Mark your calendars, because you don’t want to miss these deliciously fun culinary happenings:
On Tuesday, July 17 beginning at 5 p.m., Izakaya, 318 Gray, will be hosting a fun bar-top event featuring three top-of-the-line Kyoto beers. Reservations are required ($20 per person plus tax and gratuity) and include three tokens to use towards any of the available Kyoto beers or Kyoto beer cocktails, plus assorted skewers created by executive chef Philippe Gaston and samples of an unreleased Kyoto beer. Call 713-527-8988.
The Italian Cultural & Community Center, 1101 Milford, will host a wine tasting on Friday, July 20 at 7 p.m. Led by Philip Cusimano, the “Una Fresca Sera d’Estate” tasting will offer regional wines from Italy paired with summer-inspired bites from Fresco Café Italiano. Tickets are $55 for members and $65 for non-members, and reservations can be made at Eventbrite or by calling 713-524-4222 ext. 7.
On Saturday, July 21 from noon to 3 p.m., guests can enjoy the first annual Beefsteak Luncheon at B&B Butchers & Restaurant, 1814 Washington. Dating back to the mid-19th century, a beefsteak is a formal beef-centric banquet where plates, utensils and napkins are nowhere to be found (aprons will be provided). Roll up your sleeves and dig into sliced beef tenderloin, housemade fries with truffle aioli, mac and cheese balls, mini beef wellingtons and more. Tickets are $95 per person.
Public Services Wine & Whisky, 202 Travis, is hosting a special Aged Wine Class on Saturday, July 21 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $65 per person and include tastes of several wines from California, Australia, Spain, and France, plus fresh snacks.
The Pass, 807 Taft, will host a Moody Tongue Beer Dinner on Wednesday, July 25 at 7 p.m. Guests can enjoy five beer-paired courses, with dishes including smoked hamachi, boudin blanc, veal sweetbreads with caper-raisin vinaigrette, braised lamb neck gnocchi with malt vinegar beer jus and rocky road chocolate waffle. Moody Tongue Brewing Company brewmaster Jared Rouben will be on hand to give the backstory on Chicago's favorite ales. Cost is $75 per person. Call 713-628-9020.
Boheme, 307 Fairview, continues its summer wine tasting series with Collevento 921 on Wednesday, July 25 (which just so happens to be National Wine & Cheese Day). Collevento 921 is owned by the Durandi family and hails from vineyards located in the northernmost corner of the Italian Peninsula, a region known for producing complex and elegant Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Friulano. The tasting will run from 6 to 8 p.m. and cost is $15++ per person, including wine, cheese and charcuterie pairings.