Burr Ridge Restaurants Offer Thanksgiving Menus

Cooking a big meal not your cup of tea? Check out these restaurants.

Don’t want to cook a turkey dinner this year? You’re in luck. At least two Burr Ridge restaurants will be open on Thursday and serving up traditional Thanksgiving fare. Topaz Café will be open from Noon – 6 p.m. A Thanksgiving buffet will be available for $45 per person. Coopers Hawk will be open from 11:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. The restaurant will offer a family-style Thanksgiving dinner that includes slow-roasted turkey, smoked ham, stuffing, potatoes and sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin cheesecake. Cost for adults is $27.99 and for children 12 and under cost is $9.99. Reservations are recommended.

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Get Out: Art, Live Music and More This Weekend

Hear music at Cooper's Hawk or attend a benefit and campfire and KLM.

It’s Thursday, and you’ve got no idea what you’ll do for the weekend. Patch is coming to the rescue. We’ve got the best bets for when you're done with work and ready to get out. Check our picks for the activities to hit. 1. ART + VISION Where/When: 5-8 p.m. Friday at Spex, 18 W. 1st St., Hinsdale. Why Go: Event features artwork by Jani Bodell and eyewear by Beausoleil. Pricing: Free. 2. BENEFIT AUCTION Where/When: 7-10 p.m. Friday at Katherine Legge Memorial Park, 5901 S. County Line Rd., Hinsdale. Why Go: Silent and live auctions benefit Campfire. Hors d’oeuvres will be served throughout the evening and a cash bar will be available. Pricing: $50. 3. PUBLIC ENEMIES Where/When:  6:30-9 p.m. Friday at Indian Prairie Library, 401 Plainfield …

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Get Out: Live Music and an Easter Pancake Breakfast

Lots of live music in town and near by.

It’s Thursday, and you’ve got no idea what you’ll do for the weekend. Patch is coming to the rescue. We’ve got the best bets for when you're done with work and ready to get out. Check our picks for the activities to hit. 1. JOHN TAGLIERI Where/When: 9  p.m. Friday at Ballydoyle Irish Pub, 5157 Main St., Downers Grove. Why Go: Live music from an area cover band.  Janis Joplin to Carrie Underwood to Pat Benetar and some guy songs. Pricing: $5 cover. 2. PETTYCASH BAND Where/When: 9 p.m. Friday at Tavern on LaGrange, 5403 S. LaGrange Rd, Countryside. Why Go: The band specializes in covers of Tom Petty and Johnny Cash tunes. 3. MARSHALL VENTE Where/When: 7 p.m. Friday at Cooper's Hawk Winery, 510 Village Center Dr. Burr Ridge. Why Go: An …

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Patch Picks: Five Local Restaurants Serving Easter Brunch

Get your fill this Easter morning at one of these local spots.

Easter brunch is a fun tradition whether your style is formal or informal. Take your pick from these five spots offering Easter specials : 1. Topaz Cafe, 780 Village Center Dr., Burr Ridge Topaz's Executive Chef Ryan Wombacher will be offering diners an Easter buffet including ham, lamb shank pasta, an omlet station and a variety of desserts. The restuarant will also be open for Easter dinner. For reservations, call 630-654-1616 or visit www.topazcafe.com. 2. Moondance Diner, 78 Burr Ridge Parkway, Burr Ridge Another casual local favorite, Moondance is kid-friendly and casual. Their menu includes favorite breakfast dishes such as French toast with eggs, as well as health-conscious dishes like the "Body Definition" (an egg white omelette …

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Get Out: Beer Tasting, Live Jazz and More

Cold beer and cool jazz highlight the weekend.

It’s Thursday, and you’ve got no idea what you’ll do for the weekend. Patch is coming to the rescue. We’ve got the best bets for your done-work-outta-here time. Check our picks for the activities to hit and new bars/restaurants/shops to explore. 1. WINTER JAZZ FEST Where/When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday on the McAninch Arts Center Mainstage, College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd, Glen Ellyn. Why Go: Friday's show is Henry Johnson and The Organ Express, and Two for Brazil: Paulinho Garcia and Greg Fishman. Saturday's headliner is the Ramsey Lewis Trio. Pricing: Friday: $30, $28 for seniors, $20 for youth. Saturday: $50-75, $48-73 for seniors, $40-65 for youth. 2. LIVE MUSIC AT COOPER'S HAWK Where/When: 7 p.m. Thursday at Cooper's Hawk, 510 …

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Get Out: The Speeches of MLK, a Snowshoe Hike and More

It’s Thursday, and you’ve got no idea what you’ll do for the weekend. Patch is coming to the rescue. We’ve got the best bets for your done-work-outta-here time.

