhouse & Grille is at 5 Oakbrook Court, Oak Brook, (630) 571-1808 or perryssteakhouse.com/.
Gene & Georgetti Rosemont is offering two prix fixe menus created by executive chef Luis Quiroz for Chicago Restaurant Week. Lunch ($22) includes a first-course choice of roasted apple salad, mustard-cider vinaigrette beet and orange salad or soup of the day; second-course choice of steak sirloin sandwich, pistachio-crusted Great Lakes whitefish or Cajun sautéed chicken; and third-course choice of chocolate chip bread pudding, flan or tuxedo mousse cheesecake. Dinner ($44) includes a first-course choice of trio of eggplant involtino, charred octopus or orange and strawberry salad; second-course choice of 10-ounce Prime New York Strip Steak, Tuscan salmon, Cajun chicken or rigatoni; and third-course choice of chocolate chip bread pudding, flan or tuxedo mousse cheesecake. Reservations required. Gene & Georgetti is at 9421 W. Higgins Road, Rosemont, (847) 653-3300 or geneandgeorgetti.com/gene-and-georgetti-rosemont/.
The Capital Grille's Chicago Restaurant Week menu includes starters such as the wedge with blue cheese and smoked bacon, Caesar salad with Grana Padano croutons or New England clam chowder; filet mignon, herb-roasted chicken, bone-in dry-aged New York strip, seared citrus-glazed salmon with Marcona almonds and brown butter or porcini-rubbed sliced tenderloin. Flourless chocolate espresso cake or classic crème brûlée rounds out the dinner, which costs $33. The Capital Grille is at 87 Yorktown Center, Lombard, (630) 627-9800, and 5340 N. River Road, Rosemont, (847) 671-8125 or thecapitalgrille.com/home.
Restaurant weeks abound
Geneva Restaurant Week, Jan. 22-28, genevachamber.com/restaurant_week_in_geneva.php
In Good Taste Restaurant Week in Wheaton, Jan. 27 to Feb. 3, downtownwheaton.com/event/good-taste-restaurant-week
North Shore Restaurant Month, Feb. 1-28 except for Valentine's Day, visitchicagonorthshore.com/winter_restaurantmonth&#/gallery/recent
Wildfire's whiskey dinner
Suburban Wildfire restaurants will be serving four-course Jack Daniel's Whiskey Dinners over the next few days. Dinner begins with bacon-wrapped crab-stuffed shrimp paired with Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 Tennessee Mule. Next up is pan-seared whiskey maple scallops with Jack Daniel's Gentleman Jack Whiskey, followed by a second-course of smoked barbecue St. Louis ribs and sausages paired with Jack Daniel's Tennessee Rye Whiskey. The dinner costs $100, plus tax and gratuity. The dinner in Lincolnshire (235 Parkway Drive, (847) 279-7900) is at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26; in Oak Brook (232 Oakbrook Center, (630) 586-9000), it's at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 29; and in Glenview (1300 Patriot Blvd., (847) 657-6363, it's at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31. wildfirerestaurant.com/.
Reel Club hosts bourbon dinner
Reel Club executive chef James Woodfork has created a five-course menu with bourbon pairings from Beam Suntory for a dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30. Courses include pan-roasted clams with Maker's 46 and a main course of bourbon barbecue glazed filet mignon paired with Knob Creek. The dinner is $85, plus tax and gratuity. Reel Club is at 272 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, (630) 368-9400 or reel-club.com/.
New brew
Hofbräuhaus Chicago will celebrate the arrival of its new seasonal beer, Royal Export, a pale, flavorful and malty brew, during “First Thirst-Days” on Thursday, Feb. 1. The beer hall will host a keg-tapping ceremony at 7 p.m. with brewmaster Rob Hunter, who will discuss the seasonal beer, serve free half-liter samples of the new brew and give brewery tours upon request. Royal Export joins Lager, Hefe Weizen and Dunkel on tap. Hofbrauhaus Chicago is at 5500 Park Place, Rosemont, (847) 671-2739 or hofbrauhauschicago.com/.