Nervous Fingers @ The Volcano Room

Super fun psych-jangle-pop-rockers Nervous Fingers perform at The Volcano Room (Bottom Lounge upstairs) tonight at 9pm along with Shopping and headliners Post Honeymoon. 1375 W. Lake St. The Action Party costs $5. 21+

World Kitchen: the Christmas Cookie Jar @ Gallery 37

Tonight's class (6pm-8:30pm) will expand your cookie mindset in preparation for holiday baking. "The Christmas Cookie Jar" is part of the World Kitchen learning series offered by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, and will be held at the Gallery 37 Center for the Arts, 66 E. Randolph Street. Admission is $30 and preregistration is required: register online, by calling 312-742-TIXS, or at the box office. Please wear non-skid shoes and bring your apron!

How's the Bar? Launch Party

How's the Bar?, a new bar rating site, celebrates its launch with a party at The Fifty/50, 2047 W. Division, tonight at 8pm. Free, 21+.

Eric Ripert Dinner @ Ritz-Carlton

Ripert is coming, Ripert is coming! The legendary chef behind Le Bernardin in NYC will be in Chicago Thursday to...sign some copies of his new book On the Line (doled out courtesy of ChicaGourmets!). But wait, there will also be food. An initial canape reception will be followed by a four course dinner of dishes from the book, prepared by the Ritz's Mark Payne. Thanks to sponsorship from Moet & Chandon, each course will also be paired with champagne. The event will be held at the Ritz-Carlton, where Ripert will be the final guest in this year's authors tour.

More information through the ChicaGourmets! events page. $125 per person, all-inclusive. 6pm reception, 6:30pm dinner. Ritz-Carlton Chicago, 160 E. Pearson St. To RSVP, call 312.573.5231 or email susan.maier@fourseasons.com.

Alison Bechdel @ Women & Children First

Graphic novelist Alison Bechdel (Fun Home, Dykes to Watch Out For) comes to Women & Children First to discuss her newly published anthology The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For. The book contains Bechdel's selection of her best comics and 60 more strips that have never been published. Free at 7:30pm at 5233 N. Clark St. Call 773-769-9299 for more information.

A Modern Holiday Brunch Cooking Class @ Fox & Obel

Learn how to make brunch dishes that will run your bowl of oatmeal out of town tonight at the "A Modern Holiday Brunch" class at Fox & Obel, 401 E. Illinois. The 6-7pm class is $45. Go here to register or call 312-379-0139.

Global Debates on Islam in the 21st Century @ Fullerton Hall, Art Institute

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs hosts Muhammed Sani Umar, the director of Northwestern University's Institute for the Study of Islamic Thought in Africa for a talk on current debates within Islam. This is part of the series, 360 Degrees: Art beyond Borders, that aims to bring together Chicago's leading cultural institutions in a celebration of artistic, social, and political life around the globe.

Fullerton Hall, Art Institute, 111 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60603, 6:00 p.m., Free.

Open House @ Barry Callebaut Chocolate Academy

If you like chocolate and learning, head to the Barry Callebaut Chocolate Academy (600 W. Chicago Ave, Ste. 860) tonight from 6-7:30pm for an open house.The $25 admission includes a tour of the school, chocolate tasting, artisan chocolate making demonstration, Q & A session, and artisan chocolates to take home. Call 866-443-0437 or email to register.