Belly Up: Tax Day

This week, Chicago’s fine establishments have come up with a quick and easy way to  blow that tax refund before it ever comes in the mail. April 15, Cityscape Bar will  serve monetary-themed drinks—order red if tax season treated you poorly or  black if you’re expecting a check. (Or just chalk this one up to the stimulus package.)  Opera also steps it up with a budget-friendly prix-fixe menu at both lunch and  dinner, and Pops For Champagne raises the bar with an entire 1040 Tax Relief  Celebration, which includes food (Pops’ new chef, Andrew Brochu, just left the  kitchen at Alinea) and sparkling wine for, yes, $10.40. To make sure you head out  drinking on a full stomach, stop by the Chicago History Museum beforehand for  free Chicago-style hot dogs from Vienna Beef, then stick around for a $10 lecture  on the history of Chicago foods. 

Fatsometer: 7. Free hot dogs and cheap drinks leave no room for complaining  about taxes.