Monday, September 13, 2010

Chicago Food Tour

A couple weeks ago the folks over at Chicago Food Planet Food Tours asked if I would like to participate in one of their food tours. I jumped at the chance! I've been wanting to go on one of these tours for along time and I was super excited!


The concept is really cool. Basically you get a 3-hour guided walking tour through one of Chicago's neighborhoods. During the tour you will learn about the history of the neighborhood and get to try the delicious foods (which I think is the best part).


I chose the Bucktown/Wicker Park Food Tour.





First stop, George's Hot dogs.





Traditional Chicago hot dog which includes the dog, poppy seed bun, mustard, onions, relish, dill pickle, tomato, sport peppers and celery salt.




I'm not a fan of tomato so I pulled that off my dog and dug in. I would rank this up there with the top Chicago dog I've ever had!




Second stop, Hot Chocolate.








I was so excited to try this place because of all the rave reviews it's been getting. And it did not disappoint.




House made marshmallows:




With Medium Hot Chocolate - chocolate with a touch of dark chocolate and a hint of caramel. I can't believe how good this hot chocolate was and I can't wait to go back and try all the other flavors.




Third stop, Goddess & Grocer.





The interior of the grocer/deli was decorated perfectly.





The display case was filled with lots of goodies:




Lots of unique items to purchase and bring home.







I wanted to shove this cake in my mouth. Thankfully it was behind a case so I was saved from embarrassment;)




I sampled one of the pasta salads.



Fourth stop, Piece Brewery & Pizza.




Patrick and I really liked the rustic interior:




You could tell the brewer had fun naming some of the beers:




I sampled the Golden Arm. I'm not a beer drinker but I thought this was pretty decent. With that said I must admit I fell in love with the little glass but resisted the urge to shove it in my bag;)




Slice of pizza with cheese, basil and tomato:




Fifth stop, Sultan's Market.





Great decorations:








I wanted to dive into this fruit bar! A lot of variety and everything looked so fresh.





We were able to sample the Falafel Sandwich: A warm pita lined with hummus, stuffed with falafel, Tomatoes, Topped with Jerusalem Salad:





I had never had falafel but judging from this sandwich I will be having it again.


Sixth stop, iCream.


By far the coolest ice cream place ever! If you are in Chicago and love frozen treats you have to check this place out.





The process:

1. Select your base

2. Choose your flavor

3. Add a burst of color








These pipes are how the liquid nitrogen is put into the mixers:





Yeah, you read that right. Liquid nitrogen is used to turn your selections into ice cream, yogurt or sorbet. Check out the smoke:





I devoured my sample:





As mentioned previously we walked around the neighborhood and looked at some beautiful homes.










Does anyone recognize this building from a John Cusack movie?




Who doesn't have a canon in their yard?;)



A couple reasons why I liked this tour:
  • Knowlegeable and personable guides
  • Reserved spaces in popular restaurants
  • A ton of food
  • Learning the history of the neighborhood

This tour would be perfect for people who are visiting Chicago as well as those who live in the city. I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon!

12 comments:

  1. What an amazing tour! Everything looks sooooo good. I love Piece! I'm actually headed to the Goddess and Grocer this week, and Hot Chocolate is on my docket as well Those marshmallows look fab! And that rainbow cake, omg? That's the coolest thing I've ever seen! It looks like you had a great time and what a fantastic opportunity! Nice work, lady!

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  2. Woohoo! I love Chicago Food Planet-- I've taken both their Bucktown tour and the Near north food tour. And I heard they're putting the Chinatown tour up in the next few weeks. Count me in Sir!

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  3. I'm so excited that Chicago has one of these tours! My friends did one in NY and loved it!

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  4. Hey MacKenzie - I did have a great time! The tour was put together really well and the food was amazing. One thing is for sure - I didn't leave feeling hungry:)

    Anonymous - After going on the Bucktown tour I can't wait to check out some of the others Chicago Food Planet offer. Chinatown would be really cool!

    Emily - If you are ever visiting Chicago you MUST go on this tour. It really is a great way to see a different neighborhood as well as eat delicious food:)

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  5. I've never knew about this tour! Thanks for writing about it, I'm totally going to do it now. I've always wanted to try Hot Chocolate. I drive by there all the time!

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  6. Wonderful post. Well-written and informative. I am glad I found your blog and look forward to following your here.

    Be well.

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  7. WOW! This is like the coolest tour I've ever heard of! I would have been all over that marshmallow and hot chocolate and the Falafel Sandwich- amazing!

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  8. This sounds like so much fun! I can't get over that rainbow cake. Holy cow, what a sight!

    I've always wanted to try something that was made using liquid nitrogen. Ever since the guy used it on Top Chef (Richard) I've always looked for it in restaurants, but of course I live in Columbus, not Chicago, so I haven't seen any yet.

    House made marshmallows sound good to me. I think it's neat they they are cut in squares. So authentic!

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  9. Oh what a brilliant idea! And what a great way to really 'experience' an area :)

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  10. Omgosh! What a cute and fun tour! That rainbow cake is awesome, and all the other eats look delish! I wish they would do something like that here in Sacramento - of course it wouldn't be nearly as cool, because Chicago has such an incredible restaurant scene!
    Glad I stopped by - I can't wait to check out more of your posts!

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  11. So much fooood! The house made marshmallows and the rainbow cake had me drooling ;)

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  12. What a fun idea!! I am not sure if Vancouver even offers such tours, I am going to google it!

    Hmmm I think my fave thing you ate was possibly the hot chocolate or the falafel. Look at that rainbow cake!!

    xxoo

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