In fashion: Chicago Fashion Week® will hold events and activations for its third edition, taking place Oct. 8–18.
The calendar includes more than 80 events and activations in partnership with local fashion organizations, retailers and fashion designers. Just a few of the events include a vintage pop-up (Oct. 10-11, 12-6 p.m.) at Design at 329, 329 W. 18th St.; “; The Fashion Summit 2026 with Keynote Speaker Elie Tahari (Oct. 13, 9 a.m.) at mHUB, 1623 W. Fulton Market; “Mood Fabrics x Next Restaurant,” (Oct. 14, with seatings starting at 5 and 5:45 p.m.), at 953 W. Fulton Market; Queer Couture Runway (Oct. 15, 7-10 p.m.) at Public Works Gallery, 2141 W. North Ave.; and Surround Sound of Fashion (Oct. 18, 5-8 p.m.) at Zhou B Art Center, 1029 W. 35th St.
The full event line-up is here.
—Art and soul: The inaugural Chicago Art Fair—the city’s newest contemporary and modern fine art exhibition—will take place Oct. 7-10 at THE MART.
The inaugural edition will feature presentations from leading galleries including Echo Fine Arts, Hilton Contemporary, McCormick Gallery, Melissa Morgan Fine Art, Vallarino Fine Art, Verse Gallery and additional exhibitors. Single-day tickets for the Chicago Art Fair start at $25 and are on sale now; for tickets, exhibitor information and the latest updates, visit www.chicagoartfair.com.
And now, on to culinary items…
—Club city: The culinary team behind Dēliz Italian Steakhouse has opened The Carlyle Club—inspired by Chicago’s riverfront and architectural heritage—in the historic Reid Murdoch Building at 316 N. Clark St.
Chef Jakob Peterson’s menu draws inspiration from classic American steakhouses, Japanese technique and global flavors. Signature dishes include Binchotan-grilled wagyu, ricotta pillows, lobster pie and the Carlyle Burger, as well as dry-aged steaks and seasonal sushi and sashimi. There’s also a sushi counter for a more intimate experience.
The Carlyle Club’s cocktail program is built around the concept of “A River in Time.” The menu revisits classic cocktails through a contemporary lens, moving through different eras of drinking culture and beginning with the 1920s and ’30s.
—”Supper” time: Supper with Sylvia Season 2 Live Recording at Sushi-san – Lincoln Park Supporting Chicago Chefs Cook will take place Monday, Oct. 5, 5-8 p.m. Tickets are $140/person, plus tax (gratuity not included), with a portion of proceeds benefiting Chicago Chefs Cook.
Get a front row seat as Emmy-winning Chicago journalist Sylvia Perez sits down with siblings and restaurateurs RJ, Jerrod and Molly Melman for a conversation about growing up in and leading one of Chicago’s most iconic restaurant families for the premiere of season two of her Supper with Sylvia podcast. The live conversation will start at 5:30 p.m. and will be followed by a spread of Sushi-san favorites, including maki, handrolls, sake and more.
—”Four” sure: In Chicago’s Hyde Park area, UChicago Dining welcomes the 2026-27 academic year with four new dining concepts.
Developed in partnership with Chartwells Higher Education, the University’s dining and hospitality services partner, the new additions include Bahama Shack, a mobile food truck led by Bahamian-born Chef Courtney Neil; The Hunt, a cafe at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts created and designed by Monica Haslip of Little Black Pearl; Kabob-It Express, the newest location from Chef Maisha Oliver-Muhammad; and Little Betty Smokehouse, an expansion of Chef Dominique Leach and Tanisha Leach’s nationally recognized Lexington Betty Smokehouse.
—Cruisin’: On Oct. 5 (at 5, 7 and 9 p.m.), Chef Sangtae Park’s TenGoku Aburiya is teaming with Chicago Boat Company for a Party Barge Omakase Cruise.
For 90 minutes, Chef Danny Rodriguez will serve aneight-course omakase right on the water, bringing TenGoku’s Japanese-inspired fare and fresh fish from Tokyo’s Toyosu Market aboard a party barge. The menu will feature hand rolls like Akami Zuke, with soy-marinated bluefin tuna and freshly grated wasabi; and Unagi Tamago, featuring grilled eel, alongside other selections. The cruise will be BYOB.
All departures will be from Water Plaza on the Riverwalk, between the LaSalle and Wells Street bridges. Limited tickets are now available on RESY, linked here.
—East of Eden: Eden will celebrate the wines and flavors of Lebanon on Wed., Oct. 7, 6-9 p.m., pairing a four-course menu by Chef Devon Quinn with wines from two distinctive North Lebanese mountain producers.
Featuring Mersel Wine and Château Mont d’Almaz, the evening offers a window into Lebanon’s ancient winemaking culture and the producers carrying it forward. Mersel preserves indigenous grapes such as Merwah, with some vines more than 150 years old, while the family-owned Château Mont d’Almaz produces organically farmed wines overlooking the historic Qadisha Valley.
Admission is $155/person, plus tax and gratuity. Reserve here.
