Taste of Chicago

Last night, Scott and I wandered downtown to the once a year all-out party picnic known as the Taste of Chicago (if you don't live in Chicago, and don't know what it is, it's a huge picnic where they close down Grant Park to traffic and put up food booths (50 or so) from Chicago area restaurants where you can buy your food. Admission is free, and there are free music concerts all week, as well. It's a blast!). Yum. We made a smart decision (Scott's, of course) to go last night, so we didn't get down there until 6:30 or 6:45. This ensured that most people were leaving instead of coming to the Fest. So it wasn't nearly as crowded as last year (when I thought I would hyperventilate because it was so hot and so crowded, and you couldn't get a thought in edgewise), and after the sun went down, it cooled off a bit. We decided to only have the "Taste of" portions at each restaurant, which meant we got little portions of things and split them, and tried 10 or 11 different things. We splurged and got a big item at the end (crab-filled toasted ravioli), but for a change, I left the gastronomic wonderland known as the Taste of Chicago not having spent a lot of money, and not gorged to the point of illness. If you're in Chicago, and you get a chance, it's definitely something to check out. Plus, just being in that general mass of seething humanity is a good time. Some funny conversations occur around you all day. ("I told her she shouldn't have said that..." "Bitch, I hate her..." "If you don't buy this food, I'm going to lose my job, that's it, I'm gone...") For a people watcher like me, it's always fascinating to see so many different people at one time. And to see how many people are shoving down huge barbequed turkey drumsticks like cavemen (a lot...although I will admit that I wanted one, too, they looked really good). My favorite "tastes" were: the barbeque pulled pork sandwich from Sweet Baby Ray's, a Lime-Chicken salad with corn and asparagus from The Grill on the Alley, and my absolute favorite every year: Bailey's Ice Cream from Kitty O'Shea's. That ice cream is amazing. I need to learn how to make it...I definitely have enough Bailey's at home to do it up right. :) Anyway, we had a great time trying different things, and I highly recommend a short trip downtown in the evening (except tonight, the fireworks bring out 2 million of your closest neighbors and friends) for a good, multicourse, diverse dinner. (And bring your own bottle of water, it'll save you a fortune.)