FNN

Not all youngsters are interested in dining at Cafe Spiaggia, Vie and the like. For those who are, Cookie and Gourmet magazines have joined forces to bring Kids’ Restaurant Week to Chicago from June 20-28.
Throughout Chicago, 21 restaurants will feature special prix fixe menus at seatings between 5 and 7 p.m. Adults pay [...]

Have food allergies? Here’s a dining out experience tailored to be safe for you. On June 29th, Carnivale restaurant will serve as the setting for the next “Safe and Sound Dinner” hosted by Chicagoan Lisa Williams.
The menu will be free of wheat, eggs, soy, dairy, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts and gluten, according [...]

Beautiful Cakes is hosting a cupcake bake-off tonight at the Veranda restaurant (5700 W. Irving Park, 773-283-8800) at 6 p.m. The event is expected to occur monthly from now on.
The secret ingredient in tonight’s competition is citrus, The Chicago Reader’s blog reports. Cupcake tasting will be available at the restaurant, along with food [...]

If you’re looking for something fun to do with the kids this weekend, consider rolling up your sleeves to make some sustainable sushi at the Shedd Aquarium!
The hands-on class will take place on Sunday (May 31) from 4 to 6 p.m. All the fish served will have been caught and raised using sustainable techniques, [...]

Can’t wait for the next season of quickfires and eliminations? Fan of former contestants Radhika Desai and Antonia Lofaso?
Then you’re in luck! The Trib’s Stew Blog is reporting that the Top Chef tour truck will be rolling into Chicago this weekend. Bravo says the six shows have closed for pre-registration, but that [...]

Michael Pollan just finished speaking to a crowd so large it required two overflow rooms at the Harold Washington Library.
In a conversation with journalist Bill Kurtis, Pollan talked about how the food industry managed to change conversations about eating less unhealthy foods into eating more healthy foods in the 1970s. Pollan said it’s happening [...]

Michael Pollan, author of such foodie manifestos as The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food will be appearing at the Harold Washington Library’s Pritzker Auditorium at 6 p.m. tonight.
Pollan will sign books after the discussion. Admission is free and on a first-come, first-served basis.
Here’s Pollan’s recent appearance on The Colbert Report:

The Colbert Report
Mon [...]

If you’re free on Sunday from 7 to 9 p.m., consider going to Schubas restaurant (3159 N. Southport) for a free “Night Lab” billed as a discussion of the neurobiology of taste.
The event is the brainchild of Stephanie Levi. According to her website, Levi is a former caterer who is currently pursuing a [...]

The recent cupcake trend has been mostly confined to, well, grownup cupcakes destined for yuppiedom. Smash Cake, a new bakery from the folks behind Bleeding Heart Bakery, aims for a younger clientele.
The bakery, which opened April 29th at 2961 N. Lincon Avenue, serves lunch as well as coffee, breakfast pastries and, of course, cupcakes. [...]

France’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will be sponsoring cocktail parties in 19 countries around the world.