Spread Joy & Cheer To Those Less Fortunate At These Restaurant And Bar Holiday Events

From BIN 36's annual Bubble Bath sparkling wine party to the food drive at Publican, here's where you can spread a little joy:

• A number of the city's top pastry chefs compete in the annual Holiday Rock & Roll benefit at Cafe des Architectes. The likes of Dana Cree (Blackbird), Meg Gaulus (NoMI) and Amanda Rockman (Balena) will present their modern interpretations of the Bûche de Noël, a traditional French holiday dessert. Yours truly will serve as one of the media judges. There will also be savory appetizers, punch bowl cocktails and plenty of holiday jingles from Rod Tuffcurls and The Bench Press. Proceeds from the $35 ticket benefit Share Our Strength. 6-8pm Dec. 10.

• Indulge in three hours of all the sparkling wine you can gulp down at BIN 36's annual Bubble Bath. In addition to more than 75 bubblies, you'll get appetizers and enough desserts to send you into sugar shock. A portion of the proceeds—as well as retail sales through Dec. 31—benefit Lincoln Park Zoo. 6-9pm Dec. 12. Get the $48 tickets right here.

• The decadent turtle pie at Joe's Stone Crab is the December feature for the Pie It Forward program. Order a slice and $1 benefits the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

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

Tad Carducci and Paul Tanguay of the Tippling Bros. (Photo: Mercadito Hospitality)

Countdown to Christmas cocktails . . . and more:

• Little Market Brasserie's set to open later this month, and we're especially excited about its innovative new beverage program. Of course that program's from the dynamic duo The Tippling Bros.—who are also behind the cocktails at Mercadito and Tavernita. At LMB, they're doing what they've dubbed as "charged cocktails" with five different charger (or soda) flavors made from fresh juices, exotic teas, fruit peels, flowers and herbs. The flavors will be Meyer lemon sour, hibiscus vanilla, smoked salted cream soda, cornflower yuzu and blood orange cinnamon, and they may be combined with the guest's spirit of choice (e.g. gin, vodka, tequila, whiskey). The cocktails will be priced $10-$14. On the menu also will be a number of stirred or shaken specialties such as a Champagne Cobbler, Ginger Smash, and Bengal Sidecar of chai-infused cognac, curacao, lemon, blood orange, and a Bengali Tiger IPA Float.

• Curtis Duffy, Michael Muser and the team at Grace have to be ecstatic and anxious at the same time. The long-awaited, fine-dining restaurant finally has an opening date: Dec. 11.

• Save Chrissy Camba! The Bar Pastoral exec chef was sent packing her knives on "Top Chef" last week, but here's a way to bring her back on the show. Don't forget that she was the only Chicago chef on this season!

• Speaking of "Top Chef" contestants, former fiery contender Heather Terhune of Sable Kitchen & Bar has teamed up with Falafill to create an exclusive Mediterranean treat, the December Chefs for Charity Wrap. For every wrap purchased, $1 will be donated to Purple Asparagus, a charity dedicated to nutritional education for families.

All About The Bubbly: Champagne Cocktails And Where To Drink Sparkling Wine Around Town

(Photo: Freddy Love)

'Tis the season to indulge in sparkling wine.

To be honest, drinking Champagne is somewhat of a national pasttime for many of you glamorous types, but it just feels a little more special during the holidays.

For those who enjoy the classic Champagne cocktail, we asked several of Chicago's top mixologists to add sexy new twists such as Blackbird's Lynn House and The Maiden and the Huntsman. It's a fascinating concoction of Campo de Encanto Pisco, Pernod absinthe and house-made pear/caraway nectar that's topped with sparkling wine.

Sneak Previews Of Two New Menus You Don't Want To Miss: Roka Akor, Municipal Bar + Dining Co.

Roka Akor's robata grilled Alaskan halibut with chile miso butter. (Photo: Roka Akor)

Here's a first look at two menus you'll crave this season: the six-course winter kaiseki from Roka Akor and a sampling of what to expect at Municipal Bar + Dining Company when it opens Dec. 15.

