Category Archives: News and Happenings
Restaurant Deals and Discounts All Over Chicago
We just found the newest
Restaurant Discount Club!
It’s called VILLAGE VINES .
“VillageVines gives food lovers access to preferred pricing with their city’s most popular restaurants. We make your dining experiences more convenient and more affordable, and we do so by partnering with the best dining establishments – from the restaurant icons to the up and coming gems.”
Here’s how it works:
- Each day we highlight a handful of restaurants from among our carefully curated list of the best spots in your city
- You choose where to dine and use us to make your party’s reservation before the offer expires
- You pay $10 to secure your exclusive pricing (typically 30% off your party’s entire bill – food and drink!)
- Your discount is applied to your bill at meal’s end – no coupons, no phone calls and no hassles!
How cool is that?
Check out Village Vines today !
Crew Bar + Grill’s 5th Annual Charity Chili Contest January 29th
The annual chili contest lets patrons sample ten different chili recipes for a $10.00 donation to the Edgewater based non-profit, Care for Real . Organized by the Edgewater Community Council, Care for Real is a volunteer operated food pantry and social services group supported by donations from the community.
Wayne Johnson won the NBC Today Show’s “Domestic Diva” contest in 2004 and has since gone on to become a regular contributor to Chicago’s NBC affiliate with his weekly “Wayne’s Weekend” segments, a mix of home and lifestyle tips and events in the Chicago area.
This year will mark Wayne Johnson’s first as celebrity guest host of the Charity Chili Contest. “We are overjoyed to have Wayne, a true Chicago original, as host for the event this year,” Steve Milford, co-owner of Crew Bar + Grill, said, “ but more importantly, we hope to raise even more money for Care For Real this year than we did last year.” Crew’s 2009 Charity Chili Contest raised over $400 and the 2010 Contest raised more than $500. “I’d really like to see us top that by another hundred this year and keep the trend going. In these tough economic times, we’d like to raise as much as possible for Care for Real. So they can continue doing all their good work.”
Patrons are encouraged to enter their recipes for the Chili Contest as soon as possible. Only ten entrants will be allowed, and prizes will be awarded for the best chili recipe, $100 in cash, and the category for best presentation of your chili, the “Christopher Lowell award”, which nets a $50 Crew gift card. “Aside from the great food, I look forward to the clever ways contestants dress up their chili. In years past, we’ve had a tailgate party theme, space odyssey, cosmic chili, and last year’s winner the 60’s inspired Mad Men housewives, who served their chili in martini glasses. Our contestants get really creative with it,” Brian Wells, Crew Bar + Grill co-owner, had to say of the contest’s best presentation award.
Crew Bar + Grill, located at Broadway and Lawrence, is Chicago’s premiere, award winning gay sports bar. In 2010, Mike Sullivan and Mark Robertson joined the business as co-owners alongside Steve Milford and Brian Wells. Now well into its sixth year, Crew has become a fixture of the Uptown entertainment district with a mix of big games on over 20 HD, flat screen televisions and great food and drinks.
Crew Bar + Grill 4804 N Broadway
Best Gay Chicago.com
Queen of Cuchi Cuchi…CHARO Comes to Chicago!
Charo is coming to Chicago!
Charo is a household name. Instantly recognizable for her witty humor, loveable accent and her mastery of the flamenco guitar, it is Charo’s trademark expression, “Cuchi-Cuchi ,” which has endeared her to the world and made the name Charo synonymous with fun and excitement.
Only a few people in show business are recognized by just one name. Charo is one of them. She one of the few who’s name brings a smile to everyone’s face. She’s one of the few who deserve to be called a Master Performer.
Since the 70’s, Charo, the musician, singer, comedienne, stage and screen performer, has been an integral proponent of contemporary Latin music. The spotlight on Charo has been shining brighter than ever since her acceptance of the Female Pop Album of the Year Award. She received this accolade at the Billboard International Latin Music Conference for her flamenco inspired platinum album, Guitar Passion .
