The Poke Boom Infiltrates Evanston, a Chicago-Style Hot Dog Cocktail Exists, More Intel

—As winter’s icy grip has its last gasp in Chicago, a trendy taste of sunny Hawaii is nearly ready to come to the suburbs. Aloha Poke Co., the first establishment to bring trendy raw-fish poke bowls to the area, will open Evanston’s first dedicated poke shop at 630 Davis St. on Friday, owner Zach Friedlander says. It’s the fourth Aloha Poke location, following the original in the Chicago French Market, Lakeview, and inside Revival Food Hall in the Loop.

—An acclaimed drinkmaker who’s well-known in the Chicago scene has brought a cocktail infused with Chicago-style hot dog ingredients to New York and Los Angeles. Adam Seger’s concoction, which infuses Templeton Rye with boiled Vienna Beef hot dogs, Colman’s mustard powder, raw white onion, sweet pickle relish, dill pickle spears, sliced tomatoes, sport peppers, celery salt, and poppy seeds, is on the menu at Tuck Room in NYC and LA, and Bon Appetit calls it "shockingly delightful" and "vaguely briny and salty in a savory way that makes you hungry." Would you want to drink one?

—Hackney’s, a popular family-owned South Loop neighborhood bar and eatery that’s currently temporarily closed for renovations, will shutter its longstanding location in suburban Lake Zurich on Sunday after 48 years in, the Daily Herald reports. Meanwhile, the city location at 733 S. Dearborn St. in Printer’s Row is slated to reopen this month as Hax, which will be more of a fast-casual operation.

—Tickets for the area’s preeminent beer festival/release party, Three Floyd’s Dark Lord Day, go on sale this Saturday at noon. The May 13 event costs $180 a person. Click here for more details, and good luck.

—A renewed push for $15 minimum wage in Illinois by 2022 is coming from progressive state representatives, Crain’s reports, which would be similar to existing laws in California and New York. A hike would greatly effect many local restaurant workers and restaurant operations.

—And finally, the Chicago Cocktail Summit, which debuted last year and features a deep roster of acclaimed barfolk and educational panels, is coming back for year two on April 2 and 3. Tickets and more information is this way.