If you’re not attending the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival this weekend, there are plenty more things for you to do. Participate in a discussion about queer and Midwestern identity at an intimate supper club, celebrate a brewery’s anniversary, or indulge in brunch on a hotel rooftop. Of course, if you’re a planner, it’s holiday market season — time to pull out those Christmas lists and get crackin’.
1) Queer identity, DIY publishing and unapologetic Midwestern-ness come together at Fragile Fortress Supper Club: We’re Here, We’re Queer, We’re Bringing Over a Casserole. The dinner, featuring Tribune writer KT Hawbaker, explores the legacy of LGBTQ oral storytelling and the role of art in reconciling the Midwestern rural past with its present state. Expect dishes like vegan Swedish meatballs and bacon tomato noodle hot dish, as well as Dutch apple pie for dessert. Tickets $12. 6-9 p.m. Sunday. 2027 W. 22nd Place, bit.ly/2qGLJvV
2) Get a jump-start on your holiday shopping at Petit Margeaux Holiday Market. Bring the kids for a complimentary cookie-decorating class, and peruse earrings, bracelets and necklaces from Kendra Scott’s Winter and Signature collections. When you get hungry, head over to the raclette station for cheese sandwiches, take swigs of mulled wine or snack on some spiced nuts. Free to attend, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. 11 E. Walton St., 312-625-1324, michaelmina.net/restaurants/chicago/petitmargeaux/
3) Off Color Brewing is hosting a one-year celebration for Mousetrap, the brewery’s taproom. You’ll get to try every single beer brewed from this past year, plus some new releases. Pours to look forward to include Hellbroth 2017, Eeek! 2018, Ghost Lemons and to-be-released Cygnet. For non-beer drinkers, choose from a special menu of tiki-inspired cocktails. 11 a.m. to 11:55 p.m. Saturday. 1460 N. Kingsbury St., 312-929-2916, offcolorbrewing.com
4) Learn how to use kitchen scraps to create meals and reduce food waste at The Plant. “Save the Scraps: Creating Culinary Magic while Reducing Food Waste” will begin with a plant-based lunch before a presentation on composting and recipes using kitchen scraps. Tickets $25. 1-3 p.m. Saturday. 1400 W. 46th St., 773-357-7192, plantchicago.org
5) Gussy up your weekend brunch plans by indulging at Z Bar, the rooftop restaurant at The Peninsula. Tuck into the lobster omelet, cooked in butter and gently rolled before being topped with lobster, tarragon and black sturgeon caviar. Or if you’re a landlubber, get the steak and eggs, served with chimichurri and chipas, an Argentinean cheese bread. Sip on mimosas, made with cold-pressed orange juice, or try the Sunday Spritz, made with magnolia aperitif, elderflower, strawberries and lemon; each comes as a single serving or in a large format. 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, 108 E. Superior St., 312-573-6888, zbarchicago.com
gwong@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @GraceWong630
MORE COVERAGE