Don’t you dare complain that you’ve got nothing to do tomorrow night. Firmly defying the August doldrums, August 12 has decided to offer up a plethora of dinner-related activities to anyone motivated enough to leave the house:
• At Carnivale, it’s a family-style Slow Food dinner: a half-dozen local farmers’ produce and meats brought together with chef Mark Mendez’s culinary catalyst, all paired with Goose Island beers. $65; full menu here; 312-850-5005 for reservations.
• The lovely lushes at University Village’s Lush Wine & Spirits are going meaty with their summery Gaucho Dinner (rescheduled from an original date of last Wednesday): steaks on the grill in the back garden, serious quantities of Malbec and other meat-friendly reds, and a pervasive sense of summery festivity. $25; 312-738-1900 for reservations.
• The Taste of Andersonville Dinner Crawl transcends the idea of one place, one dinner. Co-sponsored by the Andersonville Farmers Market, for $25 you take your pick of either the Salt or Pepper itinerary (or do both for $40), each of which lands you a bite to eat at ten Andersonville restaurants (Fireside, En*Thai*Ce, Hamburger Mary’s, and seventeen more). Plus at the end, no matter which route you took, gather at the Swedish American Museum for desserts from Ann Sather, Swedish Bakery, and Taste Of Lebanon. $25 or $40 in advance, $35 or $55 at the door. Tickets here.
