Hey, I’m here to talk about surely one of the city’s most-talked-about people – chef Dan Jacobs. The co-owner of local restaurants DanDan and EsterEv – and a contestant on this season’s “Top Chef” – is going to be real busy this year. Not only is he gearing up for the reopening of EsterEv in a new space (2165 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.) in Bay View, he and partner Dan Van Rite are hosting a series of meals featuring guest chefs, including some fellow contestants from “Top Chef.”
Tell us who you’d pick to be a Betty this year!
Kicking it off is the EsterEv Guest Chef Series held on select Tuesday nights (6:30 p.m.) beginning in late April and running through November. Here is the schedule:
- April 30 – Amanda Turner (Olamaie, Austin, TX), also on “Top Chef”
- May 7 – Kevin D’Andrea (FoliePop’s, Austin, TX); also on “Top Chef”
- August 6 – Danny Garcia & Sumaiya Bangee (Saga Hospitality Group, New York, NY), Garcia is a “Top Chef” contestant as well
- September 17 – Jorge Guzman (Petite León, Minneapolis, MN)
- October 15 – Savannah Miller (M Tempura, Durham, NC); “Top Chef” contestant, too!
- November 24 – Cole Ersel (Milkweed Collective, Milwaukee, WI)
Each dinner features eight courses and 10-12 dishes. The cost is $150 per person (plus $80 for optional beverage pairings).
Tickets are available on Tock: www.exploretock.com/esterev.
The DanDan Dim Sum Guest Chef Series is happening on select Sunday mornings, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. The four-course meals feature seven dishes; the cost is $100 per person. (360 E. Erie St., Third Ward)
Here is the lineup:
- May 5 – Soo Ahn (Adalina, Chicago IL); eagle eyes will have noted that Ahn is a contestant on “Last Chance Kitchen,” which is tightly connected to “Top Chef”
- August 4 – Manny Barella (Jaguar Bolera and Camp Pickle, Denver, CO); yep, a “Top Chef” contestant
- September 8 – Sean Pharr (Mint Mark and The Muskellounge, Madison, WI)
- October 27 – Michelle Wallace (B’tween Sandwich Co., Houston, TX); you bet she’s on “Top Chef”
- November 3 – Cesar Zapata (Phuc Yea, Miami, FL)
Tickets can be purchased here: www.exploretock.com/dandan.
