'Top Chef' Star 'Hosts' Italian 'Movie Night'

"Top Chef" fan favorite Fabio Viviani created the gourmet popcorn recipes for an Italian "movie night" in Chicago. (Photo: Courtesy of Antonio Busiello)

You'd better act fast if you want tickets to this free event featuring goodies by Top Chef "fan favorite" Fabio Viviani.

The affable Italian-born culinary star won't actually be in the house for Prosecco & Popcorn at the Music Box at 6:15pm August 30, but his recipes will. (Apparently, he'll only be making an appearance at a similar event in Miami on August 25.)

Common Threads' First-Ever Cook-Off

When Common Threads throws a cookout, you know it's going to be anything but ordinary.

Co-founded by Table Fifty-Two's Art Smith, the kiddie culinary-oriented nonprofit has gathered some of the city's best chefs and mixologists for this first-ever event.

The benefit happens 6:30-9:30pm Sept. 15 at Fulton's on the River, with participating chefs creating and serving their favorite cookout-themed dishes in one of four categories: in a glass, on a bun, in a shell or on a stick. Guests are encouraged to sample each dish and vote on their favorite in each category for the chefs to win prizes.

Here's who will be on deck:

The 8 Dumbest Restaurant Laws

Photo via zagat.com.

Zagat managed to dig up the 8 stupidest statutes for restaurants across the country, including no buying drinks for female bartenders (Hello, Maryland!), you can’t be drunk in a bar (Thanks, Texas!) and beer and pretzels can’t mix (WTF, North Dakota?!).

Somehow, however, Chicago got overlooked as food truck operators continue their battle against the ban on mobile restaurants cooking food on board. And now that some local legislators and restaurant advocates are attempting to limit the vehicles to operating in "food deserts" only (banning them from serving the downtown area), matters could get worse.

If that's not dumb, then I don't know what is . . .