Kick off 2017 with Champagne tastings, cooking classes, good-luck foods and plenty of confetti.
1) Pop bottles in Lakeview
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Still not sure which bottle of bubbles to drink at your New Year’s Eve party? Stop by Lakeview wine shop Stellar Wine Company to sample some holiday-friendly fare. Bottles on offer include complimentary samples of Champagne, Brunello di Montalcino and more. Free to attend. 6-9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 30, at Stellar Wine Company, 820 W. Belmont Ave., 773-394-4516, www.stellarwinecompany.com.
2) Sunday’s brunch: smoked trout frittata and dirt-cheap bloody marys
Just in time to ease your post-New Year’s Eve malaise, Lincoln Park restaurant Oyster Bah is launching brunch, available Saturdays and Sundays starting this weekend. The menu will feature three variations on frittatas, including one with smoked trout and caramelized onions. For a little hair of the dog, don’t skip the bloody mary, which comes with jumbo shrimp and a High Life beer back — and is only $2.17 on New Year’s Day (and again Jan. 2). All January long, stop in for brunch and receive a gift certificate for a future brunch in the amount of your bill. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m Saturdays and Sundays at Oyster Bah, 1962 N. Halsted St., 773-248-3000, www.oysterbah.com.
3) Ditch the bars for a more interesting New Year’s Eve
The Chopping Block is rethinking New Year’s with a party that gets you cooking. While you snack on hors d’oeuvres and sip on wine, the cooking center’s chefs will guide you through how to make 10 different dinner-party-perfect dishes, including chestnut bisque, apple and cherry salad and spinach gnocchi. You get to eat, too; to drink, purchase wine by the bottle or opt into the evening’s beverage package, which includes craft cocktails. $115-$175. 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, at The Chopping Block at Merchandise Mart, 222 West Merchandise Mart Plaza #107, 312-644-6360, www.thechoppingblock.com
4) Hit up a countdown for the kiddos
Kids like to ring in the New Year too. At Brookfield Zoo’s Zoo Year’s Eve, they can do just that — with adults in tow, of course. The rocking affair will be held at the Hamill Family Play Zoo, with party favors, prizes, games and a live DJ, plus a full-blown countdown right at 8 p.m. $12.50-$18 includes admission to zoo exhibits; free with membership. 6-8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, at Brookfield Zoo, 8400 31st St., 708-688-8000, www.czs.org/brookfield-zoo.
5) Get lucky in 2017
Let’s face it: 2016 was a hard year for a lot of us. Ring in 2017 with a pinch more luck, courtesy of Trader Todd’s. Now through Jan. 1, Lakeview’s favorite karaoke haunt is serving dishes that are traditionally good luck when eaten around the new year. Black-eyed peas ($8), a nod to Southern tradition, are served in a warm broth with jalapeno cornbread on the side; soba noodle salad ($9), with poached shrimp, carrots, onion and a sweet chile vinaigrette, winks at the Asian tradition of eating noodles for good fortune and longevity. Drinks include a cocktail dubbed the 12 Lucky Grapes and a shot of coquito, a Puerto Rican version of eggnog. Through Sunday, Jan. 1, at Trader Todd’s, 3216 N. Sheffield Ave., 773-348-3250, www.tradertodd.com.
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Twitter @joeybear85
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