Summer Is a Time for Festivals Part 2

Well, it turns out that while we made it to several festivals this summer, we did not make it to as many as we'd hoped we would due to many wonderful guests and tons of travel.  However, thanks to Rashida's handy-dandy festival guide, we were able to work in a few more festivals in July and August, and so we wanted to make sure that we rated them for you, our readers, using our very official, highly scientific festival rating system.

Up first is Thai Fest, followed by Ravinia, and finishing with Sausage Fest.

Thai Fest

Thai Fest celebrates the food, culture, and art of Thailand, including the intricate art of fruit carving, traditional Thai dance, and lots of yummy Thai curries.

Michel:  Thai Fest was held downtown and seemed to be populated by a mix of Thai people and people who wandered in on their way home from work.  Unlike some culturally based festivals that we've been to, Thai Fest seemed more firmly grounded in traditional Thai culture than an American-Thai hybrid culture, which I found to be refreshing. 

 

Elizabeth:  Agreed.  In fact, the festival seemed to be focusing on many of the elements of Thai culture that are often overlooked.  I had no idea about traditional fruit carving, but many of the pieces on display were absolutely spectacular and took a lot of training and skill to create.  Additionally, the festival was very generational.  There seemed to be an especially large number of young people celebrating their Thai culture, whether through performing in the musical and dance pieces or cooking traditional Thai dishes at the food booths.  It's clear that the Thai community in Chicago is strong, and it's really cool to see how important cultural traditions are to the younger generations.

Michel:  In terms of food, there were a number of options in addition to Elizabeth's gringa favorite of pad Thai, but because we arrived in the evening after the festival had clearly been going a while, many of the food options were sold out.  But what we did get was delicious. 

Elizabeth:  I fully embrace my gringa love of pad Thai, and I have to say it was probably the best pad Thai I've had in the city. 

Michel:  I don't actually remember what I got, but I remember I liked it a lot.

Elizabeth:  This was a very small festival, taking up about a city block.  There was a ton of culture packed into the plaza, but because of its size, time (middle of the week), and location, I really don't expect many people sought out the festival, which is a shame.  As Michel said, many of the visitors seemed to have wandered in during their walk to the train after work.  We don't know what the traffic was like earlier in the day, but this was a lovely and culturally thorough festival and certainly deserves more visitors.  

Our Rating: 6.5

Michel: It would have scored higher, but they failed to anticipate our attendance and thus did not have extra curry set aside for us.  Not providing a full menu to such seasoned festival critics as us seemed a foolish mistake on their part.

Elizabeth:  If only our ratings actually meant something...



Ravinia

Ravinia is the least festival-esq festival on the festival circuit.  It's a summer of concerts up at Ravinia, a gorgeous theatre and concert venue that is perfect for a summer picnic while listening to artists ranging from Kiri Te Kanawa and Nathan Gunn to Joss Stone, Carrie Underwood, and Tony Bennett.  And, of course, Earth Wind and Fire.

Michel:  We went on a night featuring an opera about a marriage by an upstart named Wolfgang something.

Elizabeth:  It was a concert version of The Marriage of Figaro put on by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra starring several singers who will be performing with Chicago Lyric Opera this season.  We were particularly excited as this visit meant a picnic and our first trip on the Metra, the high-ish speed commuter train.

Michel:  If by high-ish speed, you mean roughly the speed as the El on a straightaway, then yes. 

Elizabeth:  Well, it's supposed to be fast, anyway.  The concert was amazing, but all I have to say is that we were completely outclassed picnic-wise.  We just had a couple of beach towels, some delicious cheese, bread, cold cuts, and fruit and tomatoes, and wine that we poured in plastic Longhorn cups.  Pretty classy.  What we were missing were folding chairs (reasonable), a table (maybe a little less reasonable, but ok), a candelabra complete with lit candles (what??), and crystal glassware (no way).  Yes, we saw all of that.

Michel:  Unlike other venues like Miller Outdoor Theatre in Houston, the stage is not visible from the lawn at Ravinia.  Performances take place inside the theatre building.  Instead, speakers are set up around the lawn, giving every part of the lawn equally great sound quality.

Elizabeth:  And boy, was it a great cast.  Despite needing to up our picnic game, it was a really fun evening with fabulous music, and we are really looking forward to going again and hopefully more often next summer.

Michel:  Agreed.

Our Rating:  Mozart!!!!!

 

Sausage Fest

Elizabeth:  Oh, Sausage Fest.  We had such high hopes.

