à la carte 2017

Welcome back to our blog series, “The Dish On”! Explore our restaurant participants and sponsors, meet the chefs, and whet your appetite for à  la carte 2017! This week, #TheDishOn celebrates our participant, Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro. We are thrilled to have this restaurant as an official participant of the à  la carte 2017 French Food Festival.

This Milwaukee bistro overlooking Lake Michigan is home to authentic,  rustic French dishes. Their extravagant menu ranges from traditional  fare to modernized chef-chosen meals that differs each season. Originally from the North Shore of Chicago, Executive Chef, Adam Siegel began his  culinary career helping out at Michael’s, his stepfather’s restaurant, at the young age of 14.

Plates by Chef Adam and chef de cuisine John  Raymond are especially delicious. Classics like filet mignon au poivre  with green peppercorn brandy cream sauce have a permanent place on the  menu. You will be astonished by the gorgeous view of Lake Michigan from  the two lake rooms in the bistro, which are incomparable to any other  restaurant in Milwaukee.

There is a sufficient space for free parking  available, along with with a beautiful park view which makes Lake Park  Bistro an attractive destination for any dining occasion.

Address: 3133 E Newberry Blvd Milwaukee, WI 53211

Hours:

Monday-Thursday 11:30am-2pm, 5:30-9pm

Friday  11:30am-2pm, 5:30-10pm

Saturday 5-10pm

Sunday 10am-2pm, 5-8:30pm

For more information, visit:

Lake Park Bistro Website: http://alacarte.city/2ihWW5l

Welcome back to our blog series, “The Dish On” ! Explore our restaurant participants and sponsors, meet the chefs, and whet your appetite for à la carte 2017! This week, #TheDishOn celebrates our new participant, Ara-On Japanese French Fusion. We are thrilled to have this restaurant as an official participant of the à la carte 2017 French Food Festival.

Can’t decide between two types of meals? Look no further than Ara-On restaurant. Located in the Loop, they specialize in French-Japanese fusion meals. Using traditional Japanese and other Asian ingredients, Ara-On creates delicious French inspired dishes. For à la carte they are preparing a special menu that features an Asian inspired version of Foie Gras and a green tea crème brûlée.

Ara-On has a large sushi bar and specialty rolls certain to pique the interest of any sushi lover as well as a variety of Japanese BBQ style plates such as pork shop saam, Mongolian shabu-shabu and several cuts of steak. While none of these dishes seem very French, the head chef uses French techniques to prepare the individual ingredients for each one. When put together it makes for an unforgettable dining experience. 

With many five-star Yelp reviews, four stars on TripAdvisor and raving reviews on Zagat, Ara-On has become the best place in the Loop for sushi in a relaxed yet upscale atmosphere. More popular with the lunch crowd, the dinner atmosphere is a bit quieter but that doesn’t mean you can slip in on a Friday night without a reservation! Take advantage of the special menu Ara-On is offering as a part of their participation in à la carte 2017 and request a visit to “The Library”. Located on the top floor, The Library offers guests an incredible view of the Chicago skyline as well as adds a complementary element to your fusion dining experience. 

Address: 190 S LaSalle Street, 1st Floor, Chicago, IL 60603

Hours: Monday-Friday: 11AM-2PM, 5AM-9PM

Saturday: 5PM-10PM

For more information, visit:

AraOn Website: http://alacarte.city/2hKNl35

Welcome back to our blog series, “The Dish On” ! Explore our restaurant participants and sponsors, meet the chefs, and whet your appetite for à la carte 2017! This week, #TheDishOn celebrates our new participant, Le Jardin. We are thrilled to have this restaurant as an official participant of the à la carte 2017 French Food Festival.

When in Des Moines, be sure to stop by the acclaimed Le Jardin restaurant. Featuring classic French dishes, with an nod to Alsacian traditions head chef Tag Grandgeorge is at the forefront of innovative and exciting cuisine in the Des Moines restaurant scene. He focuses his menu on local, seasonal and sustainable products that he turns into rustic bistro style French fare.

By partnering with local farms and food producers, Le Jardin has earned its name. Each dish can easily be traced back to the gardens it came from but has been transformed into delicious dishes that the restaurant is known for.

Le Jardin boasts an impressive 4.8 stars on FaceBook reviews and 4.5 on Yelp, keeping their customers pleased with the reasonably priced French food and welcoming atmosphere. Open for brunch as well as dinner, the large variety in the menu makes it easy for even the pickiest eater to find a dish they’ll love.

