The Taste of Chicago, the city’s largest outdoor festival, returns to Grant Park on Thursday with a longer schedule (11 days instead of the typical 10), a few new features and much that is very familiar.
There are a few new vendors — Cyrano’s Bistrot, which made a one-day appearance last year, is back for the full run, along with newcomers Abbey Pub, Ed Debevic’s and Uncle Tannous. Cyrano’s and Abbey Pub in particular will feature interesting menu items that will add much-needed variety to Taste’s food lineup.
Sadly, most of the 59 other food vendors seem to be stuck on cruise control, dishing up the same predictable dishes year after year.
Just for grins, could we maybe recruit a Chinese restaurant interested in serving something other than egg rolls and cashew chicken? Could the Mexican vendors dig just a bit beneath the taco-and-quesadilla surface? Does Taste really need seven pizzerias? Fried dough?
Perhaps I’m being too cranky. For all its faults, Taste of Chicago is a wonderful success story, a veritable orgy of food and free entertainment. And while a great many of the food items are mundane, Taste does manage to expose visitors to a wide array of ethnic flavors.
One of the culinary highlights will be the Gourmet Dining Pavilion, where each day a different restaurant will offer signature items. I’m especially looking forward to Prairie’s gazpacho and buffalo satay on Saturday, La Strada’s seared salmon on Tuesday, Fado Irish Pub’s scallops on Wednesday and Hacienda Tecalitlan’s sausage-filled dumplings on July 4.
Here are my 10 Best Bets for Taste, based on performance and potential:
– Abbey Pub, booth 13: First-year vendor; the Irish sausage sandwich sounds intriguing.
– Buddy Guy’s Legends, booth 1: The chicken and sausage jambalaya is very good.
– Cyrano’s Bistrot, booth 15: I loved Didier Durand’s food in the Gourmet Pavilion last year; this year he’s here all 11 days.
– Dock’s Great Fish, booth 53: The catfish sandwich is a keeper.
– Dominick’s Finer Foods, booth 43: Good sweet corn and perfect fresh fruit.
– Kitty O’Sheas, booth 33: Tenderloin sandwich was an Arnie’s signature in Taste’s early days; I hope this version is as good.
– Lou Malnati’s, booth 30: I love the cooked-on-premises cheese pizza, but the bruschetta, introduced last year, is impressive, too.
– Mama’s House, booth 11: Try the salmon croquettes for good, home-style comfort food.
– Robinson’s 1 Ribs, booth 20: I like Charlie Robinson’s ribs best.
– Thai Borrahn, booth 57: I enjoyed the basil chicken last year.
WHO’S DISHING UP WHAT AT THE TASTE
These are the restaurants — in alphabetical order, with corresponding booth numbers — to be featured at Taste of Chicago. Menus are subject to change.
A Natural Harvest — 59: Vegetarian corn dog with honey mustard; roasted corn on the cob; falafel with tahini sauce; vegetarian tamales.
Abbey Pub — 13: Fish and chips; Irish sausage sandwich; fries.
Ann Sather — 28: Cinnamon roll; pecan roll; brownie.
Arturo Express/Turano Baking Co. — 36: Char-beef panini sandwich; char-chicken panini sandwich; chocolate cake; tiramisu parfait.
Aunt Diana’s Candy Makers — 18: Chocolate-dipped frozen banana; chocolate-dipped strawberry; chocolate fudge; combination fudge, banana and strawberry.
Bacino’s Heart Healthy Pizza — 6: Stuffed spinach pizza; stuffed sausage pizza; thin sausage pizza; thin cheese pizza.
Bando Restaurant — 37: Sunjuk (beef and vegetable kabob); beef pita sandwich; vegetable tempura; egg roll and crab stick.
Billy Goat Grill — 4: Cheeseburger; double cheeseburger; ribeye steak sandwich.
Bresler’s Ice Cream & Yogurt Shops — 22: Superman ice cream (vanilla with superman colors); butter pecan ice cream; strawberry cheesecake ice cream.
Buckingham Cafe & Grill — 63: Corn dog; Philly steak sandwich; fried shrimp basket; monster cookie.
Buddy Guy’s Legends — 1: Chicken and sausage jambalaya; Southern fried catfish bites; Cajun fried okra.
Buona Beef — 23: Italian beef sandwich; char-broiled Italian sausage sandwich; combo beef and sausage sandwich with peppers; barbecue beef sandwich.
Cheesecakes by JR — 46: Plain cheesecake with cherry or strawberry sauce; chocolate chip cheesecake; pecan caramel cheesecake; chocolate-dipped cheesecake bar.
