—Market daze: As grilling season nears and Chicagoans begin to fire up their backyard barbecues, Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille invites food lovers to elevate their at-home culinary game with premium cuts and exclusive offerings through the Perry’s Online Market.
Customers who spend $75 or more at the market will receive a complimentary package of Perry’s homemade Texas sausage, while supplies last. The market offers nationwide shipping on Perry’s signature selections, including its lauded seven-finger-high pork chop, prime steaks, handcrafted sides and seasonings—all packaged for freshness and flavor and delivered directly to your door.
—
SPOTLIGHT
Famed drag diner Hamburger Mary’s is returning to Chicago, in the Edgewater area—and many people are looking forward to getting their checks delivered in heels again.
“We are thrilled to announce that our gal Mary will soon be back flippin’ burgers and puttin’ on shows in the Windy City… at a new location in Edgewater!,” a social-media post read. “We’re in the process of sprucing up the place, and we hope to be open later this summer.” (The exact location is 1055 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., where Edgewater Mexican Cafe used to be.) The Andersonville restaurant closed in 2020.
Wright said he hopes Mary’s will open “within the next couple of months—sometime this summer. Of course, things depend on things like contractors and city inspectors. But, fortunately, we’re not doing a lot of work because it was in very good shape. We are doing a lot of painting; [the cafe] had green and yellow, and those are not pinks and purples. Plus, those are [Green Bay] Packers colors.”
Regarding menu items, a lot of things will return—including those notorious fried Twinkies. “We had actually taken those off the menu because it was hard to get your hands on those sometimes,” Wright said. “But they will be on the menu for at least a limited time, like the McRib.”
Other U.S. restaurants are in Toledo, Ohio; Kansas City, Missouri; Jacksonville, Florida; Denver; Dallas; Las Vegas; and the California cities of Ontario, West Hollywood and Long Beach. However, “we are in the process of reopening two locations that had closed—in Orlando and Milwaukee,” Wright said.
NOTE: For even more details about Hamburger Mary’s, visit SAVOR with Andrew.
—Reboot: West Town spot Nettare has unveiled a revamped café experience—complete with an upgraded coffee program, a refreshed menu, and a more functional space designed for both coffee enthusiasts and casual guests.
Among other things, Nettare’s café has ditched batch-brewed coffee in favor of by-the-cup preparation, emphasizing handcrafted espresso drinks and pour-over coffee. Also, the spot will highlight Metric Coffee, Rare Tea Cellars, Kilgus Farmstead dairy, and Elmhurstoat milk, underscoring Nettare’s focus on responsibly sourced ingredients from the Midwest and Great Lakes region. And the café now has freshly baked pastries, light breakfast items and a refined lunch selection.
—Meat and greet: With May being National Burger Month (surely, you knew!), some spots are offering standout specials:
- Fatpour Tap Works will offer four weeks of burger specials, with The Big O Burger (through May 11), The Truffle Shuffle (May 12-18), the Fatpour Style Breakfast Burger (May 19-25) and The Ronald Burger (May 26-31). If you’re wondering about the first one, the “O” stands for “onion,” as the sandwich includes caramelized onions, fried onions and French onion spread.
- Mordecai‘s namesake burger, the Mordecai Burger, is simple yet elevated, featuring ingredients such as Dijonaise, smoked Gouda, and bacon jam, accompanied by a side of beef-fat fries.
- Tzuco has a namesake burger as well, and it features beef sirloin, oven-roasted tomatoes, gruyere cheese, pickled yellow beets, serrano peppers, black truffle sauce and black truffle aioli on a brioche bun.
—Feel the heat: The West Town spot Brasero—known for its Brazilian-inspired cuisine—is now offering Sunday brunch service at 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Guests can indulge in offerings like lLobster Benedict, breakfast sando, pao de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread) waffles, rock shrimp-and-crab ceviche, Sunday churrasco, pastries from Mindy’s and more. Brasero will also offer a brunch cocktail menu featuring items including the Brasero mimosa, the iconic caipirinha, the Bikini Mule, a classic Spritz and Bloody Mary. RSVP here.
—In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May, Sunda New Asian is showcasing a limited-time lineup of chef-driven dishes.
Dishes include baked oysters ($30); sisig ($29), which consists of braised pork belly, honeycomb tripe, red onions, shishito peppers, crispy egg, chili lime vinaigrette and roti prata; short rib Kare Kare ($68); and the Kamayan feast ($180), an array of celebratory Filipino dishes such as adobo pork belly crispy pata, chicken inasal, garlic shrimp, lumpia egg rolls, green beans and jasmine rice.
—Pleading the fifth: Join Somos Hospitality Group for a special Cinco de Mayo Baja takeover celebration in Loft 22 featuring Tzuco’s Chef Carlos Gaytan on Monday, May 5, 6-9 p.m.
The event will take place at Loft 22 (22 W. Hubbard St.); among other things, there will be an open bar, passed appetizers, an oyster shucking and tasting and even a live tuna-cutting ceremony. Tickets start at $60 each; RSVP here.
—In session: The next Smoke Sessions at Frontier will team Chef Brian Jupiter with a legend: Chef John Hogan (Savarin, Everest, Keefer’s and River Roast).
The event will take place Wed., May 7, at 7 p.m. Hogan’s dishes will include brioche-crusted smoked pork cheek, French green lentils, ramps and mustard jus; and Moroccan smoked lamb shoulder, hummus, tabbouleh , cucumber and pita. Jupiter will offer smoked beet carpaccio, lamb bacon, radicchio, watercress, feta and spiced pecan; and a knafeh brownie with cardamom creme anglaise. There will also be four cocktails to go with the four dishes.
Tickets are $88 each; RSVP at the link above.
That’s the news for this week. Be sure to come back next week for more tasty treats!
Get even more culinary news at SAVOR with Andrew.
—For my take on the 2025 Inspired Home Show, be sure to read the column at SAVOR with Andrew—and subscribe, for free or less than $5/month (for full access).