Lillie's Q to Host Mexican Pop-Up Tribute Dinner, 1/24

Lillie's Q, where chef/owner Charlie McKenna serves award-winning competition BBQ along with Southern favorites and sides in Bucktown (1856 W North Ave), will turn over the kitchen to sous chef Jose Landa for a six-course Mexican dinner pop-up dinner where Landa will cook his favorite childhood dishes on Tuesday, January 24.
 
"This dinner is a way of me saying thanks and honoring not only Jose and the other Mexican and Hispanic members of my current staff at Lillie's Q, but for every one of them I've worked with throughout my career –from chefs, to cooks, to dishwashers," McKenna said. "I'm going to prepare a ceviche as the first course, and then hand off the meal to Jose and serve as his sous chef the rest of the night."
 
"Even with my background in fine dining, BBQ, and Southern food, my favorite cuisine is Mexican food. Jose's been cooking our staff meals that come from his family recipes he learned as a kid growing up in Mexico since we've opened, and they're something I always look forward to. Jose cooked us a preview of the menu we're offering for the pop-up dinner last month, and we were all pretty blown away by the food and flavors. I'm excited for the public taste Jose's Mexican food."
 
The six-course (including an intermezzo) Mexican Pop-Up Tribute Dinner costs $45 per person. The optional and additionally priced beverage pairings cost $20 per person. Four of the courses are paired with Chicago-based 5 Rabbit Brewing Company beers. Additionally, 5 Rabbit, which calls itself the  "nation's first Latin craft brewery", will exclusively launch the release of  "Superstition" -- a strong blonde ale that's made with hibiscus, ginger, Illinois honey, Thai palm sugar, and chamomile – during the pop-up dinner that will be paired with intermezzo.
 
There will be six different seatings for the Mexican Pop-Up Tribute Dinner at Lillie's Q on Tuesday, January 24 (6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm, 8:30pm, 9pm, 9:30pm). There are 18 seats available for each seating. Tickets must be purchased online athttp://lilliesqmexicanpopup.eventbrite.com. Patrons can select which seating they would like and also purchase the separate alcoholic beverage pairing on the EventBrite site. Ticket sales end at noon on Friday, January 20.