The Windy City. Be here now. The weather is fantastic, spirits are bright, craft beer is flowing freely and Abe Froman is still the Sausage King. But you should be more concerned about the Alpha King this week–the flagship pale ale from Three Floyds Brewing Company. Let’s get this party started.

You wanna guarantee yourself a great meal? Beeline to one of the most highly-acclaimed restaurants in town, sit down with a James Beard award-winning chef and have them describe the dishes and cocktails for you while you dine. Does it get any better than that? If you’re sitting across from chef Stephen Stryjewski at New Orleans’ inimitable Cochon (930 Tchoupitoulas St) the answer is an emphatic ‘no.’

Marvin Allen has seen it all. As head bartender at one of the premiere bars in the French Quarter, can you imagine the stories he has to tell? If you want elaboration, you’ll have to make your way to the Carousel Bar (214 Royal St) in New Orleans’ historic Hotel Monteleone. As for now, I’ll just tell you about the cocktails.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Beer Festival Season! Everywhere you turn, every weekend seems to bring about another sud-soaked celebration. I love this time of year…

Great rum is born of sunny origins. It’s supposed to be a Caribbean spirit.  Transported by peg-legged pirates aboard their wooden square-riggers, jolly rogers flapping violently upon the masts. But forget what it ought to be. Dunc’s Mill Artisan Rums–handmade in Vermont, of all places–shows us what great rum actually is.

They call it a ‘week’, but just as a baker’s dozen equals 13, a brewer’s week is usually closer to 10 days. Chicago Craft Beer Week kicks off on the 16th of May and will continue until the 26th. Throughout that time, folks lucky enough to find themselves along the southwestern shores of Lake Michigan will be inundated by a menagerie of malts and heady hops. One of the first events on the radar: Lagunitas Love at 2 Sparrows (553 W. Diversey).

New Orleans, Lousiana holds a very special place in my heart. It’s a city always celebrating something. Life as it should be. Never is this more obvious than during the Jazz and Heritage Festival, held annually for two glorious weeks every spring. If you’ve never been, approximate it near the top 3 on your Bucket List. Because the music in this town never stands alone. It’s continually served alongside some of the most precious cuisine and cocktails on the planet. I made a pilgrimage far beyond the fairgrounds of Jazz Fest in order to find the city’s most outstanding outposts for fine dining. Over the next few weeks I’ll share them all. But remember, as the music from 2013 Jazz Fest has dimmed, the real festival forever plays in New Orleans.

Italy is a proud land steeped in serious tradition. Berkeley is an ever-evolving town determined to break the rules. The two seemingly incongruous cultures find their common ground in a mutual admiration for great food and drink. Build (2286 Shattuck Ave.) is at the crossroads.