—Making a run: Ahead of the Chicago Marathon, the Loop restaurant Francois Frankie is serving a one-night-only pasta special on Saturday, Oct. 10.
Executive Chef Matt Ayala is offering orecchiette with Italian sausage, kale, roasted cherry tomatoes, Parmesan and herbed breadcrumbs for a little pre-race carb-loading. The $35 special also includes a glass of house Champagne or house beer for a pre-race toast. The special will be available during dinner service only.
And other restaurants are offering specials:
- Guests at Casa Chi by Chef Richard Sandoval can enjoy “Reform Cocktails”—each under 120 calories—and then return on Marathon Sunday to enjoy a celebratory three-course Boozy Tea experience for $48/person. To keep the festivities going, Casa Chi will also offer a complimentary beer or sparkling wine on Marathon Sunday and Medal Monday to guests who present their marathon medals or bib numbers with the purchase of an entrée.
- Kindling is celebrating the marathon with a special Run + Refuel offer: Guests who show their marathon medal will receive 20% off their bill on Friday, Saturday and the Monday after the race. Dishes include the curried squash pasta with Korean rice cake noodles, toasted pepitas, brown butter and sage; the oven roasted turkey sandwich layered with cinnamon honey brie and cabbage slaw on 1979 PQB Pullman loaf; or creamy polenta, among others.
- At the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago, FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar, there will be a hearty lineup of pasta specials available Oct. 9-11 during both lunch and dinner service. They include spaghetti cacio e pepe ($26) and garganelli with shrimp ($34), among other items. Also, the hotel will welcome runners with an early-morning, lobby runner station on race day, featuring energy gels, fruit, water and more.
- On Oct. 9-12, Michael Jordan’s Steak House is offering lunch and dinner specials that cater to athletes in celebration of the marathon. On top of that, on Sunday and Monday, runners who bring in bibs or medals will get a free beer. Lunchgoers can get their carbo-load special: a wagyu meatball bucatini pasta. Need dinner plans? The restaurant is serving a prix fixe $68 menu with a superfood salad, poke bowl, whole wheat rigatoni and more.
- Quartino Chicago is offering an all-you-can-eat pasta buffet on its second floor. Go for lunch or dinner on Saturday, Oct. 10, and indulge in a spread including Caesar salad, grilled chicken breast, spaghetti pomodoro, gluten-free fusilli, orecchiette, penne alla vodka and tortellini.
- On Oct. 11-12, Toro (which is close to the marathon’s start and end lines) is offering a complimentary classic margarita, glass of bubbles or draft beer when runners show their 2026 Bank of America Chicago Marathon finisher medals, with purchase.
- To celebrate the participants, River North spot Tanta Cocina Peruana will offer a complimentary Cebiche Clásico to any runners who show their bibs when they dine on Sunday, Oct. 11.
- At Guinness Open Gate Brewery, the first 100 runners who drop in with their finisher medals will receive an exclusive Guinness pint glass pre-engraved with a special marathon symbol. Plus, all guests can keep the victory celebration going with $2.62 pints of any beer brewed and served exclusively at the Chicago brewery.
- Inside Hotel ECM2, the Albert, led by Chef David Danielson, celebrates Italian-American heritage with a three-course marathon dinner for $39.95 per person, available Oct. 9-11 at 4-10 p.m. Courses include Caesar salad Classico or tuna crudo; rigatoni bolognaise, strozzapreti (with Italian sausage, broccoli rabe, garlic and Pecorino) or tagliatelle (with lemon pesto, grilled shrimp and burrata); and spiced pear panna cotta or cannoli semifreddo.
- Seadog‘s Medal Mondaysailings invite marathon participants to continue the celebration on the water. Guests who show their Chicago Marathon medals at the ticket booth can receive 50% off their cruise.
- Several Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants are also making special offers. Cross the finish line for a free pour of celebratory Giuliana Prosecco at Pizzeria Portofino, $3 cookies at The Cookie Bar by Summer House, complimentary dessert tapas at Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! and Lil’ Ba-Ba-Reeba!, or a free profiterole with any entree at Mon Ami Gabi.
—Party time: Oktoberfestiversary returns with Begyle Brewing and Dovetail Brewery hosting their annual fall party on Oct. 10-11.
All ages are invited to come together in support of The Friendship Center (and there’s a $5 suggested donation)—the neighborhood food pantry serving the Northwest Side since 1969. Expect special beer tappings and favorites from both breweries throughout the weekend, complemented by entertainment from local musicians and culinary delights from some of Chicago’s top food trucks and pop-ups. The event anticipates featuring more than 50+ beers, a dozen local bands, various food vendors, activities for all ages and much more.
The food vendors will include The Fat Shallot, Soul & Smoke, The Happy Lobster, El Zorro Tacos and more.
Until next time… don’t forget that you’ll find much more dining news (as well as interviews and reviews) at SAVOR with Andrew.
The write stuff: Be sure to read and subscribe to my other Substack—Pop-Eds: My thoughts on pop culture. (Like SAVOR, it’s less than $5/month to access everything.) My newest column discusses passive housing, Cornell University, Stanford University’s stumble and Gypsy-Rose Blanchard, among many other topics.