By Sean Henderson
I attended the Taste of Chicago this year twice; once on opening day (06/29/2007) and once on the third of July. There is a lot of great food here for newcomers. However for returning patrons, this year is a taste of Ground Hog Day. The event is somewhat predictable in that most of the same venders have the same products and are located in the same places as last year. I’d say $35-$42 is a fair price to pay to eat as much as you can and be full. That’s not bad considering the variety that you get here as opposed to a traditional sit-down restaurant at that price. The picture perfect weather coupled with a cool breeze from the lake reduced my tension of having to deal with a relentless sweaty crowd. At times I felt as if I were crammed in a fence with a myriad of raging bulls fighting for grub. Was it worth it? Hell yeah. Eat up.
Bacino’s Pizzeria/Trattoria
2204 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL
Bacino’s "Taste of" Stuffed Spinach Pizza
This was probably the best bargain I can remember. The pizza slice had a well defined crust that wasn’t too hard or too soft. And the spinach? mmmmm-yum.
Guey Lon
3968 N. Elston Ave.
Chicago, IL
Billy Goat Tavern & Grill
1535 W. Madison
Chicago, IL
Billy Goat’s "Taste of" 1/2 Cheeseburger
Chicago Joe’s
2256 W. Irving Park Rd.
Chicago, IL
Chicago Joe’s "Taste of" Chili
Ricobene’s
252 W. 26th St.
Chicago, IL
http://www.ricobenesfamoussteaks.com
Ricobene’s "Taste of" Italian Breaded Steak
La Justicia
3901 W. 26th St.
Chicago, IL
La Justicia’s "Taste of" Enchilada
Parscove Persian Cuisine & Topas
435 W. Diversey
Chicago, IL
Bolat
3346 N. Clark
Chicago, IL
Beer
Ratatouille Promotion
Ratatouille is the best animated feature I’ve seen this year and I highly recommend it. It has already made its way into the imdb’s Top250 and the numbers speak for themselves. I won’t go into details as a movie review is outside the scope of this review.
Robinson’s No. 1 Ribs
225 S. Canal St.
Chicago, IL
Eli’s Cheesecake Chicago
6701 W. Forest Preserve Dr.
Chicago, IL
Eli’s Original Plain Cheesecake with Strawberries
Abbey Pub & Restaurant
3420 W. Grace
Chicago, IL
Vee-Vee’s African Restaurant
6232 N. Broadway
Chicago, IL
Vermilion
10 W. Hubbard
Chicago, IL
Vermilion’s Mango-cumin dusted fries with tamarind chutney
Cest Si Bou!
5225 South Harper
Chicago, IL
Grazie!
1050 E. Oakton Ave.
Chicago, IL
Grazie’s "Taste of" BBQ Buffalo Burger
Blu 47 restaurant & lounge
4655 S. King Drive
Chicago, IL
Suparossa
4256 N. Central Ave.
Chicago, IL
Polka Sausage & Deli
8753 Commercial Ave.
Chicago, IL
BB’s
22 E. Hubbard
Chicago, IL
The Grill
On The Alley
909 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL
The Grill’s Prime Rib Quesadilla
This is my favorite at the taste. So good, I ate three of them.
Zam Zam
2500 W. Devon Ave.
Chicago, IL
Aunt Diana’s Candy Makers
29 E. Burlington Road
Riverside, IL
Aunt Diane’s Chocolate-Dipped Frozen Banana
Celebration
286 Golf Mill Center
Niles, IL
Celebration’s One Scoop of Ice Cream in a Waffle Cone
Mega Millions
"The devil is alive I feel him breathing. Claiming money is the key, so keep on dreaming. And put them lottery tickets just to tease us." -Kanye West