Across the world, Charo is back on the Billboard charts with her latest single dance club hit – España Cañí , the traditional bullfighting song.
Charo teamed up with top-name DJs (including Julian Marsh and Twisted Dee), and producers from around the world, who added their own dance mixes to her virtuoso guitar performance and ended up with what’s become a huge hit at dance clubs around the world and earned Charo a 2009 World Dance Music Award Nomination.
She has been playing all over Las Vegas to sold out audiences and nightly standing ovations! She is currently on tour and making a stop in Chicago May 14th, at Moraine Valley Community College! (Just minutes from downtown in Palos Hills).
Tickets ARE SELLING FAST! This show WILL sell out! Don’t miss your only chance to see Charo in the Chicago area.
Get tickets now .
Moraine Valley Community College, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills, IL 60465-0937
Best Gay Chicago.com
Snowball is the new Champagne Wrapture for Chicago House, January 27
Thursday, January 27, 2011
High above the city, on the 80th floor of the AON Tower, an artic blast of bubbly awaits you!
Hit the snow-capped slopes and join Veuve Clicquot and Co-Chairs David Kaufman, Tom Segal, Matthew Harvat, Scott Silverman, and Christopher Hubbard for Champagne Wrapture Snowball 2011: Clicquot in the Snow.
Bubbly treats and specialty cocktails by Veuve Clicquot, Belvedere Vodka, and Grand Marnier. Live Jazz by Erin McDougald and Snow Bunny Fashion Trunk Show. Champagne Wrapture Snowball Tickets Online
Date: Thursday, January 27, 2011 Time: 6PM
Where: The Mid-America Club, 200 East Randolph Dr.,
80th Floor, Chicago IL
Tickets: $75 Advance/$85 At Door
Attire: Stylish Snow Bunny,
Wear Your Best Winter Whites!
See you there!
Best Gay Chicago.com
Fred Garbo’s Inflatable Theater Comes to Chicago Jan. 23
onto the stage and implodes.
A globulating red cube
takes on a life of its own.
The ballerina’s skirt grows
and grows until it engulfs her
and spirits her away.
The duo of pneumatic wizard Fred Garbo and Brazilian ballerina Daielma Santos has performed around the world with their inflatable inventions. You will be mesmerized by the artistic imagery and creative foolishness as Garbo and Santos perform fast-paced, energetic, clever, and universally engaging theatrical pieces.
YOU HAVE TO SEE IT!
WATCH THE VIDEO CLIP !
“…skillful…joyful…buoyant entertainment!”
GARBO INFLATABLE THEATER SUNDAY JANUARY 23rd GET TICKETS NOW ! $20
ALSO, DON’T MISS
CHARO !! coming May 14th !! $35
Charo is a household name. Instantly recognizable for her witty humor, loveable accent and her mastery of the flamenco guitar, it is Charo’s trademark expression, “Cuchi-Cuchi,” which has endeared her to the world and made the name Charo synonymous with fun and excitement.
Moraine Valley Community College
9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills, IL 60465-0937
JUST MINUTES FROM THE CITY!!
Civil Union Community Forum This Thursday at Center on Halsted
The second EQIL
Civil Union Community Forum
will be held this Thursday,
December 16 at 6:00pm
at Center on Halsted.
EQIL CEO Bernard Cherkasov and Director of Public Policy Rick Garcia will be leading the discussion and question-and-answer session.
What: EQIL Civil Union Community Forum
When: Thursday, December 16 at 6:00pm
Where: Center on Halsted
(3656 N. Halsted Street–3rd floor auditorium)
If you have any questions,
please call 773-477-7173.
We look forward to seeing you on Thursday!
*P.S. To celebrate the passage of the civil union bill, community forum attendees will receive discounted access (just $10) to Alien Queen, Scooty & JoJo’s audacious parody of Hollywood’s most terrifying sci-fi franchise, complete with enormous alien puppets, a multi-talented genderbending cast, a laser light show, and a four-piece rock band covering the legendary songs of Queen. Alien Queen will take place at Circuit Nightclub, opposite Center on Halsted, at 7:30pm on Thursday.
