Taste of TLT - February 28, 2012

It's IHOP's National Pancake Day and the national chain is offering diners a free short stack of pancakes. In exchange they just ask that you think about leaving a donation for the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and other local charities. Since they started this in 2006 they've raised over $8 million dollars! They've got several locations around Chicago and you can find one on their website.

 

It's also National Chocolate Souffle Day! The souffle is a difficult dessert to carry off, but delicious when it's done well. Benny's pastry chef Aaron Lindgren trained under Charlie Trotter himself, so he's got the goods. Other favorite spots are La Sardine in the West Loop and Les Nomades in Streeterville.

 

In this time of Kindles, Nooks, and other electronic means of reading the Art Institute is opening an exhibit highlighting the beauty of the printed word. "Beauty And The Book" highlights 19th- and early 20th-century folios, where even the bindings were works of beauty. It opens today in the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries and will be at the museum through May 7. Of note: it's not open on Saturdays and Sundays.

 

The Second City has a different take on history. One of their newest shows is being performed on their newest stage. The Second City's History of Chicago takes some of our most memorable characters and gives them their own signature twist in the new UP Comedy Club. Insider tip: go hungry. They've got Vienna Beef, Lou Malnati's, and Eli's Cheesecake.