Where To Give Back This Thanksgiving Season

Quite a few restaurants are jumping in to help those less fortunate. Here's where you can also help:

DMK Burger Bar. Each month, the Lakeview burger joint supports a well-known charity by donating a portion of the proceeds from a signature sandwich and drink. This month's organization is Meals on Wheels.

Headquarters Beercade. Through Sunday, customers are encouraged to drop off frozen turkeys to benefit the Lakeview Pantry. Last year they collected 120 turkeys and this year they're looking for kind souls like yourself to donate at least 500 birds.

An Anonymous Commenter On Eater Puts The Entire Michelin Chicago Guide Drama In Perspective

(Photo: Michelin Guides)

Bravo to whomever wrote this in Eater Chicago's comments section:

"Tough times in the country brings out the real winners and the others. The griping over this announcement has me depressed about how Chicagoans look at things. We are one of only three cities in the United States that Michelin chose to be worthwhile to promote. LA and Las Vegas failed for goodness sake. While people complain about Lula (not getting a Michelin star), the Mexique chef is in tears of joy celebrating his accomplishment. Lula is packed every night and doesn't need anybody to tell Logan Square it is a good restaurant. Mexique may now become busier and remain open because of the new life. Keeping people in jobs, not to mention the achievement of a Mexican chef in Chicago. Stop the bitching. We sound like a bunch of poor losers. Don't get mad, get better!"

Word!

Big Star Named One Of 'America's Best Taco Spots' By Food & Wine Magazine. Do You Agree?!

Tacos from Big Star (Photo: Grant Kessler)

Food & Wine supposedly searched all over the country to track down the Best Taco Spots. Only one Chicago eatery made the cut, Big Star:

"'Tacos, whiskey, hillbilly music' is how star chef Paul Kahan describes the ultracasual Mexican spot he opened in Chicago's Wicker Park in 2009. Though he calls the place a dive (it's not), the classic tacos—excellent spit-roasted pork and beer-battered fish—are impressively fresh, and the beer list is one of the city's best. One way to battle the seemingly endless crowds: head over to the takeout window."

People are apparently really passionate about their tacos. Right now there are 2,405 comments disputing or agreeing with their picks . . .

M Burger Now Serves Breakfast & Do-Rite Donut Holes At Thompson Center Location

Breakfast at M Burger now includes Do-Rite Donuts. (Photo: M Burger)

Good news for those working in the Loop: The Thompson Center location of M Burger now serves breakfast.

But it's not just any breakfast; they've joined forces with Do-Rite Donuts to satisfy that sweet tooth with treats like the buttermilk Old Fashioned as well as assorted flavors of donut holes.

Tanqueray's Mixology Expert On Chicago's Vibrant Bar Scene, Cocktail Trends & More

Angus Winchester, global brand ambassador for Tanqueray. (Photo: Tanqueray)

I warmed up to Angus Winchester the moment he told me his favorite cocktail was The Negroni.

The dashing Englishman, who was in town last week for the Tanqueray Green Room Tour, serves as the well-known spirit's global brand ambassador, which means he is one hell of a cocktail expert.

Winchester has one of the greatest jobs on the planet: He travels the world sharing his vast knowledge of gin, cocktail culture and his experiences in the scene (The James Bond of Bartending?!). He's so popular, in fact, that he was named the Best International Brand Ambassador during last summer's Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards. On Tuesday, the talented 'tender was named Wine Enthusiast's Mixologist/Brand Ambassador of the Year.

Chicago was one of several cities on the tour he visited to conduct a number of cocktail seminars and bartender evaluations. A few hours were also set aside to hang with several of us food & drink writers at some of his favorite bars in town.

He took us to The Aviary, Sable Kitchen & Bar and Violet Hour, which he believes have some of the city's best gin cocktails. We sipped a number of classics, including the Aviation, Bee's Knees, Gimlet, and, of course, the Negroni.

During our little cocktail pub crawl, he answered a few burning questions:

Lite Bites: What Your Favorite Chefs & Mixologists Are Up To Around Town

"No Reservations" star Anthony Bourdain is coming to Chicago!

It's a very busy week. Check it out . . .

• Tickets go on sale at 10am Nov. 16 for Good vs. Evil: An Evening With Anthony Bourdain & Eric Ripert. The event happens at the Auditorium Theatre on May 9, 2013, and this thing WILL sell out immediately, so you should jump on it. The Bristol's Chris Pandel will serve some of his signature bites as part of the program.

• Eater Chicago takes a look at the good, bad and ugly of the Michelin Chicago stars for 2013, including the snubbing of Paul Virant (Perennial Virant, Vie) and Bruce Sherman (North Pond).

• The Jean Banchet Awards for Culinary Excellence nominees are in. Most interesting is that mixologist Paul McGee got a nod for Three Dots and a Dash, which hasn't opened yet. The awards will be presented on Feb. 8, 2013, at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's annual Grand Chefs Gala.

The Chicago Tribune's Phil Vettel Believes Blackbird Deserves Two Michelin Stars, Plus More Predictions

Blackbird exterior via Taste with the Eyes.

"I've argued for two years that Blackbird's one-star rating is too low; perhaps this will be the year Blackbird moves up," Vettel writes about the venerable West Loop hot spot.

The 2013 edition of the Michelin Chicago guide comes out Nov. 14, so we will just have to wait and see, but these predictions are always fun to read.

Will.I.Am, Russell Simmons, Obama Staffers Party Into Wee Hours On Election Night at Primebar

Too bad I couldn't get a photo!

President Obama campaign staffers and a host of celebs that included Russell Simmons, Will.I.Am and former Destiny's Child star Michelle Williams partied hard at Primebar following the president's election night speech at McCormick Place.

Celebrity DJ Cassidy spun the tunes as the likes of Valerie Jarrett and Obama's former right hand man, Reggie Love, finally got the opportunity to blow off some steam on the dance floor. The party went until 3:30am as guests celebrated with champagne and hors d'ouevres.

The Prez and First Lady were nowhere in sight . . .