It's true, everything is bigger in America. They even have one of the biggest food festivals around: Taste of Chicago. I first heard of this momentous event way back when I was studying abroad for a semester in Denmark. Back then, my interest in food only lay in cheap and tasty eats, so I didn't have to literally be a "starving student". Imagine my delight when I met a girl named Karen, who loves to cook for friends, and I was an eager recipient of her generosity.
Karen also au paired in Chicago, and told me that for once in my life, I have to go to this crazy food frenzy called the Taste of Chicago where there are aisles and aisles of food for you to sample. I listened, mesmorized, and imagined that is heaven must be like for foodies.
So I took advantage of my summer holiday and the fact that one of my best friends now lives there. It was really my duty to go see her before I took off to HK, so I decided to coincide my visit with this yearly event which takes place around the July 4th weekend. This year, 70 restaurants had a booth there and you can buy 11 tickets for $7. Most entrees cost around 9 tickets. There are also "Tastes", which are samples of a chosen dish for 3 tickets.
And I was not disappointed. We went on July 3rd, which is a big event at the Taste because there is also a firework show for all to enjoy after a nice big dinner. It seemed like every Chicagon and their dogs are here. The only downside is that the crazy crowds really make it difficult for you to enjoy your food without beer being spilt on you, or bbq sauce smeared by the people pushing through the crowd with their newly procured dinner.
Here's what we ate: Robinson's Ribs, Ellie's Cheesecake, BJ's Mustard Crusted Catfish, and Bacino's Stuffed Pizza. And if I had more room, I would also have gotten the bbq turkey legs from Helen's and also this freshly fried chips everyone seemed to have a plate of.
We went back on weekday around noon, and the crowds were much more manageable. So I would go then if I were you. And try the Robinson boneless rib sandwich. It was DELICIOUS.
www.tasteofchicago.us
1 comment:
The crowd that night at the Taste of Chicago was overwhelming. A massive tide of human bodies - all pushing in different directions. Sometimes you were forced in the opposite direction away from your intended eatery! Oh the horror!
Allow me to elaborate more on the delicious and yet simply assembled boneless rib sandwich. The barbeque sauce was rich, tangy and little sweet. The meat was smokey and remained very tender. Best of all was the bun - so very fresh! It was soft and moist. Amazing combination overall.
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