Beer festival edition
As the fall and summer recede, taking with them everything good in the world, Chicago steps up to replace that warmth with booze. Drown your sorrows in the excellent beer on tap Nov. 8 as part of the Sixth Annual Festival Of Wood- And Barrel-Aged Beer competition. Tickets are only $35 in advance, which is a pretty good deal for four solid hours of sampling the goods of nearly 40 breweries. For something more potent (and expensive), go all out at Cuatro's rum dinner, which matches rum-based cocktails with four courses, including a roasted butternut squash soup and a grilled prime ribeye with purple Peruvian potato puree, grilled asparagus, and a red wine and wild mushroom reduction sauce. Finally, watch Chicago chef Radhika Desai's debut on Top Chef on Wednesday at Kit Kat Lounge & Supper Club's viewing party, which offers two-for-one entrées. Fatsometer: 8. It's a good week when all of the calories stink of booze. Save room for: The Barry Callebaut Chocolate Academy's open house, Nov. 13.
