While everyone else we knew was at Pitchfork, we hopped on the bike and headed to New Belgium's annual Tour de Fat stop in Palmer Square. more ›

New Belgium's Tour de Fat is still looking for someone to trade in their car for a shiny new bike when they come to Palmer Square Saturday. more ›

Over the past couple of years, the dinners Mindy Segal hosts to mark Hot Chocolate's anniversary have been circled in ink as must-attend events. Segal always corrals chefs and brewers who bring their "A" games to these dinners. And there's about eating fresh Lake Superior smelts from Paul Kahan while Black Sabbath blasts through the restaurant's sound system in the dead of winter that's just the kick in the ass we need for spring to get here already. more ›

If the dipping temperatures and shorter days have already triggered the "I miss summer" ache, New Belgium Brewery's Urban Assault Ride serves as a fitting last call for Summer 2K10, replete with craft beer, biking and some pretty fun getups. more ›

Andy Jenkins used to write about cheese for this site for about as long as it takes me to whip up a cappuccino in the morning. Jenkins has gone on to do wonderful things as the beer buyer at Marion Street Cheese Market in Oak Park. Jenkins’s love of beer is slightly less than his amour de fromage, and he understands that the two make for an amazing array of pairings, depending on the styles of each. more ›

• Taste of Randolph Street begins this evening and runs through Sunday. This is a great way to sample some of the wares of the restaurants that make the Randolph Street District one of the best in the city without having to dress up. Seeing the one-two punch of Drive-By truckers and Bobby Bare, Jr. Saturday isn't bad, either.
• Pizza Fest Chicago 2008 takes place tomorrow and Sunday at the intersection of Fullerton and Racine in Lincoln Park from noon-10 p.m. The U.S. Pizza Team will be on hand. There will also be pizza eating contests, dough-tossing contests and other entertainment
• This will be our final Tour de Fat reminder for the week. Tomorrow, head out to Palmer Square Park at Kedzie and Palmer to partake of a lot of New Belgium Brewing selections, a bike parade, Mucca Pazza, and watch Joe M500 trade in his Jeep for a bicycle and pledge to live car-free for 12 months.