Cook County Passes Soda Tax, Lagunitas ‘Flies The W,’ More Intel

—Come July 1, those living in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs in Cook County will have to pay more for their sodas. The Cook County board on Thursday voted in favor of a new penny-an-ounce tax on pop, sports drinks, lemonades and iced tea. The tax also affects diet drinks with artificial sweeteners like Splenda. For example, the cost of a six-pack of soda will rise by 72 cents, and a 2-liter bottle’s price will increase by 68 cents, reported the Tribune. Fountain drinks are also part of the tax so Chicago’s restaurants and bars will be affected. Critics label this as a poor people tax, saying they’ll bear the brunt.

—Lagunitas Brewing Co. continues to embrace the Midwest. They’ve unveiled a special edition bottle for Cubs fans. The labels on select Lagunitas IPA will #FlyTheW with a big blue "W" recognizing the Cubs’ World Series win. Drinkers can buy them at the brewery’s taproom, and they’re also in random six packs on the retail side, reported DNAinfo. They’re in limited quantities, of course.

—Just in time for holiday shopping crush downtown, Devon Seafood Grill announced lunch service at its oyster bar. Items include rock shrimp breaded with cornbread, bigeye tune poke and grilled octopus. Oyster bar lunch is served 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

—Ramen-San, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises’ Japanese restaurant in River North, is bringing tangbao (giant-sized soup dumplings) to Chicago. They’re suggesting diners to use a straw so they can enjoy the broth inside. The dumplings are stuffed with crab and pork, and they’ll be available starting on Wednesday.

Jeff Marini