Aurora’s second annual Restaurant Week, which will feature deals and fixed-price menu offerings from eateries across the city, will be taking place from Jan. 20–Feb. 3.
The two-week-long event is an opportunity for residents and visitors to explore what Aurora’s culinary community has to offer, according to the city’s Downtown Economic Development Manager Danielle Tufano. Last year’s pilot program was a “smashing success” with over 60 restaurants participating, far past the city’s goal of getting 20 restaurants involved, she said.
“Residents loved it. Visitors loved it. Restaurants loved it,” she said about last year’s event. “With more people being out and about, even our retail community benefited from it.”
The participation in last year’s event shows that the restaurant and culinary scene in Aurora is thriving, Tufano said. And this year’s Restaurant Week, she said, is set to have even more diverse options.
One of the new spots she mentioned was Foreign Exchange Brewing Company, located at 110 Cross St., which opened in the middle of last year. Owner Ricky Cervantes said that Restaurant Week will be a chance for his brewpub to deepen its roots in downtown and also to create more buzz around the restaurant, since word-of-mouth is the main way it has been advertising itself.
Although typically smash burgers outsell all other food on its menu, Foreign Exchange Brewing is looking to showcase the Indian-Mexican fusion side of its menu with its Restaurant Week special, according to Cervantes. Patrons will be able to get three tacos and two pints of beer, the two types of menu items Cervantes said he was most proud of, for $20.
Taco flavors include chicken tikka, paneer tikka, peri peri chicken and quesabirria, according to the restaurant’s website.
Foreign Exchange Brewing will be taking part in Aurora’s Restaurant Week event beginning Tuesday, Jan. 20. (R. Christian Smith/The Beacon-News)
Not only is the price affordable, Cervantes said, but it’s also not far off from the regular menu price of these items, showcasing the restaurant’s affordability.
Another new eatery participating in Restaurant Week this year is Touche French Creole, located at 6 N. River St.
Chef Ketone’ Tooles said the event matters because it supports local businesses “in a way that’s fun for guests and meaningful for restaurants.”
It lets restaurants showcase for new guests what they’ve been missing out on, he said, and also highlight new items for seasoned guests.
Touche is set to feature an exclusive, three-course “prix fixe” menu for $45 during Restaurant Week.
A first course option on Touche French Creole’s prix fixe menu offered during Aurora Restaurant Week will be Sweet Street Plantains, which is fried plantains with spicy pepper jam. (Sarah Cervantes)
The southern-inspired meal will begin with a choice between Creole Comfort Gumbo, Sweet Street Plantains and New Orleans Boudin, which is braised short rib with sautéed onions, peppers, garlic and mozzarella. For the main dish, patrons will get either Touche Blackened Chicken or Beef Bourguignon, then finish the meal with a choice between Bayou Brulee or Touche Bread Pudding.
The other restaurant within downtown’s historic Hobbs Building, Giardino Trattoria and Pizzeria, will also be participating in this year’s Restaurant Week, as it did last year. Chef Martin Balderas said he’s excited to do it again.
“We loved Restaurant Week last year because it felt like the whole city was out trying restaurants,” he said. “We had guests who’d never been to Giardino, and now we see them all the time.”
Similar to Touche, the Italian restaurant will feature a four-course “prix fixe” menu of Italian classics for $40.
The first course will be a choice between Meatballs al Forno and Arancini, which is crispy risotto balls stuffed with fontina, mozzarella, parmesan and roasted garlic. Patrons can choose a main dish between Pappardelle alla Bolognese, Rigatoni alla Vodka or Buffalo Margherita Pizza, then will finish the meal off with a choice of either tiramisu or gelato.
Those looking to visit either of the two restaurants located within the Hobbs Building are encouraged to make reservations ahead of time, a spokesperson said.
Another spot that participated in Restaurant Week last year, the downtown Society 57, is also doing it again this year. It is one of the cafe’s favorite moments of the year, said founder Scott Hodge, because it encourages people to intentionally explore local places and try things they ordinarily wouldn’t.
“In a lot of ways, it feels like a city-wide celebration of the food scene here in Aurora, and it just feels good to be a part of that collective energy,” he said.
For Society 57, Restaurant Week is about inviting people deeper into what the coffee shop already does well, according to Hodge.
He said that, for this Restaurant Week, the cafe is featuring flights and parings, which feels true to how people already experience the menu: slowly, thoughtfully and with room for comparison and conversation.
Some examples of specials Society 57 plans to offer include a toast flight, which will range from classic flavors to those that are more elevated, and a cortado flight, which will showcase the coffee shop’s housemade syrups and layered flavors, Hodge said. Plus, the cafe will offer some other “simple or approachable” specials that pair coffee and food, he said.
Society 57 in downtown Aurora will be taking part in the upcoming Restaurant Week event in the city. (Steve Lord/The Beacon-News)
“I hope that people take risks and try things they’ve never tried before,” Hodge said of Restaurant Week.
Aurora has a growing restaurant scene, he said, and some still haven’t tried some of these places, so this event is a great opportunity for those people to step out of their comfort zone.
Even after Restaurant Week officially kicks off, there will be new options, new specials and new deals, according to Tufano. So, she encouraged people to check the official website to see what’s being added.
That website, which features more information about the event as well as a full list of the participating restaurants, can be found at: www.aurorarestaurantweek.com
rsmith@chicagotribune.com
Dining and Cooking