Their spaces can be rented out for private parties, and they also offer catering for businesses. So the next time you’re thinking about what to do for the office holiday party, or wedding rehearsal dinner, look no farther than Le Jardin. With a sunlight dining room, all of the pictures of your food (or friends) are sure to turn out great.

With a balanced menu full of choices and a great list of French wines and American beers, Le Jardin will soon be your go to restaurant for anytime you’re in the Des Moines area.

Address : 2815 Beaver Ave, Suite 101 Des Moines, IOWA 50310

Hours : Thursday-Saturday : 5PM-9PM

Saturday-Sunday : 9AM-1 :30PM

For more information, visit:

Le Jardin Website: http://alacarte.city/2yDHXJY

Welcome back to our blog series, “The Dish On”! Explore our restaurant participants and sponsors, meet the chefs, and whet your appetite for à la carte 2017! This week, #TheDishOn celebrates a new participant, Boltwood. We are thrilled to have this farm-to-table American fare restaurant located in Evanston as an official participant of the à la carte 2017 French Food Festival.

The menu of Boltwood restaurant in Evanston, Illinois is new each day and reflects the careful craft of French cuisine, with their curated drink selection and emphasis on community as a part of every meal. The team at Boltwood is ready to bring you a unique and quality dining experience that you will never forget.

The chef and owner, Brian Huston, is a native of Evanston and got his start in the food industry under Paul Kahan, chef and owner of The Publican, Blackbird and Avec where Huston received his training. Kaham named Huston the Chef de Cuisine at The Publican where he “helped define Farm-to-Table cooking in the Midwest.” The result of this experience was the realization of Huston’s dreams in the creation of Boltwood- a restaurant that’s accessible to both family and friends, for any occasion. Huston runs the place alongside his wife, Chrissy Prieto who brings “boundless energy and quest for perfection” to the restaurant.

Boltwood received its name from the freshman wing of Evanston Township High School, Huston’s alma mater. It symbolizes the fresh beginning and energy that is packed into this intimate restaurant. We are excited to have Boltwood as a participant this year! Be sure to stop by Boltwood during à la carte 2017 French Food Festival and have some Moules Marinières for lunch!

Location:

 804 Davis Street

Evanston, IL 60201

847.859.2880

Hours: Brunch: Saturday & Sunday 10am-2pm

Lunch: Tuesday – Friday 11:30am – 2:00pm

Dinner: Tuesday – Thursday 5:00 – 9:00pm

Friday and Saturday 5:00 – 10:00pm

Sunday 5:00 – 9:00pm

For more information, visit:

Boltwood Website: http://alacarte.city/2yJtzQ8

Welcome back to our blog series “The Dish On”! Explore our restaurant participants, meet the chefs, and whet your appetite for à la carte 2017! This week, #TheDishOn features The Spice House, a 75-year old spice shop that offers the finest quality of spices from around the world-located right in Old Town!

Established in 1957, The Spice House has two locations in Wisconsin and in Illinois, including a Chicago location on North Wells Street. The Spice House continues to bring its customers quality spices, made in small weekly batches to ensure “the highest quality spices for your cooking needs.” This commitment to quality is the reason why the Spice House has such a loyal customer base, from established chefs to the at-home cook. The spices are imported from their origin countries and are offered in “several selections of origin so that you can sample the subtle variations and decide upon your own personal preference.”

One of the most important tools that The Spice House uses to grind and mix their spices is the “human senses,” which further ensure the highest quality of spice for their customers. The Chicago store opened its doors in Old Town in 2000. The small storefront remains busy and fits right into the neighborhood, reminiscent of the origins of Old Town while competing with the eclectic range of restaurants in the area.

Whether it’s the reputation that draws you into The Spice House or perhaps you happen across the storefront, you can be sure to leave with a better understanding of how to season your food and the importance of the quality of spice. The Spice House offers spice lectures, hosts book signings and daily food tours. They’ve even been featured as the backdrop for PBS show “Real Simple”!

Make sure to stop by next time you’re in Old Town or even invite your friends to come out and learn how to spice up their lives! During the French Food Festival, mention the à la carte  2017 festival in the Chicago shop and get a free jar of “Herbes de Provence” French Herb Blend. Also, enter the raffle to win a French-themed Seasoning Selection!

