Art to art: Trivia Tuesday: Dolly Parton Edition will take place Sept. 1 at 9 p.m. at the Northalsted nightspot Sidetrack.
Dolly Parton videos start at 8 p.m. and with Dolly Trivia starts at 9 p.m., after OUTspoken is finished. The grand prize includes Men’s Room & SWAY gift cards.
—Out of Hounds: The defending Major League Rugby (MLR) champions the Chicago Hounds (co-owned by Chef Art Smith and his husband, Jesus Salgueiro) will host a combine on Monday, Sept. 7, 12-2 p.m., at the Chicago Lions Rugby Complex, 2637 W. Polk St. Registration will be at 11 a.m. and the cost will be $50/person.
This is your chance to impress the Senior Academy & MLR Coaches for a chance to make the roster for the Hounds Academy games in November ‘26 and impress MLR Coaches for a chance to make an MLR Roster in ‘27. The Hounds Senior Academy is intended for post-high school, college-age and senior club players who are looking to train in a more competitive development environment and be evaluated for the academy’s fall roster. You can pay the $50 and register early here.
And now, on to culinary items…
—Job corner: The Printers Row spot necessary & sufficient coffee is looking for a lead cook/kitchen lead.
The coffee shop is looking for someone who is willing to genuinely contribute ideas as well. The job would be 35-45 hours weekly, and the pay is $20-$22/hour (with benefits). Apply here.
—Bavette’s feast: The River North steakhouse Bavette’s Bar & Beouf is closing—temporarily.
It will be closed starting Sept. 19 and it will reopen in mid-November, according to its website. Reservations are released 21 days ahead, daily at 9 a.m. The restaurant also accepts walk-ins at the bar, which offers a full menu, per Time Out Worldwide.
REVIEW: Have you been to—or even heard of—The Franklin Room?
I must plead ignorance regarding this River North spot—although I rarely visit this area that’s underneath the Brown Line tracks. However, I must tell you that The Franklin Room—which has been around for 12 years—is a spot that’s worth your time.
Although you enter on the ground level, the restaurant/lounge is basement-level—which is instrumental in helping diminish the sounds of the subway. (In fact, my friend and I didn’t hear the train’s rumblings at all.) The decor is distinctly modern, with tiles that resemble subway tracks—although that may be a coincidence or an unintentional homage.Read the rest of this review at SAVOR with Andrew.
—Kindred soul: Soul & Smoke co-founders Chef D’Andre Carter and Heather Bublickhave announced a Sept. 1 opening for their expanded flagship location in Evanston, at 1601 Payne St. A century-old barn has served as Soul & Smoke’s creative headquarters, catering hub and community anchor; now, it’s home to the concept’s first full-service restaurant.
By day, the restaurant features its known BBQ favorites like smoked Duroc rib tips, brisket by the pound, smoked pastrami, hot links, mac and cheese, cornbread and more—that are part of an all-day menu that continues into the evening. In the evening, a more elevated menu has items such as bang bang BBQ shrimp, Moto oxtail cigar (smoked oxtail, collard greens and sesame-seed ash—inspired by Carter’s mentor, Moto Executive Chef Homaro Cantu), bone-in beef shank and Sky-High Sweet Potato Pie, among other items. Drinks will include such items as Charred Pineapple Rum Punch (with aged & white rum, charred pineapple syrup, allspice and lime) and Smoked Peach Arnold Palmer (with bourbon, hickory-smoked peach syrup, Rare Tea Cellars’ Black Citron Tea and Georgia Peach Rooibos).
—Think drink: West Town’s Nordic-Japanese spot Atsumeru is breaking from its strict tasting-menu format to open its moody basement lounge for walk-in drink service every Tuesday at 6 p.m.
No reservations will be required for the service. The five new signature drinks will blend Nordic ingredients and Japanese spirits; examples include the Baltic Fog (aquavit, shochu and yuzu kukicha), the striking Ume Cream (whiskey, armagnac, plum and rice) and the yummy Skär Punch (gin, aperol, rhubarb, guava). Also, there will be rare allocations including Krug Grande Cuvée and a hyper-exclusive small-batch draft sake (Yamada “Everlasting Roots”), imported specifically for the restaurant from a brewery using a rare mountain-filtering method that only 3% of Japan’s breweries utilize.
—Meat and greet: Taste of Polonia—advertised as the oldest and largest Polish festival in the country—will take place Sept. 4-7 at Chicago’s Copernicus Center, rain or shine.
Food and beverage vendors will sell items such as combo platters, gyros, zapiekankas (grilled open-faced sandwiches), pierogi (savory and sweet), Polish soups, grilled sausage sandwiches, stuffed cabbage, blintzes, iced coffee, fresh-squeezed lemonade, cotton candy, fruit-filled crepes, shaved ice and more.
—To market we go: Green City Market’s Chef BBQ is back on Thursday, Sept. 10, at Lincoln Park, 1817 N. Clark St. Last year, hundreds of people turned out for this annual event. The time is 4-8 p.m. (VIP) and 5-8 p.m. (general admission).
More than 100 Chicago restaurants, brewers, winemakers and mixologists will provide tasting portions of locally inspired dishes and craft beverages, highlighting ingredients from Green City Market’s local, sustainable farmers. New for 2026, an elevated VIP experience brings guests closer to the action with exclusive access to a dedicated VIP bar, specialty beverage offerings unavailable in general admission, VIP restrooms, premium hospitality and unique opportunities to engage with chefs, farmers and producers. Tickets can be purchased here.
—GIVEAWAY!: The next prize giveaway is here—and it’s a pair of H2O Audio TRI 2 Multi-Sport Waterproof Bone Conduction Headphones (retail value: $149)! The headphones represent a breakthrough in audio technology, offering enhanced sound quality and an improved ergonomic design. Originally engineered for endurance athletes, they deliver a superior listening experience, whether you’re on land or in water.
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 to be a paying subscriber is Sunday, Sept. 6. Good luck!
Until next time…