1. Be the first to brunch at Latinicity
The Latin food hall launches all-you-can-eat brunch on Sunday ($25 with two cocktails; $17 without), with different items at each counter. Try the waffle bacon burger, a chorizo burger with bacon and chipotle-cheese sauce on a Belgian waffle; breakfast tacos with short rib barbacoa, avocado and a fried egg; or the Egg Aeropuerto, a meat-and-seafood fried rice with a poached egg and chaufa sauce. New cocktails include a Bloody Maria (made with tequila instead of vodka) and a lavender-pear mimosa. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 21 at Latinicity in Block 37, 108 N. State St., www.latinicity.com.
2. Eat all the chocolate in Homewood
The 14th annual Homewood Chocolate Fest returns to the south suburbs with more chocolatey desserts and baked goods for the family. This year’s free festival includes children’s activities, baking demonstrations and a sweet competition as amateurs and professionals battle for the title of Home Sweet Homewood’s Master Pastry Chef. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m on Saturday at the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District Auditorium, 2010 Chestnut Rd., Homewood, www.homesweethomewood.com.
3. Hit up a Creole dinner (with beer pairings)
It’s OK if we celebrate Mardi Gras all month, right? For a taste of New Orleans cooking, check out A Night on the Bayou: Creole Cuisine and Beer Dinner. At the five-course meal ($65), each French Quarter-inspired dish will be paired with a beer — think shrimp boil with Revolution Anti Hero IPA and beignets with Fallin’ Oats Amber from Hopothesis Beer Company. 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 21 at Four Star Lounge, 2666 N. Halsted St., www.eventbrite.com.
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4. Drink half-price wine, watch “House of Cards”
We don’t normally do our Netflix binging in public, but if you’re looking for an excuse to finally start “House of Cards,” sister bars Old Town Pour House and The Boundary are playing episodes 1-3 back-to-back on Sunday, with 50 percent off wine bottles. That counts as being social, right? Starts at 6 p.m. on Sunday at The Boundary, 1932 W. Division St., and Old Town Pour House, 1419 N. Wells St.
5. Build a better breakfast sandwich
Columnist James P. DeWan schools you on the techniques to make the ultimate breakfast sandwich, whether you love bagels, biscuits, croissants, English muffins or his sleeper hit — a portobello mushroom “bun.”