Location: 1512 North Wells St Chicago IL 60610

Phone: (312) 274-0378

Hours: Monday-Saturday: 10am-7pm; Sunday: 10am-5pm

For more information, visit:

The Spice House Website: http://alacarte.city/2gasVzU

Welcome back to our blog series “The Dish On”! Explore our restaurant participants, meet the chefs, and whet your appetite for à la carte 2017! This week, #TheDishOn features Oceanique, an award- winning seafood restaurant in the French-American style, located in Evanston.

Oceanique is French-American style eclectic seafood restaurant located in Evanston. Oceanique continues to garner acclaim as one of the Chicago area's finest restaurants. Chef de Cuisine and owner Mark Grosz trained in France and Hong Kong before opening the doors of Oceanique in 1989.  Since 1993, Oceanique has been ranked as the number one seafood restaurant in the Chicago metropolitan area by the prestigious Zagat Guide. Oceanique has won Wine Spectator Magazine's coveted "Best of Award of Excellence" every year since 1994 being recognized as having one of the 750 best wine lists in the world!

This high-end restaurant offers a 7-course tasting menu that Chef Mark Grosz offers seasonal fish sourced “locally and organically as much as possible." The menu looks amazing, even the sorbet and ice cream selection for dessert.

It’s safe to say that Oceanique will give you a dining experience worth your time and money! So make reservations soon because Oceanique is offering a special meal that is 45$ per person- an amazing price for the best quality seafood in Chicago!

Location: 

505 Main Street

Evanston, IL 60202

Phone: (847) 864-3435

Hours: Monday- Thursday: 5:30pm to 9:00pm

Friday & Saturday: 5:30pm to 9:30pm

Closed Sunday (except Mother's Day)

For more information, visit:

Oceanique Website: http://alacarte.city/2yiPpti

Welcome back to our blog series, “The Dish On” ! Explore our restaurant participants and sponsors, meet the chefs, and whet your appetite for à la carte 2017! This week, #TheDishOn celebrates a new participant, The Chopping Block. We are thrilled to have this culinary school as an official participant of à la carte 2017 French Food Festival.

To host the perfect dinner party, the menu must be perfect. But how to you make sure that everything goes together? And that your food will taste great? By taking a cooking class at The Chopping Block they’ll make sure everything goes smoothly and gets you compliments from all your guests.

Whether you’ve been cooking for years or are just starting your culinary adventures, The Chopping Block has a class for you. Covering the basics all the way up to a break down of soups and sauces you’ll be sure to find something that interests you. For more experienced chefs, they offer break down of skills such as knife skills or perfecting pastry. They even offer classes for children, inspiring the next generation of great Chicago chefs.

The Chopping Block offers classes at two locations in Chicago, one in Lincoln Square and the other off of Merchandise Mart, keeping class sizes small and making sure all of their students get the one on one advice that all chefs in training deserve.

As part of their participation in à la carte 2017, The Chopping Block featured classes on classic French foods, from macarons to pastries to bistro meals. If you attended a class, be sure to send out invitations to all of your friends to showcase all that you’ve learned at your next dinner soirée!

Locations:

The Merchandise Mart Plaza,

Suite 107, Chicago IL. 60654

312.644.6360 

Hours: Monday through Friday: 10:30am - 9:30pm

            Saturday: 9:30am - 9:30pm

            Sunday: 10:30am - 3pm

Lincoln Square

4747 N Lincoln, Chicago, IL 60625

773.472.6700

Hours: Monday through Friday: 10:30am - 7:30pm

           Saturday: 9:30am - 7:30pm

           Sunday: 9:30am - 5:30pm

For more information, visit:

The Chopping Block Website: http://alacarte.city/2gGrVEp

Welcome back to our blog series, “The Dish On” ! Explore our restaurant participants and sponsors, meet the chefs, and whet your appetite for à la carte 2017! This week, #TheDishOn celebrates our new participant, In Fine Spirits. We are thrilled to have this wine provider as an official participant of the à la carte 2017 French Food Festival.

Are you a fan of wine? Or good quality beer? Have a taste for artisan spirits? If so, then In Fine Spirits is the liquor store for you. Located in Andersonville, the neighborhood wine shop caters to those who appreciate quality. With a rotating selection of beers and wines, it’s almost certain that you’ll find something you’ll like. But stock up since they’ll be bringing in your new favorite soon.

