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The Taste of MY Chicago: The GCM Annual BBQ in the Park

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The annual event was yesterday, and what do you know, I learn something new about the culinary food
in my city. I have never been to this and it is the BEST food fest I have EVER attended. I will explain.
It is an outdoor bbq of sorts on behalf of Chicago's premier farmers market, the Green City Market which
is held Wednesdays and Saturdays in the Park part of Lincoln Park. So, the farmers's famous customers, i.e.,
the TOP restaurants in the city hold this all out cooking showdown with literally the top restaurants
there: rick bayless(above), naha, Vie, spring/custom house, blackbird/avec, Spiaggia, Nomi, 4 seasons,
primehouse, Eve, Hot Chocolate, Mado, North Pond, Fox and Obel, and the list goes on (check out he official list here).
It is an all-you-can-enjoy evening of elk, goat, beef, turkey (amazing turkey from Paul Virant... WOW),
wonderful TROUT, and local cheeses. It is the feast of feasts where everyone walks around with a constant
smile on their face and full hands: a beer in one, and a sample in another. The beauty of it was that EVERY dish was
prepared using ingredients from local farmers: the beef, the greens, the pork, etc,.... It was a festival honoring
our local produce, our local meats, and dairys, and our local unmatched microbrews (3 flyods from hammond, two brothers
from downstate, goose island) and of surprisingly Illinois wine (???). I loved it all. I enjoyed all of it and every dish
I had was better than the one before it (except for the cold Kohlrabi soup).
I cannot wait till next year's. p.s.: Some of these chefs are really
COOL!


Comments

Elena said…
Rick Bayless! Did you kiss his chef coat? (or at least get a book signed :))
July 23, 2009 at 8:12 PM
Elena said…
What kind of wine does Illinois make?
July 23, 2009 at 8:14 PM
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