15 Fresh Dishes On Avec's Menu Under New Chef

Avec chef Erling Wu-Bower (Photo via Star Chefs)

Bon Appetit Restaurant & Drinks Editor Andrew Knowlton recently caught up with new avec Chef de Cuisine Erling Wu-Bower on his high-profile position at one of the West Loop's hottest restaurants.

Here are the highlights, including some of the 15 fresh new dishes he's added to the menu:

Five Sweet Spots To Indulge On 'Sweetest Day'

These tasty treats from RM Champagne Salon would certainly pep up any "Sweetest Day" celebration. (Photo: RM Champagne Salon)

Sweetest Day is Oct. 20, but whether you have a significant other or not, there's no reason why you should miss out on these five decadent delights:

1. Fresh Biscuits at Bang Bang Pie Shop. You can have pie yes, but the other highlight is the delicious biscuit scene they've got going down. They're crunchy on the outside and super moist inside and available piping hot and fresh until about 1:30pm daily. Dress them up at the "biscuit topping bar" where you'll find black pepper honey butter, blueberry lavender jam, cherry chai or strawberry butter. The biscuits—and pies—are certain to go well with Bang Bang's signature roasted coffee.

2. Bistronomic's Baked Alaska. The old-school dessert feels modern at this trendy Gold Coast bistro helmed by chef Martial Noguier. And those confection-y layers of sponge cake, ice cream, meringue, caramel and almonds taste good right down to the last morsel with a bottle of bubbly.

The Chicago Cabaret Project Does 'The Rocky Horror Show' Upstairs At Hamburger Mary's

The ensemble cast of the Chicago Cabaret Project. (Photo: Chicago Cabaret Project)

Halloween comes early to Hamburger Mary's, the lively corner restaurant and tavern in Andersonville.

That's because the colorful cast of the Chicago Cabaret Project is doing limited performances of their rendition of The Rocky Horror Show in the upper level Mary's Attic.

Lobster Night Returns To Socca With WHOLE Butter-Poached Lobsters For $10!

The thought of a nice, juicy lobster in front of me sounds great any day of the week, but that can get costly.

So thank God for Socca's Roger Herring, who is once again going all out with Lobster Night for $10 a la carte of the decadent crustacean.

It's happening Oct. 24, so get on the phone NOW because this thing will sell out the moment the word gets out.

The Great Chicago Steak Out Is Happening Right Now To Benefit The Greater Chicago Food Depository

This most certainly caught my eye.

The possibility that I might have the chance to chow down for FREE for a year at the city's top steakhouses. And I could keep this secret to myself, but I'm going to share it with you.

The Chicago Private Dining Steakhouse Group and the Futures Industry Association are behind an online campaign to raise a significant amount of money for the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Apparently the nonprofit organization is serving 59 percent more people than three years ago, so they need all the help they can get.

Through Nov. 1, every $25 donated to the Great Chicago Steak Out campaign will give you the opportunity to enter the contest to win dinner for a year at 12 top local steakhouses (the gift certificate is worth approximately $1,400).

Homaro Cantu Announces New TV Show For iNG

This is all kinds of awesomeness, coming from iNG owner/chef Homaro Cantu:

"ING Restaurant got its own TV Show!!! Yay!!! This one will make Future Food look like a walk in the park. I can't tell you where it will air (because my executive producer will kill me), but it's going to be big folks. Nothing has ever been done like this before. The name of the show is CookiNG Under Pressure. And we actually landed a multi-season deal!! First episode airs November 13th!!!"

Chicago Is Prominently Missing From The World's 50 Best Bars Guide

So what happened here?!

The annual World's 50 Best Bars Guide was just released and no places from Chicago made the cut.

Several spots were reserved for cocktail lounges in Kentucky, Los Angeles and New York, but no love for our beloved The Aviary, The Drawing Room, Sable Kitchen & Bar or The Violet Hour.

Oh well. Better luck next year, right?

The Last Hurrah For Homestead Until Next Year

Homestead's main dining room. (Photo: Homestead)

Did you get a chance to make it over to Homestead over the summer?!

If not, you've got once more opportunity Saturday when the farm-to-table eatery hosts a seasonal closing party. Beginning at 5pm, guests will get 30 percent off on all food, cocktails, craft beers and wine (by the bottle and glass). That's a pretty good deal.

But wait, Homestead's not entirely gone until next spring.