Talbott Teas of Chicago Gets Blessed by Oprah
hand of GOD!
When Oprah gives you her blessing, it’s the Midas Touch! You are then destined for greatness!
Such is the case a couple weeks ago, when she aired not one, but TWO specials of her Favorite Things, where she showers the lucky audience with gifts.
Chicago men Shane Talbott and Steven Nakisher, partners in business and in life, experienced that once-in-a-lifetime business boom when their company, Talbott Teas, was tagged as one of Oprah’s favorite things this year.
Nakisher said. ” We are so grateful for this opportunity. This is truly a dream come true. Orders are pouring in from around the world. It’s been amazing. We are just busy filling orders and loving it. Our office feels like Santa’s Workshop.”
Talbott, 38, and Nakisher, 41, have been partners for 14 years and live together in Lakeview.
In 2008, when Oprah launched her Chicago store, the duo approached her, knowing she was an avid tea drinker. They offered to create her a special blend for her store.
“I went right to my lab and got to work,” Talbott said. “I had so many great ideas and had dozens of ideas for tea blends inspired by many of Oprah’s favorite things. After much sampling and editing, I narrowed it down to six blends that I wanted to present to her.
“My assumption was that she would take a look at the options and decide on one to be a featured blend at the store. To my surprise, she loved all six and said we could make all of them. I was blown away. Those six tea blends have been in The Oprah Store since it opened.”
Then, this past October, the two got a call from one of the producers of the show. It was The Call.
“It was a Friday just after 5 p.m., and we were trying to decide where to go for dinner,” Nakisher said. “I answered the phone and the producer said, ‘Congratulations! Ms. Winfrey has chosen Talbott Teas as one of her Favorite Things!’ ”
Talbott and Nakisher had about a month to prepare for The Oprah Effect—and it truly has been a whirlwind, they said.
When you make one of my teas, you make a statement. Like a silk-taffeta
cocktail dress on a runway model, Talbott Teas are steeped in style.
Elegant. Chic. Glamorous. Shane Talbott
You can also read more at Windy City Online
One Man Does it All during ‘A Christmas Carol’ at Moraine Valley
as one frantic stage-manager-turned-actor presents the entire Dickens classic…ALONE!
Scott Lynch Giddings gives a compelling solo performance in this holiday classic. Not unlike the way Charles Dickens performed his story in Victorian England, Mr. Giddings focuses on the classic art of storytelling. Using his voice and mannerisms, Giddings brings life to Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Jacob Marley and the remarkable ghosts found in the greatest Christmas story of all time.
Moraine Valley Community College’s Theater for Young Audiences will perform “One Man Christmas Carol” Sunday, December 12, at 2 p.m., in the Dorothy Menker Theater, in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, on campus, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for children.
This family show is a glimpse as to what would happen if the touring company of “A Christmas Carol” didn’t show up, and the stage manager had to go on with the show anyway. Watch in awe as actor Scott Lynch-Giddings attempts to play every role in the show.
Tickets for “One Man Christmas Carol” and other upcoming performances can be purchased at Moaraine Valley , by calling (708) 974-5500, or at the Box Office located on the south end of the Fine and Performing Arts Center. Moraine valley is just MINUTES from downtown Chicago.
Singer Jay Brannan in Chicago Friday December 10th
is an openly gay musician, singer, songwriter with a voice and has a musical ability that matches his exceptional good looks and natural ability. You may have seen him in Short Bus or Holding Trevor.
While he is gay, he does not like being labeled as such, “I hate having my sexual orientation used as a title or a genre. It pisses me off. I just want to be a regular musician like anyone else.
When Lisa Loeb sings, she’s singing about her life, her relationships, her experiences. No one ever says she’s singing “straight songs” or that she’s singing about “straight issues”. No one ever says that Whitney Houston’s or Seal’s songs are about “what it’s like being a black person”. At the end of the day, we’re all the same and we all go through the same shit. The rest is just details.”
