—Nadu you do: Chef Sujan Sarkar—the acclaimed Michelin-starred and James Beard-nominated chef of Indienne, Sifr and Swadesi—will open his fourth Chicago restaurant, Nadu, on April 3 in Lincoln Park at 2518 N. Lincoln Ave. Meaning “homeland,” NADU aims to transport guests on an authentic journey through India’s diverse regional cuisines.
Led by Sarkar and Head Chef Sanchit Sahu, the menu will feature items such as Banarasi Tamatar Chaat (warm tomato chaat with namak para, cashew and ghee, finished with a sugary syrup), naga-smoked pork ribs, crab milagu fry and apricot delight (vanilla sponge cake soaked in condensed milk and layered with lightly poached apricot and whipped cream, then topped with apricot jelly and almonds). The beverage program at NADU is thoughtfully crafted to complement the menu, featuring cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks infused with traditional Indian ingredients like turmeric, saffron, chili, ginger, curry leaf and palm jaggery.
The restaurant will be open Tuesday through Saturday at 5-10 p.m. A four-course tasting menu and Sunday brunch are set to debut this summer, with reservations available on OpenTable.
—Pasta time away: You can read my interview with Chicagoland comic Matteo Lane here or at SAVOR with Andrew (where there’s even more news).
He will be promoting his cookbook, Your Pasta Sucks, at the Athenaeum on April 9 at 7:30 p.m. WBEZ Chicago and Exile in Bookville will present “An Evening with Matteo Lane,” which will take place Wed., April 9, at 7:30 p.m. at the Athenaeum Center. Tickets to this event include a copy of Your Pasta Sucks. RSVP at this link.
—Wonder women: During Women’s History Month, Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park, entered a new chapter of elevated service and community engagement with the appointment of four women to key management positions.
Nicole Thomure is the new director of operations, Chloé Gray-Le Coz heads sales and marketing, Danielle La Pointe is the talent/culture director and Sandy Hsu is the director of revenue management.
Also, to celebrate Women’s History Month, Fairmont Chicago is offering a specialty cocktail at the Lobby Bar throughout March. The featured drink, Paper Plane ($19), is a blend of Amaro Nonino, Aperol, bourbon whiskey and lemon. A portion of the proceeds of this drink will benefit Dress for Success Greater Chicago.
—Two of Chicago’s buzziest mom-and-pop neighborhood restaurants are teaming up, swapping fan-favorite recipes for a fundraising cross-culture menu collab during all of April that will benefit the Irving Park Community Food Pantry. Welcome to Bite Club!
Irving Park’s Wurst Behavior, the craft sausage house and beer garden by Polish restaurateur couple Chef Art Wnorowski and Gosia Pieniazek (Na Zdrowie Hospitality), is collaborating with Mexican Chef Ivan Valdez and his taqueria, Taquizas Valdez, to create two new fusion menu items to help support the pantry’s mission of alleviating food insecurity in Northwest Chicago. People can head to Wurst Behavior to try Wnorowski’s crispy Beef Birria Pierogi, or Taquizas Valdez for an Andouille Sausage Cali-Style Breakfast Burrito by Chef Ivan. One dollar of every Bite Club item sold will be donated back to the pantry.
—Drag dolls: And the Northalsted spot Lark has its own drag events happening in April.
A Britney vs. Christina drag brunch will take place April 5-6, starring Pixel; a Tate McRae brunch will happen April 12, with Joan Julian; and a Selena drag brunch will take place April 13, featuring Venus Carangi. There will be five bottomless drink choices at each event.
—Spring specials: Lincoln Park spot Vinci is welcoming spring with a new lineup of specials.
The new dishes include seared beef carpaccio, seafood pasta, Pappa al Pomodoro (tomato bread and soup), fried breaded asparagus, and fig and ricotta pound cake. The spring specials will only be available while supplies last.
—It’s in the stars: On Thursday, April 17, at 7 p.m., LondonHouse Chicago will host a “Star Party” on its impressive rooftop with Chicago astronomer and NASA Solar System Ambassador Joseph Guzman.
Guests will look through high-powered telescopes to witness the moon, planets and deep-sky objects. Among other things, attendees will explore the legendary Orion the Hunter, the Pleiades (Seven Sisters), the Beehive Cluster, and other dazzling star formations.
Even better, this unique event is FREE and open to the public. No RSVP is required and walk-ins are welcome.
And here are a couple non-culinary items…
—Pop life: Please don’t forget that I have another column called Pop-Eds. My latest article—which was almost my most difficult to write—includes my thoughts on that political group chat as well as a very personal loss for me. Read about it at Andrew449.substack.com.
—Going Gaga: Lady Gaga announced the dates for her 2025 “Mayhem Ball” tour, featuring music from her hit album MAYHEM—and will make just five U.S. stops during her months-long tour: Las Vegas, Seattle, New York City, Chicago and Miami. Pre-sale ticket sales start March 31 at 11 a.m. CT; general-public sales begin April 3 at 10 a.m. on Ticketmaster.com.
That’s the news for this week. Be sure to come back next week for more tasty treats!