A Thai Buffet and the World's First Bollinger Champagne Room

Yamm
Hotel dinner buffets generally conjure up images of questionable seafood platters, limp noodles and unappetizing sushi. Not so at Yamm, which prides itself on its jet-fresh seafood and signature dishes prepped with exquisite care. This month, those with a hankering for Thai food should make a beeline for the “Discover Thai Taste Buffet” ($688 weekday, $718 weekend through Apr 30), which returns to Yamm for the second time featuring classic recipes from the famed Blue Elephant Restaurant & Cooking School in Bangkok. The menu includes stir-fried pork belly with red curry and long beans, crispy fish with raw green mango, coconut rice berry topped with caramelized beef, and Thai rice berry coconut pancakes. The vibrant parade of fresh herbs, condiments and spices is complemented by a theatrical dining room complete with live cooking stations and traditional Thai dances for a full-on dinner and show spectacle. 

Morton’s of Chicago’s
Need a good reason to duck out of the office early? Those battling work fatigue can get a lift from the tasty bar bites and heavy duty cocktails at Morton’s of Chicago’s new “Power Hour” promotion. The steakhouse has crafted a premium bar bites menu with dishes such as chicken goujonettes (think fancy chicken nuggets) and iceberg wedge bites for $50; parmesan truffle fries and short rib steak tacos going for $65; and more sophisticated starters such as a filet mignon trio, crab and artichoke dip and beef cheeseburgers priced at $80. With a typical dinner at Morton’s running upwards of $800 we’re betting this happy hour is going to get packed off the bat, so get there early to snag a seat, or be ready to down your $60 cocktails and martinis while standing at the bar.

Maison Eight
Could the “Dark Side” finally be getting a bit of swagger?! Set to open later this month in East TST, Maison Eight bills itself as the city’s latest lifestyle destination. The ambitious French-inspired concept will harbor four venues in one: fine-dine French restaurant Esmé, cocktail bar Salvatore at Maison Eight, a classic ballroom with a private terrace and high-tea salon, and the world’s first “Bollinger champagne room,” Le Club 1829. With the promise of an international DJ lineup, some 2,300 wines, sky-high views of the city and a cocktail bar helmed by world-renowned bartender Salvatore Calabrese, this brand new playhouse sounds like just the thing to draw the well-to-do away from their LKF hidey-holes. For everyone else, you can always catch a glimpse through the windows as you plod down to the Science Museum…