It's Time to #GetPlanty

The day we have been waiting for is approaching soon! We're excited to announce the new date for Doc B’s Fresh Kitchen Goes Planty, hosted by Alexis Cozzini of Citizen Stone and Jessica Murnane of One Part Plant, is Tuesday, March 25 from 5-10 pm!

We can not wait to dive into the world of plant-based dining and you can be among the first to sample new menu items exclusively crafted by Doc B’s Executive Chef Ed Mcintosh. From the Housemade Guacamole and Herbed Vegetable Chips to the California Kale Salad, we can’t decide which dish we are more excited for!

Come hungry and ready to #GetPlanty! Tickets for Get Planty are available for $40 and can be purchased on Eventbrite (getplanty.eventbrite.com). RSVP early to make sure you snag your seat.

Brighten Up Your Weekend

Don’t let this drab weather strand you inside this weekend when our beautiful city has plenty of events to offer! Start by brightening up your weekend with Get Planty at Doc B’s and then see where our list of fun-filled events will take you.

Thursday:

Doc B’s Fresh Kitchen Goes Planty (Doc B’s Fresh Kitchen, 100 E. Walton) 5-10pm

Concert for a Cause (House of Blues Chicago) 7-11pm

Phantom of the Opera (Cadillac Palace Theatre) 7:30pm

32 Below (Bub City) 10pm

Friday:

Gypsy (Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Navy Pier) 7:30pm

Jason Aldean with Florida Georgia Line (US Cellular Coliseum, Bloomington, IL) 7:30pm

Frank Catalano Sextet (Green Mill Jazz Club, 4802 N. Broadway Ave.) 9pm-1am

Second City’s 102nd Mainstage Revue (Second City) 11pm

Saturday:

Country Brunch (Bub City) 10am-3pm

Makeup for the Museum (Edith Hart Boutique, 1917 N. Damen Ave.) 1-5pm

The Field of Screams Murder Mystery Scavenger Hunt (Field Museum) 1:30pm

Sushi Workshop at The Chopping Block (222 Merchandise Mart Plaza) 7pm

Sunday:

The Nosh Chicago (Logan Square Farmers Market Grassy Knoll) 10am-3pm

Christopher Wool Exhibition (Art Institute Chicago) 10:30am-5pm

CHICAGO The Musical Brunch (Kit Kat Lounge and Supper Club, 3700 N. Halsted St.) 11am-4pm

Ice Skating at Lincoln Park Zoo (Lincoln Park Zoo) 12pm-8pm

What fun events are on your agenda for the weekend? Share them with us by leaving a comment or by tweeting us at @MonikaDixonPR!

By Marissa Coulter, MDPR Contributor

Doc B's Fresh Kitchen Goes Planty

We usually think of plants as an afterthought in our meals – a slice of lettuce on our burger or a side salad with our steak. Who knew plants would take over the dining scene? Jay-Z, Beyonce, Scarlett Johansson and Ellen DeGeneres have all embraced this vegan diet and we can't wait to see what the buzz is about.

The MDPR team is getting the "leaf-down" on the plant-based diet on February 20 from One Part Plant founder Jessica Murnane when Doc B’s Fresh Kitchen Goes Planty. Jessica will be co-hosting with Citizen Stone owner Alexis Cozzini who has been raving to us about her switch to a plant-based diet. We couldn’t help but be interested when we saw the delicious meals she was cooking up on Instagram.

Doc B’s Executive Chef executive chef Ed McIntosh is creating several 100% plant-based menu items for the dinner that they plan to add to their regular menu in the spring, as well as giving some of their most popular dishes a planty twist. We're looking forward to their tangled noodle salad with tofu!

The new menu items will include a house-made guacamole with herbed vegetable chips, rosemary and lentil wild rice pilaf, grilled baby artichokes with a roasted red pepper puree and more.

Ready to make the dive into plantland? Follow along at #GetPlanty. Tickets for Doc B’s Fresh Kitchen’s “Planty” event are $40 and can be purchased online through Eventbrite (http://www.eventbrite.com/getplanty). 

RSVP early to get in on the action as tickets are expected to sell fast! 

MDPR Holiday Luncheon

It isn’t every day that we are able to socialize with 24 of our closest friends and clients, let alone get them all in the same room. Fortunately for us, our MDPR family was able to synchronize their hectic schedules last week for an afternoon of holiday fun and celebration!

Last Friday, we hosted our holiday luncheon at our favorite fresh casual restaurant, Doc B’s on Walton. We had such a good time that even though the party was supposed to end at 2:30, we ended up celebrating past 3!

Having a decadent meal and treats from Doc B’s and Sugar Hills Bakery did not hurt either. Doc B’s served up an intimate family style spread of which the avocado pizza and the kale salad were the crowd favorites. Everyone’s sweet tooth was satisfied with the delicious and cute Oreo pops from Sugar Hills that were decorated with snowman faces, Christmas trees and snowflakes. They were almost too cute to eat!

What is a party without great drinks? Doc B’s nailed the cocktails on the head. The Crazy Beautiful, a Doc B’s signature, was one of the most popular. With its elderflower garnish, the drink was somewhat of a decoration itself.

Our guests were thrilled to find festive place settings that included ornaments by their plates. They were even more delighted to find out which ornament would be coming home with them and adorning their tree.

It was a day of fun, socializing and, most importantly, family. We are so glad everyone was able to attend and celebrate the successful year we’ve had together!

By Marisa Coulter, MDPR Contributor

How to Host a Seamless Business Meeting

Running a successful company takes a lot of meetings. And there are only so many you can fit into an eight hour workday.

To make the most of each meeting, we abide by a few golden rules.

1. This should go without saying, but arriving on time is of the upmost importance. Arriving late not only makes you look bad, but your company as well. Obviously things come up and if you have to cancel, call, text or email whoever you are meeting with ASAP to apologize and reschedule if possible.

2. Take a quick glance in the mirror before you walk out the door. Do you look presentable? And please don't forget to pop a breath mint if you just finished your morning coffee. Consider where you will be meeting too. Ripped jeans will not fly in a 5 star restaurant and business attire is recommended if you're going to be in a board room.

3. You don't have all day and your clients don't either. A good time to shoot for is an hour or less. Go longer than that and the human brain simple can't stay engaged and exhaustion spreads like wildfire. Having a clear goal in mind of what you want accomplished helps keep meetings on track and from lasting too long.

4. If you're going to be taking notes on a laptop or iPad make sure you announce that so people don't think you're doing something else. Don't check your email or social media pages either because people will notice. If you're easily distracted by your phone, go with good old pen and paper.

Doc B's Fresh Kitchen

5. Set a location ahead of time that way you don't waste precious minutes deciding where to go. If it's a quick, casual meeting a coffee shop will suffice. Balsan at the Waldorf Astoria is quiet and intimate. Consider meeting over lunch for longer meetings. We love RL and the newly opened Doc B's Fresh Kitchen. Fresh and healthy food always seems to please everyone. No one wants to leave a meeting smelly like a greasy french fry.

Have you mastered the art of the business meeting? We would love to hear your tips. Send us a tweet at @MonikaDixonPR or comment on this post!

By Monika Dixon