—Remixing it up: For you fast-casual fans, Epic Burger’s Lincoln Park, Northbrook and Skokie locations are allowing guests to personalize their sauces with HEINZ REMIX machines.
A touch screen lets people pick a base (Heinz Ketchup, mayo, BBQ Sauce or ranch dressing), choose up to two flavor boosters (jalapeño, buffalo, smoky chipotle or roasted garlic), select an intensity and blend the ingredients/heat. Enjoy!
—It’s Greek to me: Avli Restaurant Group, in partnership with the award-winning Athens-based hospitality organization The Nice & Easy Group, will host the inaugural Chicago Hellenic Chef’s Experience, taking place on Thursday, May 1, at Avli on The Park, 180 N. Field Blvd.
Proceeds from ticket sales ($75 each for the main event, 6-8:30 p.m.; $35 each for the after-party, 8:30-10:30 p.m.) will support the National Hellenic Museum in Chicago’s Greektown neighborhood.
Chefs from Chicagoland/Milwaukee and Greece will take part. Local talent will include Andros Tavern’s Doug Psaltis, Avli on The Park’s Eleftheria Sioulas and Avli Milwaukee’s Babis Tsotras, among others. Culinary talent from Greece will include Chef Sotiris Evangelou of the five-star resort Macedonia Palace, in Thessaloniki; Chef Stamatis Misomikes of NYN ESTI; and Chef Dimitris Pamporis of the luxury resort Ekies.
Main-event passes can be purchased here; after-party tickets can be bought here.
—Happy anniversary: Nick’s Pizza & Pub is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the legacy and its first location in Crystal Lake, at 856 Pyott Rd., with a second location in Elgin, at 990 Randall Rd., celebrating 20 years of success.
To celebrate 30 years, Nick’s Pizza & Pub is inviting the community to join a month-long celebration this May filled with promotions, throwbacks and community-centered events. The festivities will kick off April 30 with the return of the fan-favorite Half-Off Pizza Wednesdays, offering 50% off all pizzas every Wednesday in May for dine-in guests. Memorial Day Weekend, May 23–25, will feature a special thank-you to guests with a different complimentary munchie each day for those spending $10 or more, including bacon cheddar fries, beer nuggets, and a choice between a junior colossal cookie or bruschetta. On Mother’s Day, May 12, moms dining in will be honored with flowers and handwritten notes as a small token of appreciation for all they do.
—Horsing around: With the Kentucky Derby taking place May 3, restaurants will be offering specials for the big day:
- I|O Godfrey’s 11th Annual Kentucky Derby Viewing Event (in which the hotel is partnering with The Tie Bar) will take place, with doors opening at noon. There will be a Derby Day menu, a photo booth and bourbon-tasting classes. BTW, dress to impress: There will be prizes prizes for: Best Dressed, Best Hat and Best Couple.
- At Gene & Georgetti, a one-day-only Kentucky Derby menu pays homage to Southern heritage and the spirit of Churchill Downs. Menu highlights include the Kentucky Hot Brown (an open-faced turkey sandwich with bacon, tomato and American cheese), fried green tomatoes, Gene’s Fried Chicken, turtle cheesecake and signature cocktails (like mint juleps). This exclusive menu replaces all other specials for the day and will be available alongside Gene & Georgetti’s full menu of steaks, chops and Italian favorites.
- Break out your best hat and watch the Kentucky Derby at The Hampton Social at 2–7 p.m. for half off H Rosé and our one-day-only mint julep ($13). Dress to impress—the best look wins a $100 gift card! RSVP here.
- ***By the way, more Derby events are listed at SAVOR with Andrew.
—Quite continental: Marking Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, the event Savor Asia will take place Sunday, May 4, 1-4 p.m., at Time Out Market Chicago.
Participating chefs include Bill Kim of UrbanBelly, Jesse Li of QXY Dumplings, Joe Fontelera of Boonies, Andrew Lim of Perilla, Zubair Mohajir of Mirra, Nate Hoops of Phodega, and Kevin Yu of 2D Restaurant. A portion of the ticket sales will go toward Asian Americans Advancing Justice, an organization that builds power through collective advocacy and organizing to achieve racial equity.
That’s the news for this week. Be sure to come back next week for more tasty treats!
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—Flying high: Job seekers and entrepreneurs can learn about contracting and employment opportunities at O’Hare and Midway International Airports when the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) hosts the Fourth Annual Airport Expo and Job Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, May 1, at the UIC Forum, 725 W. Roosevelt Rd.
To learn more or register as either a job seeker or vendor, visit flychicago.com/airportexpo. Job-seekers should bring business cards, resumes and prepared pitches.
—GIVEAWAY!: We’re 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!