Their extensive collection of wine feature regions from around the world, yet at a reasonable price. With wines from New Zealand to France to California and to Argentina, the large selection may be overwhelming but never fear, the staff is more than willing to help guide you towards the perfect bottle for whatever you have planned. In several Yelp reviews, customers have noted that they’re willing to open bottles and do an on-the-stop impromptu tasting for you.

For those who aren’t the biggest fans of wine, In Fine Spirits offers carefully curated selections of bourbon, cognac, scotch, gin and whiskey to name a few. And the staff knows just as much about the importance of a good tonic water as they do wine, so your cocktails will be the highest quality.

The selling feature of In Fine Spirits: their wine club. By signing up you will receive high quality and limited availability wines from the best wine producing regions of the world. Each bottle comes with a short story, explaining its origin and the people behind the product, helping to make you a wine expert. In addition, you’ll also receive special discounts in-store. It’s a win-win.

Address: 5418 N. Clark Street Chicago, IL 60640

Hours: Sunday-Monday : 12PM-7PM

Tuesday-Thursday: 12PM-8PM

Friday-Saturday: 11AM-9PM

For more information, visit:

In Fine Spirits Website: http://alacarte.city/2xFv257

Welcome back to our blog series, “The Dish On” ! Explore our restaurant participants and sponsors, meet the chefs, and whet your appetite for à la carte 2017! This week, #TheDishOn celebrates our new participant, Broadway Cellars. We are thrilled to have this restaurant as an official participant of the à la carte 2017 French Food Festival.

Since opening in 2006, Broadway Cellars has become a neighbourhood hang-out. So much so that the locals re-named their beloved Broadway Cellars into “Cellars”. Now called Cellars Bar and Grill, the locally owned and operated restaurant offers a fresh taste on pub food and Chicago influences.

Located in Edgewater and across the street from the Broadway Armory, Cellars strives to pair their favourite dishes with beers, wines and cocktails from Chicago’s best distilleries. With weekly specials Monday through Friday and a lengthy Happy Hour from Tuesday to Saturday, visitors leave with full stomachs without spending a fortune. On the weekends, Cellars offers brunch with Mimosas and Bloody Marys, the entire experience has been recognized as a Chicago favourite.

If you’re a fan of wine you’e in luck here. Once a month Cellars hosts a five course wine dinner where local winemakers and experts are given the chance to match food and their wines. Or stop by when they offer wine samples and a themed buffet, and you’ll likely leave with inspiration of a new type of wine to serve. If you happen to stop by on a night where the weather is nice, request to sit outdoors and enjoy your meal. With the nearly bottomless Mimosas and Bloody Marys at brunch, expect to be there for awhile.

Address: 5900 Broadway Street Chicago, IL 60660

Hours: Monday-Friday : 5PM-10PM

Saturday: 10AM-10PM

Sunday: 10AM-9PM

For more information, visit:

Cellars Bar and Grill Website: http://alacarte.city/2gisebn

Welcome back to our blog series “The Dish On”! Explore our restaurant participants and sponsers, meet the chefs, and whet your appetitie for à la carte 2017! This week, #TheDishOn celebrates our new participant, Brindille. We are thrilled to have this restaurant as an official participant of the à la carte 2017 French Food Festival.

The posh Brindille restaurant gives off the subtle refined ambiance that is so uniquely French. It is no surprise then, that head chef Carrie Nahabedian as brought her French culinary roots full circle. Each meal is an hommage to the chosen region’s traditional fare. Set out on crisp French linens and fine china, it’s hard to go wrong with any dinner choice.

Given top ratings by the Michelin guide, Zagat review and Yelp, Brindille consistantly ranks as one of the best French restaurants in the Chicago area. Chef Nahabedian is an award winning chef, winning the James Beard Award along with seven consecutive Michelin stars. Her dedication to creating authentic and delicious dishes has won her the respect and reputation she deserves among the elite Chicago chefs. The pastry chef, Craig Harzewski has honed in his talent for creating execptional desserts while including the refined French influences.

Expect to be wowed by the presentation of the food, but also by how perfectly prepared it is. Guests rave about how the lamb is so tender it doesn’t even need to be cut with a knife. While featuring classic French dishes, Brindille gives them new life as they are matched with various sides and sauces. Make sure to keep up to date with their menu, since they tend to feature the cuisine of the different regions of France over the course of the year. And what type of French restaurant would Brindille be if they didn’t offer a fantastic wine list?