Michel:  Given the name, one might think this was a culinary event winkingly put on by a group such as the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus.  Alas, it was instead essentially a church fundraiser held in the church's parking lot and named without a trace of irony.

 

 They were going to crown the new Sausage King of Chicago.

Elizabeth:  Now there is nothing wrong with this, except when your previous meat-based Chicago festival experience has been Rib Fest, which is a massive culinary undertaking that has now earned itself its own episode of Eating America with Anthony Anderson.  So you understand why we were disappointed.  That being said, our two sausages were quite tasty. 

Michel:  And because it was a Catholic church, there was plenty of booze to be had, and, in fact, superior beer to that which could be found at Rib Fest.

Elizabeth: And I won a free t-shirt.  It's really soft.

Michel:  The biggest problem with Sausage Fest was expectation versus reality.  We had seen Rib Fest and expected all meat-based festivals to be similar in scope.  And by those standards, Sausage Fest seemed woefully inadequate.

Elizabeth:  It's a nice little festival, though, and, again, the actual product was very good.

Our Rating: 6 Festies out of 10--could have been higher if expectations were managed


And so concludes (we think) our Summer of Festivals in Chicago.  Please keep an eye out beginning next May for our next round of highly accurate and scientific festival ratings.  Tune in next week for our fall special in which we rate and compare the different leaves we find on the ground.  It is sure to be riveting.

Elizabeth and Michel Share a Meal with a Peckish Pig

So let me start by saying this:  Ultimately, I have decided not to recommend How About We anymore.  About 50% of the time, our dates have fallen through for some reason or another, all How About We's fault.  That being said, 50% of the time, our dates are fantastic.  And How About We has done it again: immediately after a series of events that resulted in us being locked out of our account and a very upset e-mail exchange, we went on what we thought would be our last How About We date and ended up having an absolutely fantastic time.  The establishment?  The Peckish Pig, a new brew pub in Evanston.

We thought our date would consist of a flight of beers brewed mainly at the brew pub itself, a chef-selected menu that we assumed would mainly be a charcuterie plate, and a tour of the brewery.  Oh, how wrong we were.  What we got was the mentioned beer flight, a six-course shared dinner, the brewery tour, and two beer glasses with the brew pub's logo.  Oh, and we were the first people who had actually booked the brew pub's How About We offering, so we also got to meet the owners and chef.  Pretty cool.

Michel:  It's pretty clear they were afraid the deal would not include enough food, so they compensated with an industrial-sized assortment of victuals.  We essentially got close to $100 worth of food and drink for free. 

Elizabeth:  (We had a credit that we used.)  We sat down, they explained how the evening would work, and then they just started bringing the menu selections.  It was so much that even though we were supposed to take the tour at the end of dinner, we had to take a break and do the tour before dessert.

 Homemade bread and honey butter

 Charcuterie Plate

 Beer Pig Mussels with House-Brewed Beer and Bacon

 Duck Confit Mac and Cheese with Sunny-Side Up Egg

 Honey Glazed Pork Ribs with Fennel Apple Beet Slaw

After all that, it was time for the brewery tour.

 

Michel: Our tour guide, whose name I don't remember and will henceforth call Jimmy, was very friendly and knowledgeable. The brewery here is really just a few tanks in a green room, but Jimmy took his time and answered any and all questions we had both about brewing and the restaurant itself.  Rather than feeling like a formal tour this was much more akin to having our pal Jimmy show us around.

Elizabeth:  When we finished the tour, we came back to a hot plank of deep fried jam butty with vanilla bean ice cream.  What is deep fried jam butty, you ask?  Deep fried peanut butter and jelly.  You read that correctly.  The pub is owned by a British couple, and they basically decided to deep fry their favorite version of PB&J (or jam butty).  It certainly would fit right in at the Texas State Fair.  Well, I just have to say that it was delicious.  Absolutely amazing.  

Michel:  It was great.  More places should batter dip and deep fry sandwiches and serve them with ice cream.

We had a fantastic time and are looking forward to heading back to The Peckish Pig.  The staff was so friendly and attentive, the food was delicious, and the whole experience was really fun.  And How About We lives to fight another day.

Further Ädventures with the Pändäs!

Lest you all think the only thing we did during Wes and Matthew's entire visit was eat pizza, we decided to reassure you.  We ate other food, too.

Like Fish Bar:

 Cocktails in mason jars!

(Michel:  Mine was in a bottle, but whatever...)

 The best tuna we've ever had in our lives

Fish sliders and blackened redfish tacos

 Krabby Patty!  (Yes, that's it's actual name...just like SpongeBob)

 And, of course, build your own S'mores.

