Food & Drink

• Dirty Dogz — Although Dirty Dogz operates year-round at three Home Depot locations and one Lowe's store, summer is the official season for hot dogs and DD's boasts 10 kinds of bun-worthy meat and over 200 different condiments to go with. Best yet, this sign: "Prices Doubled for Chicago Cubs Fans."
• The Streets of St. Charles — What sounds like a blanket recommendation is actually a specific one. On the site of the former Noah's Ark, the new restaurant/retail development has two significant restaurant anchors: Tucano's, the value-priced ($21.99 per person) churrascaria; and prasino (PRASS-ino), the eco-friendly resto with a well-executed, broad-ranging menu, located directly behind Tucano's. The concepts are completely different, but both carry our endorsement. Driving to St. Chuck is too far, you say? Hogwash. Take Fifth Street South, mere minutes from the interchange at I-270 and I-70. Tucano's: 1520 S. 5th #100, 636-724-4499, tucanos.com; prasino, 1520 S. 5th #110, 636-277-0202, prasino.com
• The Moon Room at the Moonrise Hotel — Not only does Joe Edwards' recently-unveiled event room boast the only solar-paneled restaurant roof in the U.S. (capable of powering the top two floors of his signature hotel), the 2100 SF space also has a glass exterior wall and operable glass doors, meaning it could well be the most exciting space in town to get caught in a thunderstorm or snowstorm.

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