Alert the lifeguards, because there’s a charc attack underway. Actually, it’s an entire Charc Week, which is a lot more delicious than its razor-toothed homonym, and it takes place in February as a way to showcase Chicago’s proclivity for fine cured meats, as hosted by Mortar + Pestle Events.

This is a great time of year for comfort food, and Lady Gregory’s Irish Bar and Restaurant in Andersonville does not disappoint, with a wide ranging selection of pub classics, desserts, vegetarian and gluten-free options, and a special kids’ menu. Assistant principal Gary Norcross loves Lady Gregory’s, and recommends it in this episode.

Chocolate goes hand-in-hand with lots of things. It’s a common bedfellow with peanut butter, vanilla, mint, and as of this season in Chicago, tequila apparently. The zesty agave spirit, which serves to balance out chocolate’s innate richness, is popping up on cocktail lists all over town with a chocolatey accent, as crafty mixologists use cocoa in bold new ways. And just in time for National Hot Chocolate Day on January 31, to boot.