Local

Attention all Mag Mile shoppers and everyone whose hunger heightens after scouring sale racks or leisurely browsing.

After spending all that money or time, enjoy Big Bowl's 3x3 menu from 8 p.m. until closing on Thursday, Sept. 8. It's the final day of the inaugural Magnificent Mile Shopping Festival - a week of retail events, celebrity appearances and just overall fun.

If it's Monday, it must be half-priced bottles of wines at all of the Big Bowl locations in the Chicago area - both downtown restaurants and the one in Lincolnshire and Schaumburg.

The wine list, created by Master Sommelier Alpana Signh, features fair trade, organic and sustainable wines. It also includes wines produced in Illinois that are fun and refreshing.

In the spirit of ancient Chinese customs, Big Bowl and Heritage Prairie Farm will host a grand banquet to celebrate the bounty and uniqueness of their partnership around the auspicious full moon.
 
The Red Moon Farm Dinner, featuring 15 dishes, will be Thursday, August 18, 2011 beginning at 6 p.m., at the farm, located at 2N 308 Brundige Road in La Fox, IL.  This special event is priced at $65 per person, exclusive of tax.
 

Celebrate our local growers in Illinois!
Rick Mamoser, award winning winemaker from Prairie State Winery will be on hand to spread the word about Illinois Wines, with a special introduction by Alpana Singh, LEYE Beverage Director and host of PBS’ “Check Please.”
Also, learn how to turn wine into Summer

Saturday June 25, 9:00 am – 10:00
Big Bowl
6 East Cedar St
Chicago, IL 60611
312-640-8888

At Big Bowl, the Summer Rolls are some of the most popular appetizers. Fresh, light, and not fried, the rolls can be made with a variety of fillings, from seafood to chicken to vegetables.

Big Bowl on Ohio Street and Big Bowl in Schaumburg are both offering Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) to the residents of River North and in Schaumburg. 

Beginning June 7^th and continuing every Tuesday through October 4^th, Simply Wisconsin will drop off locally grown produce, organic eggs, and other products to both locations.  Anyone who has purchased a seasonal “share” from the farm will pick up their products and enjoy the benefits of eating locally grown, organic

"Time Out Chicago" has selected Big Bowl as being in the top five picks for restaurants "Doing Cool Things With Kids Menus." There isn’t any mac and cheese; there are kid sized portions of the dishes that adults like to eat at Big Bowl, which makes kids feel pretty special. Parents can also feel good that their kids are eating all natural chicken, beef or pork, and there are no trans fats or corn syrup in any of the kids menu items.

Check out the “Time Out Kids” magazine for many more recommendations on kid friendly dining and events.

When the Family Farmed Expo begins this week in Chicago, Big Bowl will have a seat at the table.

Executive Chef Marc Bernard will be one of the panelists on the Farm to Table Connection - producers and restaurant owners learn lessons from veteran restaurateurs and vendors on how to source local products.

Each year during our Chinese New Year celebration, one of our favorite things to do is to give free dumpling cooking classes.* Why do we do this? Well, we love Chinese New Year. It’s about new beginnings and creating good fortune for yourself and others, and this is one of the ways we like to say thank you to our guests.

But why dumplings?

Even the hardiest winter warriors appreciate coming in from the cold, especially those with kids or anyone who needs a mental health day now and again. The ideal place? A day at the museum when it's free.

When winter starts to settle in and unsettle us with its cold temperatures, the equalizing factor is soup - a bowl of goodness that's hot, warm and comforting.

At Big Bowl, the hot and sour soup remedies the cold with its depth of flavor, heat and zing. A classic soup from China's north which knows a thing or two about the cold, hot and sour soup is both yin and yang. No wonder it so easily warms after coming in from the cold.

This Saturday, November 20, check out the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival in downtown Chicago. The lighting procession is hosted by Grand Marshall Mickey Mouse and close friend Minnie as they lead the way in the illumination of more than one million lights on Michigan Avenue, from Oak Street to Wacker Drive.

