Eat up these orange Halloween treats
The spectacle of Halloween doesn't escape you, yet costumes aren't your thing. What's a people-watcher to do? Wine, dine, slurp and snack -- while gleaning other costumed goofballs -- of course. This year, it's easy to indulge your inner wallflower (embarrassment-free) with celebratory-colored eats and drinks.
The Restaurant at Conrad, Conrad Chicago, 521 N. Rush, (312) 377-0979; www.conradhotels.com. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.
(John J. Kim/Sun-Times)
Both ghouls and friendly ghosts will appreciate the vibrant, lemony blood orange, fennel, radicchio, red onion and Pecorino salad ($10) at this elegant (if generically named) eatery in the Conrad Chicago hotel. Follow up with hearty chicken "en cocotte," teeming with Usinger kielbasa, sweet potato and roasted red pepper in corn broth ($24).
Kohan, 730 W. Maxwell, (312) 421-6254; www.kohanchicago.com. Lunch Mon.-Fri.; dinner nightly. Spooked by sushi? Try the "Trick or Treat" roll ($13) -- maki with spicy salmon, shrimp tempura, avocado, crab and black tobiko -- which will make you smile instead of scream. An added bonus for those looking to avoid the mayhem: The setting of this quaint, but quite good, University Village teppan grill and sushi bar is built for low-key conversation.
A Mano, Marina City, 335 N. Dearborn; (312) 629-3500; www.amanochicago.com. Lunch Mon.-Fri.; dinner nightly. Head to this tucked-away, spacious trattoria and snag a table at the elevated, comfy lounge; or, ask for communal (or more intimate) seating. Then, werewolf-style, tear into meat-laden salumi platters served atop marble slabs ($5-$27). Once you've whet your whistle, tackle pleasantly toothsome pumpkin ravioli with brown butter, black walnuts and Brussels sprout leaves ($18).
Carnivale, 702 W. Fulton, (312) 850-5005; www.carnivalechicago.com. Lunch Mon.-Fri.; dinner nightly. This riotously colorful Jerry Kleiner hotspot will get all the more festive tonight when spine-tingling offerings include a pumpkin and walnut empanada with brown butter ice cream ($7). To wash it down? A "Scary-Tini" ($9) with smashed pumpkin, pineapple juice and house-made bitters.
The Bar, InterContinental Chicago, 505 N. Michigan, (312) 944-4100; www.icchicagohotel.com. Cocktails and light eating during lunch and dinner daily. Make fast tracks to this 1920s-inspired boite for mixologist-crafted cocktails, such as the seasonally inspired Turning Leaf with brandy, ruby port, organic pumpkin puree and an egg yolk ($13).
Tallgrass, 1006 S. State, Lockport. (815) 838-5566; www.tallgrassrestaurant.com. Dinner Wed.-Sun. Make a pilgrimage to this wood-walled south suburban gem, where chef Robert Burcenski crafts highly seasonal, set-price meals ($45 and up). Expect the likes of grilled, organic pork tenderloin flecked with slow-roasted bacon and served with carrot loaf, pickled red grapes and whirls of herby, mustardy vinaigrette. May we suggest the "Halloweenie Martini" ($12) -- a pumpkin puree-bolstered beverage with gin, Cointreau and lemon juice.
BIN 36, Marina City, 339 N. Dearborn, (312) 755-9463; www.bin36.com. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. This unpretentious two-floor restaurant, cheese/wine bar and vino market has soaring windows that surely will showcase costumed River North revelers on the sidewalk below. Settle in for the night, and order some of wine director Brian Duncan's no-fuss but complex and entertainingly described "blood-red wines by the glass," flight or bottle. Then, get harvesty with slow-roasted, fall-apart veal shoulder with pumpkin polenta and grapefruit-shallot agre dolce sauce ($21).
Pops For Champagne, 601 N. State, (312) 266-7677; www.popsforchampagne.com. Dinner nightly. Jaunt to this classy Tree Studios-centered, bronze-tinged club where the live jazz tunes are as smooth as its namesake bubbly. Toast fright night in style with a Framboise champagne cocktail ($10), a luxe libation with a sugar cube, orange bitters and Pasquet Marie-Framboise topped with sparkling wine and garnished with an orange twist.
Churrasco Brazil, 541 W. North, Villa Park, (630) 832-0877; www.churrascobrazilusa.com. Lunch Mon.-Fri.; dinner nightly. Vampires beware: This positively primal Brazilian churrascaria includes garlicky beef among its roster of rock salt-crusted, open-flame-roasted meats. Expect a fixed-price feeding frenzy ($19.50 at lunch, $39.50 during dinner) and black-clad gauchos, who wield sword-skewered proteins -- from sheared leg of lamb to juicy, caloric sausages. When you're ready to burst, score the vibrant papaya cream ($5.50), an orange-colored finale that aids digestion, at meal's end.
SushiSamba Rio, 504 N. Wells (312) 595-2300; www.sushisamba.com. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat.; Sunday brunch. Halloween is the perfect time to party at this Carnival-inspired, loungey spot with a tweaked Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian menu. Begin with the bright, sprightly "Halloween Spooktacular," a bev of pomegranate vodka, blood orange puree, mango juice and grenadine ($13). Meanwhile, be entertained; the restaurant's annual Spooky Kabooki festival -- a stylized, Japanese Kabuki theater-inspired fete -- takes place today. Check out the "Dracula" dessert ($9), Coca-Cola gelee, vanilla bean ice cream and raspberry foam zapped with berry "blood drops" and Pop Rock "explosions."
