—Reaching the top: The 24th annual Hospitality & Tourism Summit presented its first award program, The Summit Awards, in Chicago recently.
After receiving more than 40,000 votes, winners of The Summit Awards, sponsored by Live Art International, were selected from nominations submitted by Chicago’s tourism industry professionals. Some of the winners included Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf (The Summit Restaurant Award), Garrett Popcorn Shops (The Summit Shopping Award), Skydeck (The Summit Attraction Award) and Choose Chicago (The Summit Destination Marketing Organizations & Associations Award, Sponsored by 1905 New Media). Congrats to the honorees!
—Rock on: Mariano’s Bucktown, 2112 N. Ashland Ave., will host a special bottle signing and wine tasting on Tuesday, April 22, featuring Hampton Water Rosé and the launch of the brand-new Hampton Water Bubbly.
The event will be led by Hampton Water Co-Founder Jesse Bongiovi—the eldest son of musician Jon Bon Jovi—who will appear for a meet-and-greet and bottle-signing from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Guests can enjoy tastings from 3 to 6 p.m. and enter for a chance to win a guitar signed by rock legend Jon Bon Jovi. The giveaway takes place at 5 p.m. and the winner must be present.
—Sip service: Navy Pier’s Latin-inspired culinary destination Lirica will host exclusive wine dinners on Wed., April 23, and Thursday, May 15, at 6-8 p.m. Tickets are $65 each.
On April 23, Lirica will welcome DAOU Vineyards; the Paso Robles vineyard offers an extensive collection of fine wines, crafted under the eye of Chief Winemaker Daniel Daou. On May 15, Lirica aims to delight guests with wines from La Crema; located at Estate at Saralee’s Vineyard, the Sonoma County staple showcases exceptional wines from the best cool-climate regions across California and Oregon.
—Out and about: The annual Dining Out for Life will take place Thursday, April 24, at various restaurants.
Participating restaurants will donate a percentage of their sales on this day to support the work of Vivent Health + TPAN. This event also supports the many local businesses that support the coalition.
Currently, Anteprima, Big Gay Sal’s Pizza, Ed Debevic’s and Marina’s Bistro & Rum Bar are among the spots participating, among others. More will be announced closer to the date of the event.
—Rum-an holiday: The 9th Annual Chicago Rum Fest will bring together rum lovers and trade professionals from all over the country on Saturday, April 26, at Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N. Kedzie Blvd. Featured brands will include Single Cask Nation, Hampden Estate, LM&V, El Dorado, Diamond Reserve, Black Tot Rum and many others. In addition, there will be various seminars, including grand tasting sessions.
New this year, the DaiquiriMANIA (5-7 p.m.) session is open to general consumers interested in cocktails and learning will learn more about rum. DaiquiriMANIA is a new program TheRumLab will be launching in 2025 during the Intro to Rum Session.
—Beer and far: The Long Grove Craft Beer Fest returns on April 26—and it’s a full-on tribute to handcrafted brews, featuring 22 breweries, meaderies and cideries.
Some of the participants will include Alter Brewing Company, Scorched Earth Brewing, Art History Brewing, Black Horizon Brewing Company, Crystal Lake Brewery, Liquid Love Brewing, Obscurity Brewery and Unpossible Mead. From noon to 4 p.m., attendees will enjoy unlimited two-ounce pours from some of the top breweries in the region. Also, folk-rock band Sunflower Headlights will take the stage, infusing the festival with retro-inspired energy and live music that channels the spirit of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Tickets are available here.
—Down on the farm: Farm Bar now has happy-hour specials.
Happy Hour runs Monday through Thursday at 4-6 p.m. at both the Lake View and Ravenswood locations. Specials include half-priced cocktails (like the Blueberry Hill, crafted with blueberry lavender shrub, rum, Brown Dog Farm honey syrup and basil), beer and wine; and half off appetizers such as roasted sakura pork belly, with onion purée, chow chow, apple cider-Brown Dog Farm honey glaze and cilantro. In addition, kids younger than 12 eat for free with the purchase of an adult entree.
—Here’s the beef: With the arrival of spring, a good burger might be ideal to enjoy on a restaurant patio.
—Wine and dandy: The popular event Wine & Design: A Tasting Tour will take place on Thursday, May 8, 6-8 p.m., at The Mart, 222 W. Merchandise Mart, and will benefit both the food bank the Greater Chicago Food Depository and local public health leader the Respiratory Health Association. THE MART is hosting this event in cooperation with Wine Spectator Magazine.
During this special event, each First Floor showroom will host a wine, beer, or spirits “tasting” complete with food stations that will serve delectable appetizers, music, and a variety of attractions in the hallways and lobbies.
Advanced tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here and for a discounted rate April 20 through May 1; regular rates start April 21 (from $100 to $125 each).
—Well-bread: Mano a Mano is making a mark with its focaccia sandwiches that are available for delivery.
The Logan Square restaurant, known for its Spaghetti Sundays, now has these sandwiches, with varieties such as Little Morti, fried eggplant parm, artichoke parm, The Speck Special, and salami and taleggio.
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—GIVEAWAY!: SAVOR is having another giveaway—this time for another Friends box set, or for one of the Chicago-set show Shameless!
All you have to do to qualify is to be a paying subscriber (for less than $5/month) to either SAVOR for Andrew (future3733.substack.com) or Pop-Eds (Andrew449.substack.com). The deadline is Friday, May 2. Good luck!