China Garden — 52: Pork and shrimp egg roll; sweet-and-sour chicken with vegetable fried rice; pork shish kabob with vegetable fried rice; cashew chicken with vegetable fried rice.
Connie’s Pizza — 39: Cheese pizza; sausage pizza; calzone (meatball or spinach).
Cyrano’s Bistrot — 15: Grilled spicy sausage sandwich; black bean salad with shredded pork; french fries with homemade ketchup; chocolate bread pudding with caramel sauce.
Dock’s Great Fish — 53: Shrimp on a stick; catfish sandwich; deep-sea nuggets; fried okra.
Dominick’s Finer Foods — 43: Roasted sweet corn on the cob; slice of seedless watermelon; package of cherries, seedless grapes or sliced apples with caramel dip; peach or nectarine
Ed Debevic’s — 60: Cheeseburger; turkey sandwich; jumbo Vienna hot dog; french fries.
El Dinamico Dallas — 55: Jerk chicken with rice and beans; curried chicken with rice and beans; rice and beans with fried plantains.
Eli’s Cheesecake — 19: Original cheesecake (plain or with strawberries); chocolate chip crunch dipper; mud pie “smoosh”; white chocolate raspberry cheesecake.
Father & Son Pizza — 7: Teriyaki ribs; cheese pan pizza; sausage pan pizza; pepperoni pan pizza; spinach calzone.
Fernando’s — 16: Chicken fajita quesadilla; steak fajita quesadilla; jalapeno peppers stuffed with cheddar; smoked jalapeno barbecue wings.
The Fireplace Inn — 45: Barbecue baby back ribs; boneless rib sandwich; barbecue beef ribs; fried mozzarella sticks.
Franco’s Ristorante — 40: Lemon Italian ice; blackberry Italian ice; buttered popcorn; caramel corn.
Gino’s East — 62: Cheese pan pizza; sausage pan pizza; cookie.
Gold Coast Dogs/Vienna Beef — 24: Hot dog; Polish sausage; pickle on a stick; brownie.
Grazie! Ristorante — 9: Crab legs; barbecue buffalo burger; garlic chicken sandwich; jumbo cannoli.
Greco’s — 48: Fried dough.
Guey Lon — 17: Shrimp and vegetable tempura; egg roll; crab rangoon; chopstick chicken.
Harold’s Chicken 13 — 32: Chicken wings with bread and sauce; chicken nuggets with sauce; fried okra; french fries.
Harry Caray’s — 27: Fried dough; potato chips.
Helen’s — 29: Barbecue turkey leg; chicken breast sandwich; red beans and rice; watermelon.
Home Run Inn — 47: Cheese pizza; sausage pizza; sausage and pepperoni pizza; grilled-veggie pizza.
Iron Mike’s Grille — 8: Corn on the cob; pork sandwich; ice cream sandwich.
Kasia’s Deli — 54: Potato or spinach pierogi; Polish sausage sandwich; chicken shish kabob; mushroom egg rolls.
Kitty O’Shea’s/Buckingham’s Steakhouse at the Chicago Hilton and Towers — 33: Beef tenderloin sandwich; baked potato; giant pretzel; Irish cream ice cream.
Lindy’s Chili/Gertie’s Ice Cream — 50: Cream puff; caramel apple sundae; chili without beans; chili cheese dog.
Little Quiapo — 14: Fried lumpia (egg roll); shrimp fried rice; shrimp fried rice with egg roll; shrimp fried rice with barbecue pork.
Los Dos Laredos — 38: Steak taco; steak burrito with beans, lettuce and tomato; steak gordita (Mexican pita); cheese nachos with or without jalapenos.
Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria — 30: Sausage pizza; cheese pizza; bruschetta.
Mama’s House — 11: Salmon croquettes with stuffed cheese filling; peach cobbler; banana pudding.
Mazzone’s — 26: Lemon Italian ice; strawberry Italian ice; cappuccino Italian ice/ice cream; soft pretzel (plain or with cheese).
Original Rainbow Cone — 41: Rainbow cone (chocolate, strawberry, palmer, pistachio, orange sherbet); rainbow ice-cream cake roll; single flavor in a waffle cone.
Pasta Vino — 2: Stuffed artichoke; Italian beef sandwich; barbecue beef sandwich; baked potato Vesuvio.
Pasteur — 5: Shrimp and vegetable tempura; stir-fried noodles with vegetables; chicken with spicy ginger sauce; egg roll.
Pepe’s Mexican Restaurants — 21: Quesadilla; chicken fajita burrito wrap; taco magnifico; bunuelos (cinnamon chips).
Polka Sausage & Deli– 12: — Polish sausage with sauerkraut; spicy Polish sausage with sauerkraut; bratwurst with sauerkraut; pierogis.