Michel:  Not shown are the ceviche or the whitefish spread.  This is the second time we've had the whitefish spread, and it persists in being just incredible.

We also ate at Marmalade, and the guys tried a few new places while I was at work.  Their favorite was Blue Door Farm Stand, which I am excited to try.  But, in the grand tradition of the Peargelow-Neudry get-togethers, we also cooked for each other.  On Monday, Michel and I made kalua pork topped with mango-avocado relish and sauteed zucchini (Wes helped with the zucchini).  The kalua pork is one of our favorite things to make, and, we can confidently report after our recent trip to Hawaii, highly authentic in flavor if not cooking method.  On Saturday, however, Wes and Matthew made dinner for us: prosciutto-wrapped rack of lamb encrusted with pistachio pesto and sauteed mushrooms and chard.  It was spectacular!  (I'm sorry, Grandmama!)

 Pre-cooking

  Delicious dinner!

However, we didn't just eat.  We did some sight-seeing as well, including the Sears Tower and the downtown Loop, the Art Museum, Millennium Park, the Bean, the Chicago River, and the Lincoln Park neighborhood.  

 The gardens outside the Art Institute next to Millennium Park

And on Sunday, after the pizza tour and naps, we took in a show at Second City.  Though Michel and I had been to see the Sklar Brothers at the Up Comedy Club earlier in the spring, it was our first Second City company show. 

Michel:  I went into the show slightly nervous that it couldn't possibly live up to the historic reputation of The Second City.  Happily, my fears were unwarranted.  The show was spectacular and hilarious.

 Pre-show Stage

Tickets on the front row, great drinks, and hilarious sketch comedy and improv: a great night!

We had such a great time during Wes and Matthew's visit.  And to those of you who haven't yet visited, our couch is open, and Chicago is a great place for a weekend trip!

Chicago Pizza Tour with the Pändäs!

When Wes and Matthew came to visit a few weeks ago, one of the top items on their to-do list was a pizza tour with Chicago Pizza Tours.  So on Sunday we hopped on the bus and, under the guidance of a rather sarcastic but entertaining tour guide, began a delicious survey of some of Chicago's best pizza.

Our guide

 Starting at Pizano's downtown

Ready for pizza!

1. Pizano's

Pizano's original location at Madison and Wabash is the brainchild of Rudy Malnati Jr. and Donna Marie Malnati, the son and widow of Rudy Malnati's Sr., co-founder of Pizzeria Uno and inventor of the deep dish pizza.

We tried 3 different pizzas: a veggie deep dish, a sausage thin crust, and a mushroom thin crust.  The veggie deep dish had an excellent sauce which consisted entirely of tomatoes, salt, and basil.  The crust is wonderfully buttery and crispy all the way through, a rare achievement.  The secret to its crispiness is the use of vegetable oil and the fact that Donna Marie, age 90, comes in several nights a week and hand-makes the dough with a top secret recipe herself...in high heels, natch.

The thin crust pizzas were also delicious.  The crust was wafer thin, cracker-like, and buttery.  The sausage used comes from the actual sausage kings of Chicago.  And the mozzarella is real, fresh, and straight from Wisconsin.

Pizano's is so good that Rudy Malnati Jr. personally delivered a pizza to President Clinton on Air Force One.  President Clinton responded with a personal note of thanks that is framed and hangs in the restaurant.

Wes and Matthew:  Number 1 for both of us for both thin and deep dish.  The sauce was perfect.  The butter on the thin crust made us sooooo happy!  And the sausage was incredible.  If it hadn't been for a great crust, Pizano's still would have won because of the sausage.

Michel:  Top to bottom great!  Both the deep dish and the thin crust had great crust.  The deep dish crust had possibly the best sauce I've ever had on a pizza.  Now my favorite pizza in the city of Chicago.

Elizabeth:  I am willing to admit that I'm not really a deep dish girl, but this deep dish was amazing!  The sauce is absolutely the best sauce I've had in my life.  I really enjoyed the mushroom thin crust as well.  Pizano's is now my place of choice for deep dish.

2.  Flo and Santos

Flo and Santos, located in the South Loop, is a Polish-Italian pizza place that celebrates the original Chicago pizza, South Side Tavern Pizza.  This pizza was created during Prohibition and given away free to entice patrons to purchase beverages.  South Side Tavern style pizza is cut into small squares; has a thin, crispy, super salty crust (to increase the need for a drink); and is focused on toppings.

