So Very, Very Hot Right Now

Megan and Don Draper toast to a great "Mad Men" season. (Photo: AMC)

Football fans look forward to Superbowl Sunday. Movie enthusiasts live for Oscar night. And if you're like me—a classic cocktail connoisseur—your night is this Sunday: the return of "Mad Men."

The 1960s-themed show is so great that you wouldn't want any distractions during the two-hour premiere. You don't want to hear anyone talking when Roger Sterling delivers one of his wickedly awesome one-liners.

But there's an event that kicks off at PUBLIC Hotel Sunday that just might tempt me to mingle with other like-minded folks.


PUBLIC Hotel's Screening Room (Photo: PUBLIC Hotel)

Each week, the glamorous Gold Coast hotel (which is home to Pump Room) hosts a "Mad Men" viewing party that takes place 7-10pm Sundays. The $25 admission price gets you into the Screening Room for 1960s-inspired cocktails and passed canapes. The night's episode, of course, will be on a big screen, and during commercial breaks a deejay will spin groovy 1960s covers. Guests are encouraged to dress for the era, and the best dressed will win a complimentary overnight stay at the hotel. You can also make a reservation by email.

Here's what else is hot:


MK's roast Colorado lamb loin, house-made lamb bacon, green garlic flan, black quinoa, petite heirloom carrots (Photo: 312 Dining Diva)

MK fetes 15 years in business, and part of that celebration includes a brand-new tasting menu that combines classic MK dishes as well as brand new plates. Hot on the tasting menu—which begins April 4—are the pan-seared Strauss veal sweetbreads with crushed English peas, verpa "false morels" and ramps; roast Colorado lamb loin, house-made lamb bacon, green garlic flan, black quinoa, petite heirloom carrots; and the latest version of One Banana, Two Banana, a signature dessert that has been on the menu since the Mindy Segal (Hot Chocolate) era.


Vera's egg raviolo with peas and crispy Serrano ham is on the new spring menu. (Photo: Vera)

Beginning April 8, Vera will be open every Monday. Owners Elizabeth and Mark Mendez had so many requests from area residents that they finally gave in. What should be an incentive for those Monday night diners are the $1 oysters and Monday Night Flights, which will consist of seasonal wine and beer selections.