Polo Cafe & Catering — 34: Barbecue, bone-in pork chop with grilled onions; steak fries; garlic-mozzarella cheese bread; quesadilla with chihuahua cheese.
Reilly’s Daughter — 35: Corn on the cob; caramel apple with or without nuts; pecan caramel cluster.
Ricobene’s — 51: Italian breaded steak; Italian sausage; hot wings; fresh-cut fries.
Robinson’s 1 Ribs — 20: Barbecue baby back ribs; boneless rib sandwich; boneless grilled chicken breast; hot links.
Shipwreck Kelly’s — 44: Grilled lobster tail; Cajun-style crawfish; fried chicken combo; fried shrimp boat or garlic shrimp.
Star of Siam — 25: Chicken satay with peanut sauce and salad; vegetable tempura; pad Thai noodles; chicken egg roll.
Stevie B’s — 56: Barbecue baby back ribs; barbecue rib sandwich; buffalo hot wings.
Suparossa — 58: Stuffed spinach and ricotta pizza; stuffed sausage pizza; thin sausage pizza; cheddar and cream cheese poppers.
Sweet Baby Ray’s — 31: Barbecue ribs with bread; barbecue boneless chicken breast; barbecue boneless rib sandwich; barbecue chicken legs with bread.
Thai Borrahn — 57: Egg roll; pad Thai; chicken satay with peanut sauce and cucumber salad; basil chicken over rice.
Tommy’s Greek Express 49: — Gyros; chicken kabob; spinach pie; baklava.
Tuscany — 42: Italian beef sandwich; Italian sausage sandwich; toasted ravioli; Italian beef and sausage combo.
Uncle Tannous — 10: Falafel sandwich; hummus with tahini; spinach pie.
Vee-Vee’s African Restaurant — 3: Jerk chicken with red beans and rice; sauteed goat and fried plantains; curry chicken and rice; kalaloo (steamed spinach and collard greens).
Zephyr — 61: Fresh strawberry sundae; hot fudge sundae; pineapple sundae; French vanilla ice cream.
Gourmet Dining Pavilion:
June 25: Printer’s Row — Vegetable wrap; veggie burger; Mexican-spiced French fries.
June 26: Hotel Inter-Continental — Caesar salad; Cajun marinated, grilled shrimp.
June 27: Prairie — Wild mushroom in a sweet potato basket; chilled tomato and onion gazpacho; grilled buffalo satay with plum jalapeno sauce.
June 28: Italian Village — Homemade three-cheese-filled tortellini pasta with fresh basil and tomato sauce; frozen lemon tart with berries.
June 29: Magnum’s Steak and Lobster — Filet mignon sandwich.
June 30: La Strada Ristorante — Garlic-seared salmon, spiced honey, beet chip; cannelloni of slow-roasted pork; herb-roasted tomatoes and sweet corn salad.
July 1: Fado Irish Pub — Galway Bay scallops; Ceili spuds; Irish cream cheesecake.
July 2: Palette’s — Potato crabcake with chili remoulade; apple fritters with cinnamon sugar.
July 3 — Bella Vista — Portobello mushrooms with polenta; bruschetta; grilled calamari.
July 4: Hacienda Tecalitlan — Tacos al pastor (pork loin taco marinated in pineapple, guajillo and herbs); molotes de tinga (corn dumpling filled with Mexican sausage).
July 5: Nix Restaurant/The Knickerbocker Hotel — Takini of tuna salad with soy orange dressing; shrimp and avocado taco with pico de gallo; chicken fajita egg roll; chocolate Hullabaloo.
WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO TO TASTE
– Getting there: If you must drive, arrive a half hour before Taste opens (11 a.m.), when parking garages still have room. I strongly advise public transportation; for CTA, RTA and METRA information, call 836-7000 (all area codes) or 312-836-4949 (TTY).
– Buying food: You need tickets, sold at several booths at Taste (see map); major credit cards are accepted. A sheet of 10 tickets costs $6, including the infamous $1-per-sheet “amenity fee.” Food costs between one and eight tickets. Buy tickets in advance from Dominick’s stores until Wednesday; present your Fresh Values card and save $1 per ticket sheet (limit four sheets per family).
– What to bring: Pack moist towelettes; some Taste dishes are very messy. If you’re with a group and want to share dishes, such as ribs, a small paring knife, paper plates and sturdy plastic tableware comes in very handy. A picnic blanket will make eating in the park more pleasant and will help mark your territory for fireworks and concert viewing. Bring bottled water and you’ll save money. To haul all it all, bring a Radio Flyer wagon; it’s a great spacemaker amid the crowds, and if you have kids, they can ride when their legs get tired (approximately 13 minutes after you arrive).