At Flo and Santos, we tried two different flavors of pizza.  Flo's Polish pizza featured Polish kielbasa, sauerkraut, and applewood smoked bacon.  Marco's Italian pizza contained Italian beef, giardiniera, caramelized onions, and fire roasted tomatoes.

Wes and Matthew:  Flo and Santos had excellent toppings but no crust to speak of.  We really loved the sauerkraut--interesting, unexpected, delicious.

Michel:  Really great and interesting toppings.  On paper, Marco's Italian beef pizza seemed like it would be the best, but in execution, Flo's Polish was better.  The sauerkraut gave a nice vinegary tang that paired well with the Polish sausage.  I agree with Wes and Matthew that the crust was a little on the soggy side.

Elizabeth:  I didn't care for Flo and Santos as much.  I agree that the sauerkraut was interesting and unexpectedly tasty, but overall this was not high on my list.  Though it was a cool concept, I didn't like the Italian beef pizza at all.

3.  Bacino's

Bacino's was started 30 years ago in Lincoln Park on the north side by a radio station owner who decided to make a shift to the restaurant industry.  They are known for their spinach and mushroom stuffed pizza, the first pizza to be certified as heart healthy by the Chicago Heart Association due to the massive amounts of spinach in the pizza.  Note that their pizza is stuffed not deep dish.  This means that there is an extra layer of crust on top of of the sauce, cheese, and toppings, which is then topped with another layer of sauce and sometimes cheese.

Bacino's was a last minute addition when the planned restaurant suddenly couldn't take our group.  As a result, we had to wait quite a long time for our pizza  However, it was hot and tasty when it arrived!

Wes and Matthew:  Tasty, like a lasagna pizza, but a bit too heavy.

Michel:  This tour confirmed what I had already suspected: I prefer deep dish to stuffed pizza.  That being said, this stuffed pizza is superior to that of its better known rival, Giordano's.  This was good but my least favorite of the day.

Elizabeth:  Generally in agreement with everyone.  I enjoyed the spinach and mushroom filling, but it was really heavy.  I definitely prefer deep dish to stuffed pizza.  Also, we had to wait a really long time here, understandably due to our last minute itinerary change, so perhaps that affected my opinion of the pizza as well.  It is the best stuffed pizza I've had, though, so if stuffed pizza is your thing, I recommend Bacino's.

4.  Coalfire Pizza

Coalfire is located on the west side in Wicker Park.  It is the only coal-fired pizza in Chicago and emphasizes a thin crust American-style Neapolitan pizza with a crispy, slightly charred crust and simple fresh toppings.  It is American-style Neapolitan because while it fits all the requirements for a Neapolitan pizza, true Neapolitan pizza can only be made in Naples, much like true champagne only comes from the Champagne region of France and true bourbon only comes from Kentucky (and Chicago, if you believe Koval).

We tried two different kinds of pizza.  The first was pepperoni and whipped ricotta, and the second was a white pizza with whipped ricotta and fresh basil.  The whipped ricotta is the pizzeria's signature and adds a light, cool, and surprisingly delicious flavor to several of their pizzas.

 Basil and ricotta

Pepperoni and ricotta

Wes and Matthew:  Good crust but our least favorite overall.  The whipped ricotta was a nice, light, welcome addition, but it was still completely unseasoned.  Some lemon zest and salt would have made my day.

CORRECTION!!
Matthew: Coalfire was Wes's least favorite pizza but not mine.  I like Coalfire more than Flo and Santos.  Coalfire clearly cared a great deal about all of their ingredients from crust to toppings.  I cannot comment on the sauce since the white pizza had no sauce and the pepperoni had so little sauce that it couldn't be tasted.  I would still take that over the more generic Flo and Santos "Let's throw some crazy toppings on top." And the Coalfire pizzas were beautiful in presentation which gives it a couple of bonus points.

Michel:  This was my second favorite of the day.  I thought everything about it was good.  I especially liked the whipped ricotta.  This is a trend I would like to see catch on elsewhere.

Elizabeth:  I LOVED Coalfire!  It was definitely my favorite thin crust (really Neopolitan style) pizza of the day.  I also love white/sauceless pizzas, and I thought this one was delicious.  And the cool ricotta paired with the hot pizza was a delicious mix of taste and texture.  While lemon zest would have been a lovely addition, I disagree with Wes that these were unseasoned and agree with Matthew that they were beautifully presented.

Understandably, we were stuffed by the end of the tour.  However, we were introduced to amazing pizzas, several that we'd never heard of but would definitely like visit again.  If you have a chance to do a pizza tour of Chicago, definitely go for it!

Note that Matthew appears not to be full at all.

So full...