In celebration of the new vegetarian menu at Big Bowl, Chef Keith Wood visits the Kare 11 studio in Minnesota to talk about some of the new dishes, and to demonstrate the recipe of the new Lucky 8 Vegetables with Tofu. As promised, the link to the video and recipe follows:

The day has finally arrived...Block 37 is here! The last buildings to have stood on this site--bordered by State, Washington, Dearborn and Randolph-- were leveled in 1989. Since that time the property has had a number of functions; from public art gallery to ice skating rink.

Heritage Prairie Farm, Elburn Illinois (one hour west of Chicago)
Early Dinner, 4:30 to 7:30 pm
$125 dinner
Includes round-trip transportation from Chicago
Guests will also receive a goody bag containing over $100 worth of LEYE gift certificates and surpises from Whole Foods

The Autumn Harvest Supper will benefit FamilyFarmed.org, one of the country’s leading non-profit organizations that supports family farmers and local food.

On the first Thursday of every month, the Big Bowl on Ohio and Rush has an after work party called the "Fortune Hour." Every month is a little different, but we always try to spread good fortune by celebrating local products, businesses, and even local artists.

Free Dessert Day!*
Wednesday, September 15

Celebrate the premiere of Top Chef Just Desserts wit

For two days, chefs from all eight Big Bowl locations gathered in Chicago to talk, eat and experience farm-fresh food, starting from a visit to Nichols Farm and culminating with a feast in the backyard of Executive Chef Marc Bernard. Each chef prepared a dish, inspired by the farm visit and Bernard's garden. The purpose? To taste truly fresh local ingredients and to be inspired. Look for Bernard's upcoming blog post for more details.

Who are the people at Big Bowl and what do they do? Meet them here under the Spotlight.

Who: Bobby Rogers

Alias:  Triple B for "Big Bowl Bob"

Years at Big Bowl: 10

Position: Divisional Trainer, Staff Whisperer.

What you would do if you weren't working at Big Bowl: professional tri athlete and a personal
trainer with a focus in nutrition.

A best friend may not tell the whole truth and a child might "forget" essential details, but you can always count on numbers. According to a recent tally of Big Bowl best selling new menu items, Cashew Chicken rules the roost.

Since the new menu rollout earlier this summer, Cashew Chicken is preferred about 27 percent more than the second most popular dish, Steak and Noodles. But if you dine at the Edina restaurant in Minnesota, you prefer this chicken dish 50 percent more often.

Bangkok Shrimp and Scallops comes in at No.

"Let's go, before I buy more stuff," says Chef Ozzie Ocegueda from Big Bowl at Cedar and State streets. It's hard not to get excited when shopping at the Green City Market.

Walk or bike to the Green City Market, pick up truly farm fresh eggs, peruse table after glorious table of just picked seasonal produce and then take a seat to watch Executive Chef Marc Bernard's cooking demonstration at 10:30 a.m., tomorrow, June 26. You'd be hard pressed to find a better way to spend a Saturday morning in the city.

The Wells Street Art Festival, recognized as the preeminent arts fair, takes place this weekend with exhibitors and prospective buyers from all over the country. Besides being outdoors on a great day, you'll also be treated to a wide variety of fine art - from glass and ceramics, to pencil drawings and oil paintings - plus a silent auction and children's area.

Big Bowl supports local farmers’ markets, and buys seasonal produce for the menu from some of the same vendors as those at Chicago’s Green City Market. GCM celebrates its 12th year this season and has been named one of America’s Best Farmers’ Markets in the country by Travel and Leisure magazine.

A few miles north of downtown Chicago’s two Big Bowl locations, the Lincoln Park Zoo is a world of wildlife in the shadow of skyscrapers. This free zoo opened year round (weather permitting) is where generations of visitors come to hear a lion’s roar echo off nearby apartment buildings, see gorillas climb trees as the Sears Tower looms in the distance, or immerse themselves in tropical rainforests, dry-thorn forests or spacious savannas.

As a part of our Big Bowl’s efforts to support local organizations that promote sustainability, we contribute a percentage of sales from the kids menu each month to the Organic School Project, an initiative in the Chicago Public Schools that teaches children about healthy food and lifestyle through the curriculum and lunch program.