“I disagree that any of my songs “describe gay relationships”. I don’t think that the singer’s gender and the gender of the other character(s) in the song really affect what the song is about, and I hope we are closing in on the day that people can see that.”
His first full length album was Goddamned in 2008, followed by In Living Cover in 2009. Jay says he is influenced by Lisa Loeb, Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, Bjork, Sinead O’connor, Joni Mitchell and Jack Daniels! “In terms of my music, I feel like it’s pretty representative of me. It’s pretty cynical, it’s pretty dark, it’s pretty honest. That’s who I am. But for some reason, people can accept it in music. ”Oh, I relate to it so much. Thanks for saying all the things I’ve been thinking. I thought I was the only one.” Etcetera. And then they turn right back around and they’re like, ”Why are you so sad all the time? Can’t you smile more?” I want to be like, ”You can have one or the other.” If I was that person everyone seems to want me to be, the music would be very different. And probably no one would care.”
“Pretty much everything I write comes from my own reality. Anger and pain and frustration are my main motivating factors for writing, and I try to be as honest and accurate in my lyrics as I can. That’s not to say every song is a complete literal account of a real life event, though some are. Sometimes I combine a couple different relationships or experiences into one song, but make it all one story for the sake of the song. Or sometimes you take an emotion or sentiment and magnify it a little to make it more interesting. You only have three or four minutes, so sometimes you make adjustments so that each song is coherent in such a small amount of words, but it definitely is a patchwork of reality. That’s my goal, anyway.”
Everything about Jay Brannan’s young career is improbable. Defying legions of critics both personal and professional, he has managed to build a shockingly dedicated following in a very non-traditional way.
Though kicked out of acting school for alleged lack of ability, he entered the film arena with a standout performance in 2005’s Shortbus , and achieved rising cult star status upon the film’s worldwide release. Urged to “play it straight” during his Southern upbringing, he has become a lightning rod for castaways by simply being himself: a neurotic and inspiring mess. In 2007, Logo aired his first video .
A self-described loner and a passionate insomniac, Jay found himself spending countless hours on the Internet cultivating his online networks and answering emails from around the globe. His burgeoning online following tipped when he posted a 3:00 a.m. laptop performance of “Soda Shop” on YouTube, which found itself featured on the website’s homepage and has since been viewed 1.5 million times. “I was a random guy at home fucking around with his computer, thinking no one would ever watch the video if I posted it. I guess I was wrong.”
He has gone on to post every new song as it’s been written. These online videos have accumulated millions of plays and their response has given Brannan the confidence to take his musical ambitions full time.
“I’m just a little bit honored that people relate to my music at all and feel the impulse to even write me to tell me that. The feedback is partly what keeps me doing it. When I write songs and play them, it’s never really for other people, or what other people think. It’s really my way of expressing myself, or giving voice to thoughts that have been racing around in my head for years and years. At the same time, the feedback and some of the validation has kept me pursuing it as a career, because that part is really, really tough.”
JAY BRANNAN IN CHICAGO Friday, December 10th!
@ SUBTERRANEAN 2011 W. NORTH AVE. 773-278-6600
DOORS @ 9:00 PM SHOW @ 9:30 PM | 17 & OVER
TICKETS: $15.00 BUY TICKETS ONLINE! Last years show SOLD OUT!
Jay Brannon.com
Jay on MySpace
Jay on Facebook
Jay Brannan on YouTube
Best Gay Chicago.com
Red Dress Brunch at Cocktail Sunday December 12
is a national event dedicated to creating awareness and visibility for the HIV/AIDS movement and raising funds for organizations that provide vital community services.
The CHICAGO RED DRESS PARTY
will take place April 16th, 2011.
This Sunday, December 12th, join Best Gay Chicago.com as we help kick off a series of mini pre-parties and benefits! RED DRESSS BRUNCH takes place this Sunday at Cocktail, 3359 N. Halsted, from 12-3pm.
Come join us for brunch! Dine out and drink and help a great cause!
“Raise Your Glass” to end HIV/AIDS. Enjoy some fantastic brunch and drink specials will be – $1 Cocktails, $2 Mimosas and $3 Raspberry Long Islands.
20% of proceeds will be donated to Chicago Red Dress Party which supports AIDS Foundations of Chicago and Equality Project.
Join us on Facebook
Best Gay Chicago.com
GayCo Presents SCREAM If You Love Christmas!
GayCo – Chicago’s premier LGBT-comedy company has more than Kindles and AppleTVs to set beneath the tree this year. Their second original holiday revue, SCREAM IF YOU LOVE CHRISTMAS, unwraps like an explosion of tinsel-laden satire on the one time of year that has everyone shrieking . . . in ecstasy or pain. Hear what it’s like to be on the Dickensian down low. Join the white elephant circle of re-gifting. Share the discomfort of being around your birth family when your loved ones are states away. It’s Jesus, Mary and Joseph in the age of Twitter, Facebook and Grindr. And it will make you scream.
Scream If You Love Christmas
Directed by Katie Watson, Musical Direction by Jeff Poindexter
Written and Performed by Kelly Beeman, Jim Bennett, Kathy Betts, Judy Fabjance, Clay Goodpasture, Vincent Kracht, and Homer Marrs, with additional material by Andy Eninger and John Loos.
Runs
Thursdays @ 8:00 pm, December 9 through 30@
Annoyance Theatre, 4830 N. Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640(Broadway at Lawrence, Red Line Lawrence stop, #36 bus to Lawrence)
$15 tickets can be purchased at the door or online at TheAnnoyance.com .
About GayCo Productions: GayCo Productions is the home for comedy where gay is the given, not the punch line. Born at the famed Second City in 1996, GayCo advances the gay agenda through subversive satire by creating high-quality shows for Chicago audiences. GayCo also sends the comedy to the people with a touring ensemble, online videos, and short films. In 2011, GayCo will present a spring revue for the ladies, “Breast in Show,” a new summer revue, and a solo piece on issues related to aging in the gay community. For more information, visit GayCo.com .
Chicago Takes Off Kickoff Event on December 5
Chicago competed for the title
of “Chicago’s Sexiest,”
in Test Positive Aware Network’s (TPAN)
Bar-lesque fundraising event and online
strip-a-thon which took place throughout November.
Bars competing in the competition included Angelina Ristorante, Atmosphere, The Call, Cell Block, Cocktail, Hydrate, Jackhammer, Minibar, Roscoe’s, Sidetrack, Spin, Touche, and the Velvet Rope. In total, the bars and contestants raised a total of $21,305 to support TPAN’s HIV/AIDS programs and services.
The winner will be crowned at the official kickoff extravaganza for Chicago Takes Off to be held Sunday, December 5 at 4 p.m. at Scarlet Bar, located at 3320 N. Halsted.
“In its third year, we’re delighted to raise an amazing amount of money for TPAN,” said Dan Paterno, co-chair of the events. “We truly value the fundraising efforts of everyone who’s been involved with Bar-lesque this year and the volunteers who have put so much time and effort into the events.”
The online competition ended at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, November 30 with one winner cinching the title, a mere $360 more than the second place contestant. TPAN has announced that the Web site, BAR LESQUE , will re-launch on Monday, December 6 to give donors an opportunity to contribute end of the year donations and continue supporting their favorite bar staff.
Chicago Takes Off: Lido des Boyz
Sunday’s crowning and Chicago Takes Off kickoff event will feature statuesque performers in themed regalia to launch ticket and raffle sales for the main event, which will be held on Saturday, March 5, 2011 in two shows, 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., at the Park West.
In its fifth year, the Chicago Takes Off theme is “LIDO des Boyz,” which is sure to tease audiences with the enchantment and exhilaration of Paris’s famed Lido Cabaret, all in support of TPAN’s mission of providing HIV/AIDS programs and services. Macy’s has joined the 2011 spring event as the presenting sponsor.
For tickets and information about Chicago Takes Off, log on to Chicago Takes Off .
BREAKING NEWS – CIVIL UNIONS Will Now Become Legal in ths State of Illinois!!
WE WON!
We did it! Just moments ago, the Illinois State Senate passed the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act with a vote of 32 to 24!
The bill will now go to Governor Quinn, who has promised to sign it into law. Once signed into law, civil unions will be available to Illinoisans effective July 1, 2011.
On that date, thousands of same-sex couples in Illinois will have access to protections that were previously denied to them, such as emergency medical decision-making, hospital visitation, inheritance rights, and others. This is a historic moment for our State, and we would not have been able to get here without the extraordinary leadership of the bill’s chief sponsors, State Representative Greg Harris and State Senator David Koehler. Many of our partner organizations and community leaders devoted endless energy to helping pass this bill. Clergy all around Illinois educated their congregations and even prayed for elected officials to understand the urgency of the protection that civil unions offers. And our supporters from every corner of the State participated by contacting lawmakers, canvassing, phonebanking, writing letters, and making contributions. This is your victory too.
Thank you for supporting Equality Illinois and our mission to achieve full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
Sincerely,
Bernard Cherkasov
Chief Executive Officer
P.S. We can only succeed in our mission with your support. Please make a contribution today.
LIKE Howard Brown on Facebook and They Get $25!
Just to go the Howard Brown
Facebook page
and LIKE them.
And they get $25 from
an anonymous donor!
How easy is that?! And it costs you NOTHING! Tell all your friends! They need 1000 people to LIKE them and the get $25,000!
Best Gay Chicago.com
Breaking News – Civil Unions for Chicago and Illinois is One Step Closer
PASSES IN ILLINOIS!
THE CIVIL RIGHTS AGENDA
& LGBT CHANGE MOVE
FORWARD WITH MARRIAGE
EQUALITY IN ILLINOIS
Springfield, Illinois – Tuesday, November 30, 2010 – Today, the Illinois House of Representatives voted to pass the Illinois Religious Freedom and Civil Union Act by a vote of 61 to 52. After passage by the Senate (hopefully this week) and being signed by Governor Quinn, the Act will take effect July 2011.
With this vote, the Illinois General Assembly has taken one more step towards equality in Illinois. “Today the Illinois House of Representatives made history,” stated Anthony Martinez, Executive Director of The Civil Rights Agenda and Co-Executive Director of LGBT Change. “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) families in Illinois have gained desperately needed protections that surround the most personal times of our lives. With this victory, The Civil Rights Agenda (TCRA) and LGBT Change have verified that our strategy is effective and impacted this vote for the better.”
TCRA and LGBT Change have already shown that their grassroots approach to organizing the community and working with allies has been effective. In the last election, The Civil Rights Agenda Fund and LGBT Change, working in coordination with a number of allied groups, reached nearly 70,000 LGBT friendly voters and saw a 75% turn-out in targeted precincts across Illinois. The organizations also identified specific races where the stakes were high for LGBT civil rights, and impacted the outcome by driving voters to the polls. As civil unions came close to a vote, TCRA and LGBT Change used their grassroots strategy to mobilize hundreds of volunteers, made close to 20,000 calls to constituents in target legislative districts and had a continuous lobbying presence in Springfield.
“When our organizations became engaged in this issue, we realized that Representative Harris, the Chief Sponsor of the Bill, was diligently working in the absence of support from the community and was lacking support from community organizations in critical areas. Immediately we deployed a legislative team and began working to secure votes on both sides of the aisles,” said Lowell Jaffe, Political Director of The Civil Rights Agenda.
LGBT Change and The Civil Rights Agenda will be working together to ensure that those Legislators that voted ‘NO’ will be exposed, targeted and defeated. We will also ensure that the Legislators that stood by the LGBT Community will be thanked and protected.
The Illinois Religious Freedom and Civil Union Act will grant the same benefits, obligations and responsibilities of marriage, under state law, while protecting the rights of religious institutions to define marriage as they choose. The major benefits include hospital visitation, healthcare decision making, disposition of a deceased loved one’s remains and probate rights. Civil unions would be available to any couple, same-sex or opposite-sex, in a committed relationship who are: 18 years of age or older, not in an existing marriage or civil union, and are not related. The Act will also provide for the dissolution of civil unions in the same way as divorce. This Act will take effect July 2011.
“We are finally on the bus,” said Jacob Meister, President of The Civil Rights Agenda, “but we will keep fighting until we are no longer relegated to the back. For too long the leadership in the LGBT community has been willing to accept ‘separate but equal’ status. The Civil Rights Agenda and LGBT Change’s success with civil unions proves that if we continue to organize and build coalitions, we will reach a point of full civil rights for all people.”
Additionally, The Civil Rights Agenda and LGBT Change will now turn their efforts to marriage as a matter of full equality. “It’s time to open a new chapter and start the march toward full marriage equality,” Matty Zaradich, Co-Executive Director of LGBT Change added, “We won’t drink from a separate water fountain; we won’t accept ‘separate-but-equal’ treatment, and we won’t tolerate a government that discriminates against its own citizens.”
World of Chocolate is Back December 2nd!
World of Chocolate
Thursday, December 2, 2010
6:00 to 10:00 p.m.
Hilton Chicago
(720 S. Michigan Ave.)
World of Chocolate is the AIDS Foundation of Chicago’s (AFC) annual holiday fundraising event held in commemoration of World AIDS Day. At this festive event, guests will sample scrumptious chocolate creations from more than 30 of Chicagoland’s finest restaurants, caterers, and chocolatiers. It is THE holiday event of the season, not to be missed!
Chocolate vendors creating the delicacies will compete for top honors in several categories as judged by local celebrities. Other components of the evening include entertainment, a raffle, an open bar, and a light buffet.
Chocolate Bliss Recipe Challenge
Event guests can submit their own original chocolate recipe for consideration in the first annual Chocolate Bliss Recipe Challenge, to recipes @ aidschicago.org.
A panel of professional chocolatiers and chefs from the event will select the top recipe of choice – which will be announced at World of Chocolate 2010.
Come and meet one of the most innovative chocolatiers of all time. Fritz Knipschildt, a native of Denmark, moved to the USA in 1996 and founded Knipschildt Chocolatier LLC in 1999 and café Chocopologie in 2005. (In Norwalk, Connecticut) His European background, the formal education as a Chef in Denmark along with his training in France and Spain, have blended with his American experiences to influence his chocolate & confections. The AIDS Foundation of Chicago is proud to welcome Fritz as the 2010 Honorary Chair and Celebrity Judge for World of Chocolate.
General Admission tickets $100 now, $125 at the door.
Best Gay Chicago
Q The Series – LGBT Comedy and Queer Life
It’s a comedy about queer life on campus that addresses a wide range of topics in the LGBT community and how our generation deals with them — the main characters include trans, bisexual, pansexual, and homosexual guys and girls.
Being a comedy, the show focuses on the positive aspects of living in a community and generation that’s closer to accepting queer lifestyles, but also addresses the natural tensions that can arise.
Currently, it is still in production (for an online release and advanced screening next spring), but they are trying to get awareness out now and already have a trailer for the series up online.
The show is produced completely by students in the city, mostly from Columbia University, and is a non-profit endeavor. Funding has been generously provided by the Gatsby Foundation (providing many on-campus arts grants), and equipment has been donated by Columbia University Film Productions (an undergraduate film club). The remaining funding will hopefully be raised through our Kickstarter account.
It’s the aim of the cast and crew to spread awareness of the different lifestyles that exist in our generation — we really want to show the fun side of being a young adult in this new cultural era. Our production team is working to make the best show out of everything we’ve got.
