Restaurant Week Chicago 2013

Restaurant Week Chicago 2013

Compared to New York and LA, Chicago is still considered the more conservative cousin but with its impressive lineup of provocative, push-the-envelope restaurants, this jewel of the Midwest has no competition. If sampling the culinary delights of some of the city’s leading grub hubs, but at a fraction of their regular cost, is at the top of your To Do list, you are in luck.

Beginning February 1st, Chicago Restaurant Week 2013 rages into town. For ten days, this gastronomic celebration showcases a plethora of prix fixe menus and allows you VIP access to more than 250 of the best restaurants, from French bistros to Texas-style steakhouses and every cuisine in between, and with a price tag you ‘re sure to savor –  $22 for lunch and $33/$44 for dinner (excludes beverages, tax and gratuity). Act quick though and make reservations so you don’t miss out. For more information and a list of participating restaurants, click HERE.

Want more bites for your buck? Head to Chicago Union Station on Thursday, January 24th for Chicago Restaurant Week 2013’s kick-off food fête, First Bites Bash. Hosted by celebrated chef Dirk Flanigan, the event showcases the inspired cuisine of fifty dining destinations and guests can meet some of the city’s leading chefs including Piccolo Sogno’s Tony Priolo, Nellcôte’s Jared Van Camp, Chicago Q’s Lee Ann Whippen, and IPO’s Trevor Hoyte (winner of Curbed Chicago’s “Hottest Chef in Chicago” 2012), to name a few. Tickets cost $95; a portion of the proceeds will benefit Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation. To purchase tickets, click HERE.

Kerry Shorr, Contributing Writer