Gold Coast Dogs
2501 N. Damen
Chicago, IL
Mazzone’s Frozen Desserts
Mazzone’s "Taste of" Blue Raspberry Italian Ice
Tutto Italiano
501 S. Wells
Chicago, IL
Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria
958 W. Wrightwood
Chicago, IL
Harold’s Chicken
#71 – 2109 S. Wabash
Chicago, IL
Polo Cafe Catering
3322 South Morgan St.
Chicago, IL
BJ’s Market & Bakery
8734 S. Stony Island Ave.
Chicago, IL
Los Dos Laredos
3120 W. 26th St.
Chicago, IL
Los Dos Laredos "Taste of" Steak Taco
Reggio’s
1339 S. Halsted St.
Chicago, IL
Reggio’s Cherry Italian Ice
I liked this one better than the blue Italian Ice
…a moment later…
Tuscany
1014 W. Taylor
Chicago, IL
Tuscany’s Toasted Ravioli
Dominick’s
Connie’s Pizza
2373 S. Archer Ave.
Chicago, IL
Oak Street Beach Cafe
5700 S. Cicero Ave.
Chicago, IL
Oak Street Beach’s Grilled Lobster Tail with Garlic Potatoes
That is some creepy shit.
Costa’s Greek Mediterranean Dining
340 S. Halsted
Chicago, IL
Volare Ristorante
201 E. Grand Ave.
Chicago, IL
JR
2841 W. Howard St.
Chicago, IL
JR’s Key Lime Pie
Need some Key Lime Pie Martini’s to go with this
Kasia’s
2101 W. Chicago
Chicago, IL
Lagniappe
1525 W. 79th St.
Chicago, IL
Dock’s
112 W. 87th St.
Chicago, IL
A Natural Harvest
7122 S. Jeffery Blvd.
Chicago, IL
Taqueria
3141 W. 26th St.
Chicago, IL
Deleece
4004 N. Southport
Chicago, IL
Potbelly
2264 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL
Chicago Chocolate Company
4010 S. Morgan St.
Chicago, IL
Arya Bhavan
2508 W. Devon Ave.
Chicago, IL
Sabor Latino Restaurant
3810 W. North Ave.
Chicago, IL
Southern Comfort Slushies
They didn’t card me which was suprising.
Southern Comfort Super Weakness
This drink was weaker than some wanna-be Aldi’s style cool aid. I couldn’t even taste the hint of alcohol. Stay away from this drink. Super weak.
Kasia’s Deli
2101 W. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL
Fireplace Inn
1448 N. Wells St.
Chicago, IL
Riva
700 E. Grand
Chicago, IL
Taste of Chicago International Pavilion
Father & Son Restaurant
645 W. North Ave.
Chicago, IL
O’Brien’s Restaurant & Bar
1528 N. Wells St.
Chicago, IL
Franco’s Ristorante
300 W. 31st St.
Chicago, IL
Home Run Inn
4254 W. 31st St.
Chicago, IL
Home Run Inn "Taste of" Mozzarella Stuffed Breadstick
Returned to the Taste of Chicago a second time on July 3rd with a few friends.
Howard, "the W3rd" & Crown Royal
Slick Nick & Blueberry Stoli’s
Blueberry Stoli’s!!!!!!!!
Taste the Blueberry!
Sean & Captain Morgan
Chuck "Deez Nutz"
Pleya
Clara
Jim
Bella Luna Cafe
731 N. Dearborn St.
Chicago, IL
Bella Luna Cafe "Taste of" Chicken Parmesan Sandwich
This tasted like something you’d buy frozen at a store and microwave.
Buona
6801 W. Roosevelt Rd.
Berwyn, IL
Star of Siam
11 E. Illinois St.
Chicago, IL
Helen’s Restaurant
1732 E. 79th St.
Chicago, IL
Helen’s Restraunt BBQ Turkey Leg
Hot and huge. I think my tongue suffered third degree burns after eating this monster. It’s also severely messy. Bring plenty of napkins and ice.
Harry Caray’s Restaurant
33 W. Kinzie
Chicago, IL
Harry Caray’s "Taste of" Fried Dough
Harry Caray’s Homemade Potato Chips
Enough chips to feed 5000 people.
Taqueria "Taste of" Steak Taco
It’s okay, but nothing compared to the Prime Rib Quesadilla
Original Rainbow Cone
9233 S. Western Ave.
Chicago, IL
Rainbow Cone
Taste the Rainbow!
That’s all for my taste portion of the Taste of Chicago.