Rockit Bar & Grill, 22 W. Hubbard, (312) 645-6000; www.rockitbarandgrill.com. Lunch and dinner daily. Loft-dwellers and off-the-clock Loopers populate this manly, Nate Berkus-designed gastro-tap with exposed beams and brick. The reason? Gussied-up fare like the comforting (yet achingly hip) butternut squash soup, studded with pomegranate seeds and slashed with balsamic vinegar ($6). Make it a meal with a side of ghastly good, brown sugar-salted sweet potato fries with chipotle mayo ($6).
Adobo Grill, 2005 W. Division, (773) 252-9990; Dinner nightly; Sunday brunch. Treats come in the form of tableside-prepped guacamole ($7.99) at this always-happening spot. Throw back a few margaritas, but temper the tang with wood-oven roasted pork tenderloin in manchamanteles spinach with grilled sweet potato ($18.99). In the event you want to dine here after Halloween, score the duck breast and duck leg tamal draped in toasty pumpkin mole ($20.99) (It's served at this location only, Nov. 6 -13.)
Ghostbar, 440 W. Randolph (312) 575-9900; www.n9negroup.com. Open Thurs.-Sat. Fulfill your color quotients -- orange and green -- by chasing a ghostini ($12) with spider cider ($10) at this hauntingly lit pad where beauties flock. The first -- a mix of Absolut, melon liqueur and sour mix -- will start the party, while the second -- a blend of Calvados, Absolut Peach, Cointreau, agave nectar and pomegranate juice -- will leave you floating on (excuse the pun) cloud N9NE.
Birch River Grill, Doubletree Hotel, 75 W. Algonquin, Arlington Heights, (847) 427-4242; www.birchrivergrill.com. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. It's easy to cozy up to this hunting lodge-esque American kitchen, be it at high-backed banquettes or before the flicker-ing fire where warm wood and Prairie-style touches abound. Go for the cinnamon-dusted pumpkin cheesecake with caramel sauce and whipped cream ($6). It's worlds away from that nightmarish mainstay.
Soul, 1 Walker Ave., Clarendon Hills,(630) 920-1999; www.eatatsoul.com. Dinner nightly. No matter what you start with (the salt cod hush puppies, $7, come highly recommended), make a beeline for the pleasing-to-the-palate, oh-so-seasonal sweet potato tart with toasted marshmallows, hazelnuts, milk chocolate and hazelnut ice cream ($9) at this colorfully whimsical eatery located steps from the Clarendon Hills Metra station.
Tallulah, 4539 N. Lincoln (773) 942-7585; www.tallulahchicago.com. Dinner nightly; Sunday brunch. Get in the right frame of mind with picturesque grilled prawns alongside a baby pumpkin stuffed with chanterelles, Brussels sprouts and cippollini onions ($21) at this low-key, date-worthy place in the Lincoln Square neighborhood. Not your cup of tea? There's always the pumpkin seed-crusted fluke with sweet potato puree, boar bacon, Tuscan kale and honey-verjus emulsion ($25).
Va Pensiero, 1566 Oak Ave., Evanston, (847) 475-7779; www.va-p.com. Dinner Tues.-Sun. Upgrade your holiday with a pumpkin-themed, five-course menu ($42), offered through November. Here's a taste of what you'll find: pumpkin gnocchi with gorgonzola cream and crispy sage; grilled, balsamic-marinated venison with spiced pumpkin relish and black current sauce, and candied ginger-inflected butternut squash rice pudding.
Bonsoiree, 2728 W. Armitage, (773) 486-7511; www.bon-soiree.com. Dinner Tues.-Fri.; by-invitation dinner Sat. For an atypical dining experience, visit this prix-fixe-only, BYOB establishment with exposed brick walls and a decidedly welcoming feel. Three, five or 13-course meals ($55, $80 and $150 per person, respectively) embrace autumnal colors -- not to mention flavors. Case in point: kabocha squash and roasted corn bisque with tempura, cider-soused Fuji apple.
Bobtail, 2951 N. Broadway(773) 880-7372; www.bobtailicecream.com. Lunch and dinner daily. If the days of trick-or-treating are behind you, it's good to know ice cream enjoyment is ageless. Homemade pumpkin-flavored scoops ($3.19 and up) are the flavor du jour. Just find a white marble-topped table while taking your licks and glean the sweet ice cream-centric decor that surrounds you.
Karma, 510 E. Illinois 83, Mundelein, (847) 970-6900; www.karmachicago.com. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. If you're the kind to dream of balmy breezes the moment the weather turns crisp, check out this picture-perfect Pan-Asian spot. Kitted out with a trickling waterfall, pond and green-lit, blown-glass bamboo, it serves a decidedly Halloween-hued "Warm Island" papaya tart with pistachio cream ($9).
Farmerie 58, 58 E. Ontario(312) 440-1818; www.farmerie58.com. Lunch and dinner daily; Sunday brunch. This purveyor-driven River North bistro and raw bar from William Alexander (ex Emeril's and Commander's Palace) brings the farm to the table in the most seasonal of ways. Grab the salmon with spiced edamame puree, tempura, barley salad, shallot confit, lardon and salmon nage while it's hot ($20).
Enclave, 222 W. Chicago (312) 654-0234; www.enclavechicago.com. Open late Thurs.-Sat. Hip, loft-like and celeb-friendly, this bi-level nightclub also serves a mean martini. Right now, the bewitching bev of choice is the Pumpkin Spice, a sweetened melange of Corzo Silver, pumpkin spice liquor and OJ sprinkled with cinnamon.
Jennifer Olvera is a local free-lance writer.