Our inbox has been flooded with Halloween events, dinners, experiences and special cocktails. If you're looking to spook up your dining this weekend, check out some of these events. more ›

Ahhh, we remember this passion fruit drink from our visit to Nacional 27's kitchen. There's no doubt about it - Adam Seger mixes up a mean cocktail. He'll be teaching Passion Fruit Cocktails tonight at Nacional 27. It's a hands-on course to highlight a seasonal drink. Guests will view demonstrations of the cocktails being made, sample the cocktails and nosh on appetizers. more ›

We're fans of both Adam Seger (one of the the city's best mixologists) and Nacional 27. So we were excited to see that Nacional 27's upcoming monthly cocktail class is about creating Champagne cocktails. We suspect the class may be quite popular as it's just in time to learn these cocktails before New Year's Eve and wanted to give you the jump start to get your tickets early. more ›

A couple months back we wrote about Hum Spirit a rum-based liqueur infused with hibiscus, cardamom and ginger. Seger is ready to foist Hum Spirit on the rest of the world with a launch party at Pops for Champagne (601 N. State St., 312-266-7677) the Hum Spirit launch will feature cocktails crafted by Seger, Charles Joly of the Drawing Room and the Violet Hour's Stephen Cole. If that doesn't draw you over to Pops, maybe the $3 PBRs and $5 Jameson shots will. this is all part of Pops's "Shift Drinks" series featuring guest bartenders every Monday night in their downstairs bar. more ›

A couple weeks back Rob and I attended a tasting of Rosangel, a new infused tequila from the makers of Gran Centenario, at Nacional 27. Rosangel takes Gran Centenario's reposado tequila — aged for 60 days in port barrels — and then is infused using hibiscus flowers. The result is a pinkish-colored tequila with the faintest sweetness imparted to it from the flower petals. more ›

We are looking to you, dear reader, to let us know where you'd like us to visit for our Food Pr0n series. Any restaurants in particular have you curious? Comment below or Twitter lstolpman. Here's a reminder of where we've been: more ›

Food & Wine magazine released its "Cocktails 2009" guide this week. Listed in the guide's contents are the top 100 bars in America. Chicago charted five bars on that list, which will only reinforce the belief of some that Our Town's moment in the culinary zeitgeist is over. more ›

Last October, The Aztec World opened at the Field Museum. The exhibit focuses on the daily lives of the Aztecs, as well as the development of their civilization and culture. To tie in with the theme of “everyday life,” the Field Museum has teamed up with 16 Chicago-area restaurants, including Adobo Grill, Cuatro, Cafe Ba Ba Reeba and Zapatista, to bring some dishes inspired by the ancient Aztecs to life. The Taste of the Aztec World starts on Sunday, January 11th and runs through January 17th. more ›

Chris Borelli can't find the balance between sincerity and snark in his positive review of Province on West Randolph, the new eco-friendly restaurant by former Nacional 27 chef Randy Zweiban. But he does say that it adds a level of affordability to the notoriously high-priced restaurant district. [The Stew] more ›

Nacional 27 allowed us into their kitchen to bring you some pictures of their offerings. Special thanks to "El Presidente" Adam Seger C.C.P. (.) and Chef Chico for allowing us to photograph their food. Enjoy. more ›

There are a thousand reasons why summer dining in Chicago is so fantastic. One of the best being fresh, locally grown ingredients and it doesn't get any fresher than when chefs grow their own ingredients in restaurant or home gardens. An increasing number of chefs are doing so including some of our faves: Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill, Paul Kahan of Blackbird, George Djurovic of August Grocery, (just to name a few.) more ›

Summer Dance in Grant Park won’t start until June, but salsa aficionados can get their fix year-round at Nacional 27, a River North Latin restaurant that is transformed into a salsa dance club on the weekends. (Careful, the website has un-turn-offable music). Beginning at 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, DJs spin salsa, meringue, and guebradita, and Nacional’s dining room becomes a dance floor. more ›

There's a new absinthe on the market called Lucid that's catching on at places like the Violet Hour, Lumen, and Delilah's, namely because Lucid is the first Grande wormwood-based absinthe available in the States since before Prohibition. Now, we've tried the "green fairy" and it was an experience we'll never forget, so we researched Lucid for details on how much thujone (the active ingredient from wormwood) it carries. Turns out, not much at all: under... more ›

It's easy to forget that, with all the hype recently bestowed to the Violet Hour since it opened months ago (much of it warranted, we'll preface), that this city was already teeming with master mixologists before Toby Maloney blew back into town. Case in point, at the recent "Chicago Iron Bartender" competition, Sepia's Peter Vestinos beat out a packed field including Nacional 27's Adam Seger, Tim Lacey of Spring Restaurant Group, and Otom's James Macknyk... more ›