National Chocolate Cake Day

Monday, February 27, is National Chocolate Cake Day!  Let’s celebrate by partaking in the lavish and decadent dessert offered at several great bakeries and restaurant in Chicago. 

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar

Fleming’s is serving up their Chocolate Lava Cake every night on their dessert menu.  It’s a rich chocolate cake with a molten chocolate center of Belgian chocolate, served with vanilla ice cream and chopped pistachios.  You can’t get much better than that….

Vanille Patisserie

The chocolate lover in all of us is sure to be satisfied with upscale offerings of chocolate cakes that Vanille has to offer.  Choose from the Sofia , a chocolate mousse with vanilla cremeaux and hazelnut crisp, the Manjari , a flourless chocolate cake with a dark chocolate mousse, dark chocolate cremeaux, and dark chocolate glaze, or The Earl, a chocolate tart shell, banana caramel and earl grey tea infused milk chocolate mousse.  Each piece is only $6.65 and serves two. 

Delightful Pastries

Delightful Pastries is going the more traditional route by offering their Death by Chocolate Cake by the slice.  Layer upon layer of chocolate cake will please even the biggest chocolate fiend.  Or, for a bit more excitement, special order their German Chocolate Cake to take home and share!

Sweet Miss Giving’s

Sometimes a good ‘ole cupcake will do the trick.  Take home a dozen gooey and moist chocolate cupcakes from Sweet Miss Giving’s in original sized or mini!  100% off all their profits go to charity.  How sweet it is!

Hot Tamales and Pumpkin Treats Celebrate Fall at Prairie Fire Restaurant

Hot Tamale! Let Prairie Fire (215 N. Clinton; 312-382-8300) warm you up this Thursday, October 20 with fall-flavored tamales being served at 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. outside (or in the bar if it rains) of the restaurant for just $5 per tamale.

Praire Fire has partnered with Three Sisters Garden’s Tracey Vowell to offer guests three kinds of tamales: the Slow Braised Barbeque Grass-fed Beef Tamale, the Maple Creek Farm Guajillo Pepper Braised Pork Tamale and the Roasted Luxury Heirloom Pumpkin, Mushroom and Poblano Pepper Tamale, and will be joined by friend Chef Chris Djuric, making a special appearance at the event to help craft the tasty tamales.

Three Sisters Garden supplies Prairie Fire with vegetables throughout the year and has been growing 1,500 pounds of pumpkins specifically for this event. In addition to the tamales, Prairie Fire will be serving grilled pumpkin brushed with a honey butter glaze. Pumpkin fans also will enjoy Prairie Fire’s delicious house made pumpkin.

But wait, there’s more. Friend and neighbor from Chicago’s French Market, Sweet Miss Givings bakery’s famous cupcake truck will be parked in front of Prairie Fire with proceeds from cupcake sales going to the Chicago House charity providing housing and supportive services to HIV-affected patients and at-risk families.