Roka Akor Executive Chef Ce Bian unveils the traditional multi-course Japanese menu Wednesday. It's $85 per person and highlights some tasty seasonal, exotic and local ingredients:

First course: oyster trio of Kumamoto with ponzu mignonette, fresh chive, lime; Hama Hama tempura with chile ginger, parsley puree, shaved vegetables; roasted oyster with yuzu koshu soy butter

Second course: flame-seared uni nigiri; truffled hotate nigiri; chef's special sashimi selection

Third course: gobo soup with root vegetables

Fourth course: robata-grilled Alaskan halibut with chile miso butter, parsnip chips and micro green salad

Fifth course: robata-grilled Wagyu confit short rib with truffle maitake mushroom; robata-grilled sweet potato with ginger teriyaki sauce

Dessert: apple tartare with fig puree and sancho pepper cream; toasted rice ice cream

If Roka Akor's menu is a little too out there for you, Municipal Bar + Dining Co.'s might be more up your alley. Executive Chef Jeffery Arasi once cooked for the Queen of England (at The Savoy Hotel in London), but don't expect any fussy fixin's at this upscale sports lounge. Just so you know, I'm particularly excited about the braised lamb shank that comes with truffled white corn grits.

Here's a sampling of what to expect when it opens later this month:

Vegan 'Yelper' Unleashes Fury On Next Restaurant's 2013 Season Of Menus

A little dramatic much?!

Next exec chef Dave Beran recently unveiled to GrubStreet Chicago of what to expect for the 2013 season of menus.

The "Hunt," which launches in early January, focuses on wild game as well as various kinds of plants and vegetables native to the Midwest. Following that will be "Vegan," which Beran says "showcases the flavors of vegetables."

As you can see above, the Yelper, vegan Howard F., didn't like the idea of an all-vegan feast following a game-heavy theme.

Erin Hayes Bids Adieu To Perennial Virant; Joins The Cocktail Program At La Sirena Clandestina

Photo of Erin Hayes via Time Out Chicago.

It's the last week at Perennial Virant for beverage director Erin Hayes, whose last day of work is Saturday.

Next week, she'll start a new gig over at the red-hot La Sirena Clandestina, which is so poppin' right now that it was reviewed by the Chicago Tribune and Time Out Chicago within 24 hours. She'll work on the team with head bartender Justin Anderson.

Shop . . . Then Drop Into One Of These Delightful In-House Dining Destinations

The Walnut Room's famous chicken pot pie. (Photo: Macy's State Street)

When you're in a zone—a shopping zone in this case—the last thing you want to do is stop and think about where you're going to grab a bite.

Lucky for you, a number of prominent retail department stores, luxury boutiques and others have taken this dilemma into account so that customers don't have to succumb to the evils of fast-food joints.

You can go the "ladies who lunch" route and check out Fred's at Barneys New York or treat some very special little girls to a day they'll never forget at American Girl Café.

Looking for more places where you can drop those bags and chow down in-house?! Here are some of my favorites around town.

Electric Diner—Au Cheval's 'Big Sister'—Opens In London In Early December

Electric Diner, Sodikoff Restaurant Group's first venue outside of Chicago, opens in London in early December. (Photos: Sodikoff Restaurant Group)

Remember way back in July when 312DD revealed that Sodikoff Restaurant Group was opening a restaurant in London?!

SRG CEO Brendan Sodikoff tells 312DD to think of Electric Diner, which debuts in the trendy Notting Hill 'hood on Dec. 3, as "Au Cheval's big sister."

According to Electric Diner's website, the menu will highlight some of Au Cheval's top sellers, including the "fried house-made bologna sandwich, roasted bone marrow with beef cheek marmalade, cheeseburger, and honey-fried chicken with chilli and sesame seeds. There's a dedicated eggs section on the menu, while deserts include toffee date cake and a pie of the day." There's also a number of classic cocktails, including a Hemingway Daiquiri, bloody Mary and Old Fashioned that have been popular at the West Loop restaurant.

Hey, if you're in London anytime soon, check it out. In the meantime, here are a couple of interior shots: