Celebrated theme-changing restaurant Next announces 2020 menus

Grant Achatz, Nick Kokonas, and chef Edgar Tinoco have unveiled 2020’s themed menus for celebrated fine-dining restaurant Next yesterday, the Tribune reported. The first will offer “what’s exciting in Tokyo today” in broad strokes that will range from highly formalized meals to casual street-style fare, available January 25 - May 24 ($145-$185). Chefs will then move onto a Mexico City theme from May 30 - September 6 ($145-$175), and end the year with a tribute to Heston Blumenthal and his lauded Berkshire, England restaurant the Fat Duck, September 12 - January 17, 2021 ($195-$265). Ticket package sales begin at 11 a.m. November 20 on Tock.

We're pleased to announce the 2020 Next Restaurant menus: Tokyo | Mexico City | The Fat Duck This will be an amazing series spanning the globe! Season Tickets go on sale Wednesday, 11/20 with Season Ticket renewals released a day earlier on Tuesday 11/19 http://bit.ly/NEXT-SeasonTickets-2020 Posted by Next Restaurant on Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Esquire names Hyde Park’s Virtue one of the best new restaurants in America

Esquire magazine named Hyde Park’s new Southern restaurant Virtue no. 13 of the 22 best new restaurants in America, adding another accolade to chef and owner Erick Williams’ growing collection. “The entire menu at Virtue is like a spread at a family reunion piled high with dishes that inspire such love,” Esquire food and drinks editor Jeff Gordinier wrote. The restaurant also landed on Eater’s list of best new restaurants in 2019, and Williams earned a nomination for 2020’s Jean Banchet chef of the year award.

President Obama spotted dining at Gibsons Italia in the West Loop

Former President Barack Obama reportedly dined in a private room at West Loop hotspot Gibsons Italia at 233 N. Canal Street on Monday night, NBC 5 reported. Other attendees included former White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and local investor and philanthropist John Rogers, Jr., who is also chairman and CEO of Ariel Investments, LLC, the country’s largest minority-run mutual fund firm.

Honey Butter Fried Chicken and Smoque BBQ launch a spicy sandwich collaboration for disaster relief

And finally, the fried chicken experts at Honey Butter Fried Chicken have teamed up with essential barbecue spot Smoque BBQ on a new sandwich for a cause. The “Smoque n’ Hot Sandwich,” available November 19-24 at Honey Butter in Avondale, includes the restaurant’s popular fried chicken strips with Smoque’s Texas-smoked sausage, cheddar, candied jalapeno slaw, and spicy Memphis-style sauce. One dollar from each $13 sandwich sale will go to nonprofit Operation BBQ Relief, which feeds residents and emergency workers in the wake of disasters, natural or otherwise.