Between the atmosphere, good food and excellent wines, Brindille receives high scores across the board, from amateur restauranters to the professional critics. You should probably stop by sometime and give it your own rating.

Address: 534 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654

Hours: Monday-Saturday 5PM-11PM

For more information, visit: 

Brindille Webpage: http://alacarte.city/2xDMETQ

Welcome back to our blog series, “The Dish On” ! Explore our restaurant participants and sponsors, meet the chefs, and whet your appetite for à la carte 2017! This week, #TheDishOn celebrates a new participant, La Sardine. We are thrilled to have this restaurant as an official participant of the à la carte 2017 French Food Festival.

The West Loop neighborhood has become synonymous with good food, and La Sardine contributes to that reputation. Earning an impressive 4 stars on Yelp, their customers leave with full bellies and raving reviews. The cozy atmosphere and extensive wine list keep locals and tourists coming back for more.

La Sardine is the sister restaurant to Le Bouchon, but it has its own flair. With more seafood dishes, and an oyster promotion on Friday nights, La Sardine sets herself apart. Most dishes offer some sort of seafood ingredient, but they do still have the classics so if you’re craving French onion soup or steak frites you’re still in luck.

An expertly curated wine list will pair with any main dish choice, especially on Mondays when bottles are half off. On Tuesdays sample a dish from each course with the $35 prix fixé menu and pair with one of the house cocktails or stop by on Fridays to order $1 oysters at the bar. But definitely don’t miss happy hour from Monday through Thursday and take advantage of Build Your Own Frites and $7 drinks. You really can’t go wrong.

Whether you’re looking to have a nice date night dinner, going out to dinner with old friends or just wanting a French restaurant experience without leaving the city limits, La Sardine is the place to go.

Phone: (312) 421-2800

Location: 111 N. Carpenter Chicago, IL 60607

Hours: Lunch M-F 1130a-2:30p 

            Dinner M-Th 5p-10p                                 F-Sa 5p-11p

            Closed Sundays

For more information, visit:

La Sardine Website: http://alacarte.city/2yf3VSX

Welcome back to our blog series, “The Dish On” ! Explore our restaurant participants and sponsors, meet the chefs, and whet your appetite for à la carte 2017! This week, #TheDishOn celebrates our new participant, Café Selmarie. We are thrilled to have this restaurant as an official participant of the à la carte 2017 French Food Festival.

Opening it’s doors in 1983 Café Selmarie has become an icon in the Lincoln Square neighbourhood. With only a few chairs, an expresso machine and high hopes, Café Selmarie set out to recreate the cozy European coffee house environment. Serving soups and sandwiches along with quality coffee and pastries, Café Selmarie has transformed from its simple roots into a chic restaurant.

Using high quality ingredients and always serving the freshest food possible, owners Birgit Kobayashi and Jeanne Uzdawinis  keep customers coming back for more. Head chef Ricky Sakoda brings years of experience to the restaurant. Previously working at the most decorated and celebrated restaurants in Hawaii, Chef Ricky works with local farmers and producers to keep the mission Café Selmarie alive and thriving.

With delicious dinner menus, Chef Ricky has added a Sunday brunch menu featuring a wide variety of dishes, ranging from the savory biscuits and gravy to cinnamon roll pancakes. If you’re lucky enough to go on a nice day, consider having your meal (or coffee) on their beautiful patio. It’s almost guaranteed to be the perfect food picture post for your Instagram. For dinner check out the grain salad or the pork schnitzel, or the skirt steak all at reasonable prices. You’ll be back week after week without feeling like you’ve spent a fortune.

Even with the expansion of the restaurant, Café Selmarie still operates the bakery that started it all. Featuring cakes, tortes, pies, tartes and cookies everyone will find something they love. And you can still grab a cup of coffee and croissant and relax with a book until they start serving dinner.

Address: 4729 N. Lincoln Ave Chicago, IL 60625

Hours: Tuesday-Thursday: 8AM-9PM

Friday-Saturday: 8AM-10PM

Sunday: 9AM-9PM

For more information, visit:

Café Selmarie Website: http://alacarte.city/2y90nRY

Welcome back to our blog series, “The Dish On” ! Explore our restaurant participants and sponsors, meet the chefs, and whet your appetite for à la carte 2017! This week, #TheDishOn celebrates our new participant, Le Jardin. We are thrilled to have this restaurant as an official participant of the à la carte 2017 French Food Festival.

