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Before: OctoberFeast sponsors include
Urban Innovations,
Mesirow Financial,
East Bank Club, and
StratEx Partners. Proceeds from the event will be reinvested in River North. The mission of the River North Business Assocation is to promote awareness of River North, and this event will help the association continue to do so.
I can’t wait to participate and see the way it works. I will be in the north lobby of the Merchandise Mart when this event begins where there will be signs directing people as to where to pick up tickets that will direct me to the first stop. Many of the participating restaurants and venues will feature special activities, like belly dancing at
Tizi Melloul, a "Pinktober" celebration at
Hard Rock Cafe, and more, I understand. Goodie bags will be distributed to all ticketholders and will contain restaurant gift certificates and items from River North Business Association Members.
I have been told that OctoberFeast is a progressive stroll among some of Chicago's best restaurant, bar and entertainment venues, each featuring signature food and drink tastings along the way. How much can I eat and drink? To which of the restaurants will I make a return visit? Will it be easy to work my way around? I will have a first-hand account of my journey after October 6th and I will tell you all and you will even be able to see pictures of the event itself in action.
Restaurant & bar participants include
Ai Japanese, bluprint, Buca di Beppo, Bull & Bear, Hard Rock Cafe, Harry Caray's, Hub 51, Italiasia - The Best of Both Worlds, La Madia, Martini Park, Maxwell's at the Club, Mercadito, NAHA, Osteria via Stato, Prosecco, Rock Bottom Brewery, Rockit Bar and Grill, Salute Wine Bar, Steve's Deli, Sullivan's Steakhouse, Sunda, The Redhead Piano Bar, Theory, Tizi Melloul Mediterranean Restaurant and Lounge, Zocalo Restaurant and
Tequila Bar.
It will be interesting to decide where to go with the choice of 25 venues and eight routes.
As a ticketholder, I will have 45 minutes at each of five venues in their route before moving on to their next stop. The final stop of the evening is Martini Park, for the event after-party, where I am looking forward to the one-hour open bar and complimentary food available to all ticketholders.
Arthur Murray Dance Studio will be on hand at
Martini Park to get dancing started.
Be sure to check this article after the event to see what was in my Goodie bag and how I managed the dancing and what I think of the restaurants.
After - Followup - The night of...
Octoberfeast, presented for the first time by the
River North Business Association, exceeded all expectations for a fun, delicious, and certainly calorie-packed, evening in this thriving restaurant scene.
Knowing in advance that dozens of establishments were participating, we were pleased to be given a color-coded route to ease any burden of choice. We drew a green card from the bucket, and were given our green wrist bands and route.
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Breaded chicken tenders with General Tso sauce and roast beef on a roll from Steve's Deli.
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A short two blocks from the
Merchandise Mart brought us to
Steve's Deli (354 W Hubbard St). Steve's was dressed to impress with white linen tables and extremely personable owners. We were presented with a buffet of breaded chicken tenders with a tangy General Tso sauce, chased by dinner rolls stuffed with generous helpings of corned beef, roast beef, and chicken salad. The corned beef was extra lean and accented with Steve's signature Russian sauce. Dan, one of the owners, presented each table with a gigantic cupcake as an extra touch. We knew right then that we needed to pace ourselves if we were going to make it through the next four stops. Though the food was pretty standard deli fare, the friendliness of the owners made this a very satisfying first stop on our journey.
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A seafood salad at Maxwell's at the Club.
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Right around the corner from Steve's is
Maxwell's, located in the
East Bank Club (500 N Kingsbury St). We were almost thirty minutes ahead of schedule according to the itinerary, but were still welcomed to join the first group and almost immedately secured our choice of pomegranate martinis and Maxwell's homage to an
Arnold Palmer named simply "The 19th Hole". Servers then bombarded us with wave after wave of increasingly succulent hors d'oevres, many of which are available on
Maxwell's regular menu. Standouts included the prime beef mini burger, the crab cakes, and perhaps the highlight of the entire evening, the silky blackberry cabarnet sorbet. More than the food, we sparked up a great conversation with a local River North couple who served as our 'double date' for the remainder of the route.
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Prince Edward Island mussels with harissa butter
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We were still slightly ahead of schedule, and close to full, so it was nice that the sultry and unmistakably
Mediterranean Tizi Melloul (531 N Wells) was over five blocks away. The restaurant's interior is steeped in rich, dark fabrics in intricate patterns and comfortable lounge seats. Waiting at the bar was a large platter of fire roasted Prince Edward Island mussels with a harissa butter, as well as crackers with a apricot chili glaze that was a delicate balance between sweet and salty. We were then served bacon wrapped dates and a Rockin' Moroccan, a drink described to me as a 'mediterranean mojito'. The crisp, minty vodka based beverage was a very nice contrast to the saltiness of the dates, though the dates were by no means salty. Unlike Maxwell's our choices were more limited, but because of Maxwell's we were greatful for the lighter fare. The highlight of Tizi Melloul was a belly-dancing show specially arranged for Octoberfeast but available three times a week along with some really irresistable weekly specials.
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Belly dancing perfectly accented the sultry Tizi Melloul
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By the time we left Tizi Melloul we were right on schedule to the next stop,
Ai
Japanese (358 W Ontario). We were greeted in Japanese by the hostesses, then spirited back to our private room where we were presented with warm sake and live jazz. We were then served crispy tempura fried shrimp breaded in Panko crumbs, followed by a very delicious rainbow pine nut spicy tuna maki (we will be going back for this one). We then enjoyed a fruity sangria, an unlikely beverage for a Japanese restaurant. The jazz and the sake were somnolent, and with one stop remaining in the route we hoisted ourselves up and hobbled to our last stop.
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The swing band at Martini Park was jumpin' and jivin' the night away
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In contrast to the relaxed atmosphere of Ai,
Martini Park (151 W Erie) was jumpin' and jivin' with a live swing band cranking out all the standards. Our martini choices were pomegranate, apple, or dirty, and fresh potato chips were waiting at each table. After the onslaught of restaurants, the relatively standard bar fare was all but avoidable, with the exception of the pizza which was delicious and gladly consumed even after such a gluttonous evening. With weary feet and full bellies, we declined from participating in the dance party, but the vibe in
Martini Park was highly conducive to a dressy weekend evening out on the town, and the swing band topped the other live entertainment for the night.
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A preparation of martinis at Martini Park.
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Wear comfortable shoes, stretchy but classy clothing, and pace yourself, and pray for a 2nd Annual River North Octoberfeast. The beauty of
Octoberfeast is the exposure to several great restaurants all at once. While it would've been great to try any of the other participating restaurants, the quantity of stops was ideal for a fun but not-too-rushed evening. Perhaps tweak the timing in a couple places as we felt ahead of schedule toward the beginning, but we were pleasantly surprised to find we showed up to our last stop right on schedule. And with every venue dressed to impress, it was easy to feel like a V.I.P. for a night.
Photos: Jonathan Rayfield
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