The show will be shooting over the month of January, and is planned for release over the months of March and April. The first few episodes of the show will be screened to our supporters and crew in New York City before the release of the series.
Check out Q The Series ! Also join them on Facebook!
Best Gay New York
Best New Brunch in Boystown – EVERYDAY at Cocktail
Dreamsicles, go-go gods and
$1 drinks on Sundays,
now Cocktail is becoming known
for the best DAILY Brunch in Boystown.
This is NOT bar food, mind you. It’s American Seasonal, good quality foods and flavors. The menu serves brunch, bites, salads and sandwiches daily, everyday, 11am-10pm, with Brunch everyday 11am-4pm.
Erin Baker, their food director says,”I really wanted to stay away from typical bar food and fried foods. I insisted we do not have a fryer in the kitchen! Instead things are baked, roasted, toasted and grilled. One of our cooks makes an amazing Southern Fried Chicken, that is NOT fried!”
While the menu stays basically the same, the preparations will vary. For instance Eggs Benedict will frequently change as does the Waffle stylings.
Owner Geno Zaharakis says “I love to cook! And I found this recipe years ago in a NorthShore Cookbook. And over the years have tinkered and played with it. People LOVE IT!”
And he added, “While the menu stays basically the same, we make changes on some of the preparations and will offer specials. Last week we did a Southern flare theme with corn bread, grits and collard greens and people loved it.
And in the coming months, they are launching a lot of theme brunches and special events. And of course, next April, the outdoor patio will return. But we have also been booking a lot of special parties in the new back bar. And Erin helps work on special menu’s for the guests.”
Sunday December 5th, hostess Phyllis launches
First Sundays Brunch
Sunday December 12th, Red Dress Party Chicago hosts
a launch party for their upcoming April 2011 event.
Sunday December 19th, is the Howard Brown Benefit Brunch. $25 prix fixe brunch with proceeds going to Howard Brown.
(also on Monday December 6th – Cocktail will donate all the proceeds , all day to Howard Brown! PLUS get HALF-OFF that day!!)
In January, longtime favorite bartender Val will kick off Opera Brunches on January 9th and Geno said he is planning on Gospel Brunches, the third Sunday of each month, starting in January. Even though all of these brunch special events take place on Sundays, I just love the fact they have brunch available EVERY DAY of the week!
Most of the food items run $7-$12. So it’s very affordable and the portions are nice.
Insider tips!
-On Tuesdays check out their $2 TACOS!
-If you catch Mark on duty, you have to try his Special Pomegranite and Champagne drink!
-The Artichoke Terrine dip makes a great snack anytime!
View the whole menu online . Take out is available.
Cocktail is located 3359 N. Halsted Street at the corner of Halsted and Roscoe
773-477-1420
Best Gay Chicago
Cupcakes Cookies And Delicious Dessert Gifts to Benefit Chicago House
Nothing Says Happy Holidays
Like Sweet Miss Giving’s Bakery!
Have you started making your holiday gift list?
It’s just WEEKS AWAY!!
Whether you are shopping for a foodie, a party host, or coffee enthusiast, the perfect gift is waiting at Sweet Miss Giving’s Bakery.
This year, Sweet Miss Giving’s has created a wide array of gift boxes which include everything from spicy ginger and molasses cookies to red velvet cupcakes topped with creamy white icing. Are you attending a holiday party this year? Let Sweet Miss Giving’s deliver brownies, cheesecakes, or gourmet coffee right to the host’s door so you can effortlessly attend holiday parties while showing your gratitude.
Sweet Miss Giving’s Bakery and Gifting is a premier bakery and jobs program that offers rich, decadent baked goods while providing a new reason to feel good about sweet indulgences: over 50% of all profits go to help the formerly homeless and HIV/AIDS-affected men, women, and children of Chicago House.
Call 312-575-0212 to place your order or visit Sweet Miss Givings to purchase online.
Check out their holiday gift brochure .
Sweet Miss Giving’s Bakery-the Unquestionably Kind,
Unreasonably Good way to give this holiday season!