– How to save money: Each booth offers at least one menu item in a very small “Taste” portion, priced from one to three tickets. They’re usually a bargain.
– When to go: Crowds are lightest at 11 a.m., and again about 3 p.m., on weekdays. Crowds are heaviest on evenings and weekends, and the busiest day is July 3, the night of the city’s 3rd of July concert and fireworks show.
– Be smart: If you plan to drink alcohol, bring ID; Taste officials are notoriously inflexible in that regard.
– What to do with leftover tickets: You can’t get a refund, but some (not all) Taste vendors will accept tickets at their regular locations from July 6 through Labor Day. Better still, give them to someone who’s low on tickets.
— Phil Vettel
NO-GAIN GRAZING
Research shows that deprivation can actually undermine weight management. But at Taste it’s easy to go overboard. Try these tips for feeding your need to graze without doing too much damage.
– Before you go, eat a healthy breakfast or lunch.
– Try a tradeoff plan: For every item you eat that is high in fat, eat something healthful.
– Share portions.
– Burn calories (and fight crowd claustrophobia) by taking a walk along the lakefront.
– Consider diet-friendly options: fresh cherries, grapes, peaches and nectarines from Dominick’s (booth 43); lemon and blackberry Italian ice at Franco’s (booth 40); stir-fried noodles with vegetables or chicken with spicy ginger sauce at Pasteur (booth 5).
– Instead of familiar foods, stick with the original spirit of Taste and go for variety: Eat several foods whose names you can’t readily pronounce.
— Bob Condor
FOR SWEET SATISFACTION
Got the urge to splurge? Treat yourself to these indulgences, just some of the diverse dessert offerings:
– Eli’s Cheesecake, booth 19. The city’s most celebrated slices are always a Taste temptation. This year’s most decadent choice: chocolate chip crunch dipper, a thick wedge of creamy cake thoroughly dunked in chocolate.
– Arturo Express/Turano Baking Co., booth 36. Spoon up a smooth tiramisu.
– Ann Sather, booth 28. Savor the cinnamon rolls.
– Cyrano’s Bistrot, booth 15. Dig into the chocolate bread pudding.
– Italian Village, Gourmet Dining Pavilion. Choose a frozen lemon tart; June 28 only.
– Palette’s, Gourmet Dining Pavilion. Fritter fans will find an apple-flavored option here. July 1 only.
– Original Rainbow Cone, booth 41. The classic fruity cones don’t disappoint.
— Leigh Behrens
STRATEGIES FOR THE STROLLER SET
Parental planning is essential if you’re going to tote the whole crew to the city’s biggest food bash. Here’s advice for short-circuiting tears and temper tantrums — theirs and yours:
– Have a friend, with or without kids, join you — then take turns standing in line and watching the brood. Stake out an eating spot early — and stay put until the children have eaten.
– Besides the usual diaper-bag necessities, bring plenty of sunscreen, bottled water or juice (freeze the boxes the night before and they will thaw by the time kids are thirsty), and favorite snacks for the fussier ones. If you forget diapering essentials, visit the parent helper tent (see map) for free supplies and privacy for nursing moms.
– Make children wear the same color shirt or hat; it’s easier to spot them in a crowd. Note the Taste’s lost-and-found area (see map), or decide on a backup meeting area of your own in case your party gets separated.
– You can try exotic eating choices, but stick with sure-to-please picks for the children — in mini Taste-size portions — including sweet corn (at A Natural Harvest, booth 59), chocolate-dipped frozen bananas (at Aunt Diana’s Candy Makers, booth 18), pizza (at Connie’s, booth 39, and Bacino’s, booth 6), fresh fruit (at Dominick’s, booth 43), and hot dogs (at Ed Debevic’s, booth 60).
— Darlene Gavron Stevens
TASTE BY THE NUMBERS
What did the 3.46 million 1997 Taste-goers crave? These are the top choices:
Pizza: 272,400 slices
Cheesecake: 155,000 slices
Corn: 253,405 ears
Turkey legs: 58,390 drumsticks
Ice cream: 90,000 cones
Ribs: 308,000 portions
Lobster tails: 31,000 pieces
Shrimp: 30,000 pounds
Cheeseburgers: 45,000
Pierogis: 62,000 portions
Hauled away: 605 tons of garbage.
— Source: Mayor’s Office of Special Events.
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Munch with Phil
Look for Phil Vettel’s daily on-line dispatches from Taste of Chicago, plus a full menu of restaurant news and reviews, on Chicago Dining at metromix.com/dining
For a schedule of Taste entertainment, see the Music listings