1. LIVE MUSIC AT COOPER'S HAWK Where/When: Cooper's Hawk Winery and Restaurant, 510 Village Center Dr.; 7-10 p.m. Why Go: Marshall Vente on Friday, Michael Beetley on Saturday. Pricing: Free 2. "ALICE IN WONDERLAND" Where/When: Elmhurst College Mill Theatre, 235 Walter St., Elmhurst, Friday, 7:30 p.m. Why Go: The play is a student-directed production adapted by Charlotte Chorpenning, who captures Carroll’s language in this well-known fairy tale. Pricing: $5 3. SNOWSHOE HIKE Where/When: Lyman Woods Interpretive Center, 901 31st St., Downers Grove, Saturday, 9:15  a.m. Why Go: Bundle up, strap on snowshoes and hit the trails at Lyman Woods. Join a naturalist on a snowshoe hike and discover the beauty and wonder of the winter forest. Pricing…

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The Weekender

Jan. 21-23: "Chagall for Children" and Live Music This Weekend

Relax before Sunday's Bears game at a screening of "Julie & Julia," a trip to the DuPage Children's Museum or with some live music.

Friday Live music at Cooper’s Hawk Enjoy a glass of wine at Cooper’s Hawk, 510 Village Center Dr., along with the music of Marshall Vente. He will perform Friday night from 7 to 10 p.m. There will also be live music on Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m. Screening of “Julie & Julia” Join the Movie Discussion Group at the Indian Prairie Library, 401 Plainfield Rd., Friday night at 7 p.m. for a screening of “Julie & Julia.” Enjoy the story of Julia Child and the blogger, Julie Powell, who wrote about Child’s cookbook, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” Saturday “Chagall for Children” at the DuPage Children’s Museum “Chagall for Children” is an interactive art exhibit for children that explores the art of Marc Chagall. The exhibit runs through …

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Ring in the New Year at These Local Hot Spots

Topaz and Capri are dishing up something special for NYE while the Kerry Piper will be open for the late-night partygoers.

Got your party hat and list of resolutions to forget, that is, keep in 2011? If you haven't made plans yet for Friday, these local bars and restaurants will have plenty to offer as we bid adieu to 2010. Cheers! Topaz Café Topaz Café, 780 Village Center Dr., is offering a New Year's Eve prix fixe four-course meal. The courses include appetizers, soup or salad, an entrée and dessert. Drinks are separate. There are still a few reservations available, otherwise, stake out a seat at the bar. The kitchen will serve dinner until 10 p.m. and the bar is open until midnight. Cooper's Hawk Winery and Restaurant The tasting room and restaurant at Cooper's Hawk, 510 Village Center Dr., will be open until 10 p.m. and the bar will close around 11 p.m. …

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Photo Gallery: A Bottle of Local Wine Production

Area winery and restaurant Cooper's Hawk is a quickly growing business. Winemakers gave Burr Ridge Patch a first-hand look at the company's winery in Countryside.

When Mike Karkhoff left his Naperville home for California more than six years ago, his expectation was to become a golf pro, not an expert winemaker. But through a fortuitous series of events that's just what happened. While working on his degree in professional golf management he began working in a nearby wine tasting room, and picked the owner's brain about the wine business. After finishing school he helped the budding winery with its first crush season. "We used to sit around at work after hours and just have bottles of wine and talk about the business," Karkhoff said. "And that's how I became passionate about it, because I saw [the owner's] passion." Several employment changes led to Karkhoff looking online for a combination winery …

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Eight Things To Do In Or Around Burr Ridge This Weekend

Pumpkins, plays, planting of trees and more to keep residents happy.

Tree Dedication by Boy Scout Troop 69 A tree planting and dedication ceremony by Boy Scout Troop 69 will be held this Saturday at 2 p.m. at Burr Ridge's new police station, 7700 County Line Rd. The scouts have been working with Ofc. Angie Zucchero on their service project.  Rotary Run Charity Classic A 5k run and walk, 3k walk and a pet walk will take place on Sunday at the Hinsdale Community House. Registration is $30 and will be open until Saturday. The Burr Ridge Bank is sponsoring the event and proceeds will benefit the Hinsdale Rotary Club, District 181 Foundation, Hinsdale Humane Society, and Adventist Hinsdale Hospital. Tri-Town Crop Walk Burr Ridge, Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills residents come together to fight world hunger. …

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