Bar, Restaurant News for Chicagoland – Day 1

(Sarah Stegner, of Prairie Grass Cafe, will answer your cooking questions each day as well as offer curbside pickup at the restaurant)

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I’m going to use my blog as a way to collect all of the updated bar and restaurant information during the state’s mandatory shuttering of all dine-in business. Many restaurants are adding delivery and carry-out, while others (i.e. pizza joints) will obviously continue offering both of those services. If you want to send me your information, I’m happy to include it here; these posts will be amplified by my social media accounts as well as ABC 7’s social media apparatus. Stay safe, wash your hands, don’t touch your face and keep appropriate social distancing please.

Pizzeria Deville in Libertyville is moving to a take-out only model. They are running a promotion of getting a free roll of toilet paper with each order. They were among my favorite artisan pies in my book, btw.

Chef Sarah Stegner of Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook has opened a hotline to help people with common cooking questions. Every day from 2 – 4 pm CST, you can call 847-920-8437 to ask things like “how do you roast a chicken?” or “what do you make with root vegetables?” The restaurant is also offering curbside service for to-go orders. Sarah ran The Dining Room at The Ritz for years, so her advice is invaluable.

While continuing delivery through Grubhub and Doordash, the venerable Superdawg may have closed its dining rooms in the city and Wheeling locations, but their carhops will continue to serve cars by delivering orders in bags rather than on trays. Don’t forget a Whoopskidawg!

A fantastic site called Dining At a Distance has been set up, showing you which restaurants are open, which services they’re offering and which delivery services they are using. It also has their website and phone numbers. You can easily add your restaurant to this list as well.

Bittersweet (home to the world’s greatest rustic apple tart and cinnamon rolls) is limiting its hours from 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. and while the dining room is closed starting tomorrow, they’re launching a “Social Distancing” menu for pick-up and delivery; also free delivery for orders within their typical delivery range and for cafe orders within Lakeview & Lincoln Park.

Kitchfix, a healthy prepared meal delivery service, is lowering is order minimum to $20 and will deliver within its service area (since it is temporarily suspending hub pick-ups). Healthcare and restaurant industry workers will receive 40% off purchases through the end of March (email info@kitchfix.com with employment verification to receive industry-only code). In another act of generosity, they’ll sell City Press Juice through their site and pass 100% of the revenue back to City Press to help keep them afloat.

While some members of the Fifty/50 Restaurant Group (Utopian Tailgate, Portsmouth, Leviathan, The Fifty/50, Bodega) will stay shut and not offer delivery or take-out, all three of the Roots Handmade Pizza locations will offer delivery and carryout – including food and alcohol – until further notice. West Town Bakery & Tap, across from Wrigley Field, will be open 7 a.m. – 11 a.m. every day for carryout.

If you want to support local hospitality workers, Stock Mfg and Leisure Activities have launched Chicago Hospitality United, a line of tees to raise funds for Chicago’s food & beverage community. 100% of net proceeds will go toward financial relief for hourly employees. Participating businesses include: All  Together Now, Birrieria Zaragoza, Elske, Ludlow Liquors, Mott St., Passerotto and more.

Regalis Chicago, an importer/distributor of gourmet ingredients has a perishable sale list for chefs. They’re long on mushrooms, so if you’re a cook or restaurant owner, hit them up: benjamin@regalisfoods.com.

All Together Now has implemented the following initiatives: ⠀⠀⠀⠀

• Guests can walk (drive, bike or roller skate) on up to All Together Now’s “drive through window” and place an order for food, wine, cheese, olives, tinned fish, cultured butter, etc.
• Delivery of the full menu is available online.
• Family Dinner, featuring a new daily special is now available for pickup or delivery. Full menu here.
• They also launched a “Social Distance Gratuity,” all funds received will be distributed right away to the amazing cooks, servers, dishwashers, and others who keep the machine running and whose livelihoods hang in the balance.