When in Des Moines, be sure to stop by the acclaimed Le Jardin restaurant. Featuring classic French dishes, with an nod to Alsacian traditions head chef Tag Grandgeorge is at the forefront of innovative and exciting cuisine in the Des Moines restaurant scene. He focuses his menu on local, seasonal and sustainable products that he turns into rustic bistro style French fare.

By partnering with local farms and food producers, Le Jardin has earned its name. Each dish can easily be traced back to the gardens it came from but has been transformed into delicious dishes that the restaurant is known for.

Le Jardin boasts an impressive 4.8 stars on FaceBook reviews and 4.5 on Yelp, keeping their customers pleased with the reasonably priced French food and welcoming atmosphere. Open for brunch as well as dinner, the large variety in the menu makes it easy for even the pickiest eater to find a dish they’ll love.

Their spaces can be rented out for private parties, and they also offer catering for businesses. So the next time you’re thinking about what to do for the office holiday party, or wedding rehearsal dinner, look no farther than Le Jardin. With a sunlight dining room, all of the pictures of your food (or friends) are sure to turn out great.

With a balanced menu full of choices and a great list of French wines and American beers, Le Jardin will soon be your go to restaurant for anytime you’re in the Des Moines area.

Address : 2815 Beaver Ave, Suite 101 Des Moines, IOWA 50310

Hours : Thursday-Saturday : 5PM-9PM

Saturday-Sunday : 9AM-1 :30PM

For more information, visit:

Le Jardin Website: http://alacarte.city/2yDHXJY

Welcome back to our blog series, “The Dish On” ! Explore our restaurant participants and sponsors, meet the chefs, and whet your appetite for à la carte 2017! This week, #TheDishOn celebrates our new participant, Savory Spice. We are thrilled to have this spice provider as an official participant of the à la carte 2017 French Food Festival.

The mission of Savory Spice shop is to offer high quality and unique blends of spices and herbs to bring new life to your meals, and that’s exactly what you can expect from the moment you walk in the door. With fresh ground spices and handcrafted seasonings, you’re almost guarenteed to create mouthwatering dishes.

Their spice collections are perfectly curated to meet the needs of any chef, and they even offer pre-boxed combinations of spices for specific types of cuisine that you might be making. If they don’t already offer the combination you’re looking for, they have a create your own option for making a box of whatever spices you’re missing from your collection.

Offering more than just spices, Savory Spice suggests recipes based on the type of food you’d like to make or based on the ingrediants you have on hand. Easily search for French, Greek, Thai or vegan recipes to make your dinner planning and grocery shopping easier. Their blog features contributions of recipes and cooking advice from customers as well as trained chefs.

With fall weather (hopefully) setting in soon, Savory Spice can also help by providing the ingrediants for the perfect cup of chai tea, hot chocolate, or mulling wine and cider. The perfectly proportioned spices transform your drinks into the perfect autumn blends. But don’t think they forgot the coffee ! From expresso powder to hazelnut extract, the experts will guide you towards the right combination to create the best cup of coffee you’ve had yet.

Regardless of how spicy you like your food, Savory Spice has the solution for you. With mild Herbes de Provence to Ghost Pepper Chiles, Savory Spice saves you from serving bland meals and keeps your hot drinks interesting.

Address : 4753 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago IL 60625

Hours : Monday-Saturday : 10AM-6PM

Sunday: 11 AM- 5 PM

For more information, visit:

Savory Spice Shop Website: http://alacarte.city/2y7R0Q6

Welcome back to our blog series, “The Dish On” ! Explore our restaurant participants and sponsors, meet the chefs, and whet your appetite for à la carte 2017! This week, #TheDishOn celebrates our new participant, The Wooden Spoon. We are thrilled to have this culinary school and kitchen supply store as an official participant of the à la carte 2017 French Food Festival.

Opening its doors in December of 2002, The Wooden Spoon has become a popular spot for all amateur chefs. Offering a wide selection of high end cookware as well as classes taught by professionals, the Andersonville store caters to all interested in becoming better cooks.

