Staff Picks - Our Summer "Bucket List" of Food

By Staff in Food on Sep 15, 2011 3:20PM

As the weather today reminds us, summer is coming to an end. At the beginning of each summer, we make a list (in our case, a mental one, but we're willing to accept that some are more organized) of all the fabulous thing we want to do and eat before the summer ends. And then, suddenly, it's September and summer is just about over. If we try hard, there are a few more weeks of decent weather left for us to pack in the fun - and pack on the pounds. This is our checklist, our "bucket list" of summer food activities left to do.

Eat on a Rooftop - NoMI Kitchen, Davanti Enoteca's new rooftop, or (and likely the best option) a friend’s rooftop grill. Views, booze and great food: this is what summer’s all about.

Attend a food truck party - Each week the food trucks of Chicago, which have been gaining ground and spamming Twitter feeds all summer, gather for summits. Tuesdays they head to North and Halstead in front of CB2 for #foodtrucktuesdays, and Thursdays they hold #truckinthursdays in front of Ethyl’s Beer and wine dive. The latest entry - Food Trucks A GoGo at 694 Wine and Spirits every Saturday. Go be overwhelmed with delicious choices.

Go the distance - Got an enormous list of Chicago restaurants to try like we do? Pick the ones that are the farthest away and tackle those while you’ve still got the will to hop on a bus, a train and another bus. Or to leave the coziness of your neighborhood at all.

Go Apple Picking - Before the weather cools down, go apple picking (Apple Holler, anyone?) Then, use those bushels of apples to make pies, crisps, and much more as fall creeps in.

Have a Picnic - There are hipsters who picnic in the center of Logan Boulevard. We're never quite brazen enough to walk up and join them, but at the very least we can make our own picnics and get out there before the end of summer.

Wait in line at Doughnut Vault - They’re the size of your head, they’re super-soaked in god knows what magical juice for hours, and they’ve created a frenzy that’s worth the buzz. We're sure as heck not waiting in the snow, so we'd better go now. Check their Twitter feed to see if they’ve run out for the day.

Get your drink on, foodie style, with some boozy ice cream - If gelato’s your thing, you can’t go wrong with Black Dog Gelato’s whiskey bacon bar. Or head to Boiler Room for their Jameson soft serve. Spirits and sweets at the same time? Don’t mind if we do!

Have any other items for our Summer Bucket List? Add them to the comments!

By Molly Durham, with additional material by Caitlin Roth.