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Photo Credit: www.festivalpreview.com
Taste of Chicago starts tomorrow just a little bit smaller. Only 54 vendors will be serving the teeming masses descending on Grant Park for the next 10 days. That might actually turn into a postivie.
The emphasis on healthy eating at Taste in recent years continues. All of the vendors have been required by the city to serve a minimum of two "taste-of" portions, in an effort to cut down on the gluttony. Humana, one of the festival sponsors, is also promoting healthy eating at Taste. Attendees can visit the Humana tent and pick up a "Healthy Choices" map (or download it here as a PDF). Vendors participating in the Humana program will also sport the "Healthy Choices" logo on their tents, for easy recognition.
When you aren't eating those turkey drumsticks — Manny's is back this year in tent #1 — check out the cooking demos at the Dominick's Cooking Corner, which get start with a bang tomorrow with Lockwood's Phillip Foss at noon, followed by Heaven on Seven's Jimmy Bannos at 2 p.m. Other local chefs of note doing demos through the fest are Jackie Shen (2 p.m. Sunday); Monogramme events/Purple Asparagus's Melissa Graham (11 a.m. Monday); Cleetus Friedman of City Provisions (5 p.m. Monday); Piccolo Sogno's Tony Priolo (2 p.m. Tuesday); Rob and Allie Levitt of Mado (2 p.m. Wednesday); and Vermillion's Maneet Chauhan (2 p.m. Thursday).
Tradition here dictates that the food and drink crew offer some vendor recommendations for Taste. Following are fest picks from Laura, Anthony and Jacy.
Anthony
- Goddess and Grocer, just because they're serving their awesome Red Velvet cupcakes. (Chef's Table Booth)
- Bananas Foster Bites at the Blue Bayou - the only thing better than bananas foster is eating it while you walk around a festival. (Booth 14)
- The sweet potato hashbrowns at Hashbrowns (booth 16). At least try something original, if you're going to waste calories on fried potatoes.
Jacy
- What if it rains and you want comfort food to snack on underneath your makeshift garbage bag poncho? A tie between a pierogi (spinach, chicken, potato) with sour cream from Kasia's Deli (Booth 47) or a potato pancake from beloved Jewish deli, Manny's (Booth 1). Who are we kidding, if it's sunny and 90 degrees we will probably be there anyway (with or without a poncho).
- Tamarind is a lovely place to get Asian cuisine in the South Loop and offers one of the most interesting desserts at The Taste: The banana chocolate egg roll. (Booth 53).
- Adobo Grill's guacamole and chips. Is it really a street festival if you don't stuff your face with fresh guacamole? We say no. Adobo has some of the freshest and best in the city, even at a wooden stand in the middle of a Grand Park. (Booth 54)
Stolpman
- The Noodle Vietnamese Cuisine (Booth 18): A favorite for cheap eats, their sesame beef on a stick reminds me of Korean beef. Eating it in the hot summer sun is a throwback to hot summer picnics growing up.
- Vee-Vee's African Cuisine: It's too easy to stick to things we've tasted before so we'd head to Vee's to try the sauteed goat meat with plantains. (Booth 20)
- Vermillion: The BBQ tamarind pepper boneless rib sandwich (with onions, please) is making our mouth water right now, along with the chimichurri masala chicken wings. Both sound like an interesting mix of flavors from different regions. (Booth 10)
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Why does there need to be such a focus on healthy eating? Must we be made to feel guilty about everything that is not deemed acceptable by the hand-wringing, politically correct powers-that-be these days? I guess that's just our compassionate city govt looking out for us little people. The city fathers who made these rules probably have their own table at Gibsons. The festival is here once per year, let people stuff their faces.
I think that the city's emphasizing healthy choices more due to Taste's reputation.
This is the festival of the giant turkey leg, funnel cakes and cobs of corn slathered in butter and salt. The vendors and especially the city, as the host of the festival, have an obligation to provide healthy options for those attending Taste who want to eat healthy, and to educate others in the value of good nutrition. That focus in recent years is still small, compared to the options still available for fest-goers to pig out.