Aimed at helping to improve kitchen and cooking skills, The Wooden Spoon draws many local chefs through their doors as well. They offer cooking classes on state-of-the-art appliances and top of the line cookware. The Wooden Spoon is open to everyone who wants to learn top-notch cooking skills. Easily distinguishable by the large wooden spoon hanging out front of the building, the store opens up into a large kitchen and continues back to a patio and Coach House where visitors can see the rooftop garden that provides a lot of fresh ingredients for the classes.

With a Coach House bar and large patio with a grill, The Wooden Spoon is open for private events and will be open for a special à la carte event on Thursday the 5th of October. Their chefs will instruct you in creating the traditional Parisian Bistro meal. The complete meal will be shared by the participants, and there’s a BYOB option to really complete the French meal.

Whether you’re an experienced chef looking to expand your collection of cookware, or a newcomer looking to learn some skills or a specific dish, The Wooden Spoon will have something for you.

Address : 5047 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60640

Hours : Tuesday-Friday : 11AM-6 :30M

Saturday : 10AM-6PM

Sunday : 12PM-5PM

For more information, visit:

The Wooden Spoon Website: http://alacarte.city/2gqDMqa

Welcome back to our blog series, “The Dish On”! Explore our restaurant participants and sponsors, meet the chefs, and whet your appetite for à la carte 2017! This week, #TheDishOn celebrates a new participant, Southern France Pâtisserie. We are thrilled to have this pastry shop as an official participant of the à la carte 2017 French Food Festival. 

Southern France Pâtisserie is not what you might think it is. It’s better. Combining French pastry and chocolate, Chef Amanda Tommey Terbush infuses her Southern hospitality into the store making it the ultimate experience.

Coming from a family of bakers and food lovers, Chef Amanda Tommey Terbush settled into her culinary career after completing a degree in Therapeutic Recreation and working with the disabled in New York. Upon moving to Chicago, she began working in a chocolate shop which then inspired her to apply for pastry school. In 2008 she was accepted into the prestigious French Pastry School in Chicago where she excelled in all of her courses. Upon graduation she began to work more with chocolate, but her interest in pastry eventually lead her to open Southern France Patisserie.

The menu features a majority of French classics, such as the Paris Brest, croissants or chocolate éclairs along side a few Southern staples; such as buttermilk biscuts and pecan tartes. Southern France Pâtisserie offers seasonal influences, depending on the availability of local ingredients. The constant change of offering draws customers back day after day.

With the touch of Southern hospitality and the delicious pastries, Southern France Pâtisserie will have you coming back often to try all of their treats.

Address :  1405 West Irving Park Road, Chicago, IL 60613

Hours : Monday-Thursday : CLOSED

Friday-Sunday : 8AM-4PM

For more information, visit:

Southern France Patisserie Website: http://alacarte.city/2fex0qa

Welcome back to our blog series, “The Dish On”! Explore our restaurant participants and sponsors, meet the chefs, and whet your appetite for à la carte 2017! Today, #TheDishOn celebrates a new participant, Le Bouchon. We are thrilled to have this restaurant as an official participant of the à la carte 2017 French Food Festival.

With an impressive 4 stars on Yelp, Le Bouchon has been a favorite among locals and visitors since it’s opening in 1993. Listed as one the the 10 Best in Chicago by USA Today and voted one of the best French Restaurants in America by Timeout Magazine, the menu and setting will instantly transport you to France.

Tucked into the charming Bucktown neighborhood, Le Bouchon serves the classics dishes along with the providing the classic bistro atmosphere. While the restaruant isn’t very big, it’s just big enough to caputure all of the charms associated with French bistros. Happy guests swear by the French Onion soup as well as the frog’s legs, some insisting that they’re better at Le Bouchon than in France!

Weekly specials add variety to the experience, and if you stop by on a Monday all bottles of wine are half priced (they currently have all of the bottles of Grand Cru Comtes d’Eguisheim in Chicago, an Alsacian Pinot Gris). Tuesday nights feature a prix-fixé menu so that you can pick your favorites from each of the categories without worrying about price. And if you have trouble choosing, one of the expert staff will be happy to offer suggestions and pairings of wine to make sure that your meal is the best it can be.

The small space and intimate setting makes Le Bouchon the perfect place to meet friends and family for dinner, not unlike the corner bistro in Paris that it’s modeled after.

Address: 1958 North Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 696457

Hours: Monday-Sunday : Lunch- 11 :30AM- 2 :30PM

                                         Dinner- 5 :00PM-11 :00PM

For more information, visit:

Le Bouchon Website: http://alacarte.city/2y4JreH