My {Taste of Chicago} Fix

Rainbow Cone from Original Rainbow Cone

40 tents of food,

17 food trucks, hot sun,

cold beer, live music.

The Taste of Chicago food festival was a carnival of sight, smell and taste! Over my one week stay in the Windy City, I got to experience city icons like deep dish pizza, classic Italian pasta, and even finger-lickin' BBQ -- but the bites I had at Taste really take the cake.

Immediately after entering the gates I was sucker punched with a cornucopia of culinary delicacies and the aroma of roasted sweet corn and funnel cake.

Now of course I did my research ahead of time on ideal booths to stop and sample, but with more than 70 choices, the gravity of barbecued meats and cinnamon churros was enough to make even a foodie like myself disoriented. 

The currency system was tickets, which you could trade for a small taste of an item or a full-sized meal. At some restaurant booths it was heartbreaking to walk away with only a sample of what treats they had to offer, but I had to stick to my game plan and try every fried, pickled, charred, dipped and candy-coated morsel I could manage to sip, chew, and munch.

My marathon of eating capped at 10 individual portions, where I found a vacant hammock and soaked up the summer sun with an ice-cold beer.

Pad Thai + Potstickers from Star of Siam

Truffle Fries with Rosemary Aioli from The Fat Shallot

Smoked Aligator Sausage form Chicago Dog House

Authentic Chicago Dog from Gold Coast Dogs 

Jerk Chicken + Red Beans and Rice from Zee-Zee's African Restaurant

Bulgogi (marinated ribeye beef) from Jin Ju