One might argue that the calls for healthy choices isn't enough; I'm not one of them. And woe be to the city from critics if the festival wasn't placing any emphasis on healthy eating choices.
I'm sure you're right ... giant turkey legs don't really say "Chicago 2016."
But they do scream "Chicago," Blue.
I've never understood that argument. Not saying you are wrong, just a difference of opinion. Do places that serve health food only have an obligation to offer one unhealthy item? You speak of the turkey leg and corn-on-the-cob as if they are terrible things. Its a festival.
I don't think the vendors have an obligation to provide anything they don't want to once they have paid the confiscatory fee that the city charges them, which has increased significantly in the last few years. This, coupled with the city forcing vendors to serve "healthy" items that won't sell is probably why there are so few vendors attending this year.
I guess I am so fed up with the state and local government, I have a hard time reading about these criminals setting rules like this.
I may be a health food nut, but I'm not a fanatic. There are times when I do not care about calories or fat or sodium or anything. I want funnel cake and grease and butter and cream and I don't want healthy choices mucking up my enjoyment of a festival.
If Chicago is so worried about the healthy food choices of it's citizens, have a Healthy Food Taste of Chicago, but for once a year, let us Pig. Out. and caution be damned.
(although, are they doing anything differently this year to prevent another salmonella outbreak?)
Not that I plan on going either, but those favorite choices above are really making me drool and I could possibly break my 9 year absence at the Taste this year.
At what point will you be previewing the different piece of shit gangbangers who will be there? I assume that each gang has it's own booth at the taste, where are those located. Not next to each other right?!
there is nothing healthy about salmonella
I went last year on July 3rd. NEVER AGAIN. Though, I'm fascinated at the way pretty much every gang in the city shows up there just to cause trouble. We were kind of caught in the middle of it by the fountain and had to jump into a Zagat booth to protect ourselves.
I think we're all a little fascinated by violence - I wish I could be a fly in a tree to see what happens again, just don't want to be there again myself.
I really hope nothing serious happens though. :)
of course every banger in the city shows up to cause trouble. that's what they do. i still don't get how you can belong to a gang and for that to be perfectly legal. all these pieces of shit should be locked up for life.
I wonder if you were like physically spitting all over your computer screen when you were typing that.
Argue against it then, instead of being a jag. I know RICO has been used against other piece of shit gangbangers like the Latin Kings, and of course with the mafia. It might be time to expand RICO even more to round up these scumbags.
I'm just laughing because you seem 'raging' mad. Don't go all "falling down" on us Mike. As for arguing, you know......pesky...Bill of Rights...
i still don't get how you can belong to a gang and for that to be perfectly legal.
How can it NOT be "legal" to be in a gang? You can call yourself a GD or King all day long, even in front of a cop. You can hang out with other gangbangers all day long. It's the criminal acts that aren't legal. You're worrying about the wrong thing. Belonging to a gang isn't the problem, it's what they do AFTER they join the gang that might be illegal. It's also perfectly legal to belong to the KKK or Aryan Nation too.
Oh, and I'm not going to the Taste either. I hate crowds in general, gangbangers or not.
Good one Navin!
Now enough of this gangbanger stuff
Wack Curmudgeon and thoms thumb, stick to the topic, "Taste of Chicago Preview", willya!
Now to the topic, actually there has been a Major Change in the Taste of Chicago line up! Too many outsider acts, so Chicago's very own
Derrick Rose will kick off the festivities on Stage One by doing the Crip Walk to Eazy E's Compton City G's, but in the song Chicago will be substitued for Compton. I'm sure he's gonna post it on his face book page before hand so his "fans" can show up in mass and "represent" their love for him!
fasten your seatbelts Taste goers!
taste this...
Thank you for suggestions, Anthony, Jacy and Stolpman! I'm using your suggestions as a starting point. I tend to get overwhelmed at the Taste...maybe not this year with the AJS plan. Bon appetit!
You're welcome! Enjoy the festival!
Hope you enjoy yourself, Jels!
-L.