A Squared: Chicago Food + Wine Festival Recap

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Chicago Food + Wine Festival Recap

The weekend before last I had the privilege of attending the very first (of hopefully many) Chicago Food + Wine Festival and I can't say enough good things about the event. From the location to the layout to the variety of chefs and vendors represented, everything was spot on... If only they could have brought us a little sunshine! A little rain didn't stop us from enjoying the event to the fullest though.


2015 was the very first year for Chicago Food + Wine and I certainly hope it will be back. The festival was held outdoors in the heart of Lincoln Park and was the brainchild of Charlie Jones, founding partner of C3 Presents (who have produced both Lollapalooza and Austin Food + Wine Festival), acclaimed chef Tim Love (of restaurants like Lonesome Dove Western Bistro and Woodshed Smokehouse) and Christina Grdovic, SVP/Publisher of Food & Wine magazine.


Throughout the weekend there were 30 different cooking demos and guided tastings that took place throughout the festival. Many featured famous chefs and wine experts from Chicago and throughout the world covering a variety of topics. We managed to catch some of chef Jose Garces's presentation "There's More Fish in the Sea." Check out that octopus!


Event sponsors and vendors had great interactive kiosks and tent set up all over the park. Stella Artois was hosting a beer and food pairing at theirs and we also stopped by the Renaissance Hotel's tent for a blindfolded taste test. Dark Horse Wine had one of the cutest setups at the entire festival. Their tent featured wine tasting (of course), a professional chalkboard artist, and this enormous 'WINE' sign that made for some amazing photo opps.


My favorite part of the festival was the Grand Tasting & Chef Showcase, which took place throughout the duration of the festival. Saturday and Sunday each featured their own lineup of chefs, beverage vendors, and sponsors with over 90 total participating that weekend.


The Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint truck was on site straight from Nashville.


Martin's was serving up tender pulled pork with a tangy vinegar-based barbecue sauce and a heaping scoop of coleslaw-- all on a thick slice of white bread, of course.


One of the coolest parts of the Grand Tasting was seeing some of the top chefs in Chicago in action right in front of us. Many of them were excited to chat, meet fans, and share information about what they were making and their newest projects.


Chef Michael Kornick of MK Restaurant made this fresh and summery zucchini salad. It was super simple, but the flavors were wonderful-- with a little acid, a little heat, and some toasty breadcrumbs on top.


River Roast was serving roasted figs wrapped in duck prosciutto. These simple bites had amazing flavor and I loved their rustic and beautiful presentation.


One of our collective favorites of the day easily went to Hoosier Mama Pie Company, who was offering a "DIPie" concept at their station. Hoosier Mama was offering three different kinds of pie crust (traditional pastry, chocolate, and gingersnap), 6 different filling options (from cherry to chocolate creme), and about a dozen different toppings.


Each of us got to build our own pies to suit our tastes and came up with completely different and delicious combinations-- and Hoosier Mama took the time to make them all look so pretty! Mine is the pie on the bottom left: A gingersnap crust with apple pie filling topped with oat crumble, whipped cream, and toasted coconut.


Gibson's Steakhouse was there serving up their signature filet sliders on buttery buns. These little bites were simple and decadent-- and the steak was perfectly cooked and tender.


Nico Osteria's pastry chef was at the festival sharing some of the prettiest profiteroles. These pistachio profiteroles are a signature item on Nico's dessert menu and featured a rich cheesecake mousse as filling and a gorgeous colorful white chocolate piece on top.


The chefs behind Element Collective (the restaurant group that owns Nellcote, RM Champagne Salon, and Old Town Social, among others) served another one of our favorite dishes of the day. These savory parfaits were so lovely and consisted of roasted peaches layered with burrata, pea shoots, and toasted sunflower seeds. It was another simple, but brilliant combination of ingredients that worked together beautifully.


While those DIPies might have been the sweet highlight of the event for me, the savory highlight for me (and the other girls I was tasting with) was most definitely The Florentine's Italian twist on street corn.


Corn on the cob was generously coated in a tangy aioli and then rolled in a combination of Pecorino Romano, trufflle, pancetta, and herbs. I never expected corn to be one of the most memorable dishes of the event, but this was a really special dish with bold flavors that worked wonderfully together.


Floriole, a French bakery in Lincoln Park, served these wonderful and seasonally appropriate peach & blueberry pastries. And their table was one of the prettiest of the day too!


And while a kale salad isn't often something you'd think of as being super special, this version by La Sirena Clandestina was really wonderful. The kale was tossed in a fresh creamy vinaigrette with a hint of peppery heat and served along with thinly sliced radishes, jalapeno peppers, and toasted pepitas. It was refreshing and flavorful and a nice foil to some of the richer dishes we tried that day.


When I saw the chef at Labriola's table shaving black truffles directly into a skillet of pasta, I knew I wanted to sample that dish. And it did not disappoint.


Handmade gemelli pasta was cooked to al dente and tossed in a rich tomato ragu. It was finished off with rich truffles for a dish that was flavorful, comforting, and decadent.


And last, but not least: one of my favorite desserts, which was a collaboration of one of my favorite frozen treat purveyors and one of my favorite Chicago coffee shops. This affogato was a combination of sweet vanilla gelato from Black Dog Gelato and rich Bow Truss coffee topped with fresh lemon whipped cream. I love an affogato and this fresh and lemony version was one of my favorite dishes of the day.

photo c/o Kelly in the City

It may have been a rainy day, but we had such a wonderful time at Chicago Food + Wine! This festival was a great addition to the Chicago foodie scene and I sure hope that it returns next year.

57 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete

  2. A Chicago vacation is a fantastic time waiting to happen! From the time you set foot in the city, there are lots of things to do, attractions to see, food to eat, amazing hotels.
    if you wish to know more visit -chicago festivals

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lollapalooza is a dynamic music festival designed for you and some friends or the entire family. This amazing Chicago even it typically hosted in beautiful Grant Park where you have lots of space, a breath taking view of the city and it's not far from lake Michigan.Take a look at:-chicago festivals

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hello
    How are you everybody.Especially thanks to the blog admin for his/her wanderful blog.I want to let you know about my following writing.

    Chicago Myth Festival is a dynamic music festival designed for you and some friends or the entire family. This amazing Chicago even it typically hosted in beautiful Grant Park where you have lots of space.

    Thanks
    Angelina Jukic
    To know more visit- chicago festivals

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is a gorgeous place, and I won't soon forget it. Attended an event here sponsored by the company. The reception hour was held in one of the rooms next to the event venue hall. I loved their buttery mashed sweet potato.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have read so many articles on the topic of the blogger
    lovers but this article is really a nice piece of writing, keep it up.
    http://matchprediction.in/

    ReplyDelete
  7. We as a whole need to eat sustenance, regardless of whether we eat it at home or outside. Whatever the quality (and cost) of the sustenance, there is dependably a probability that anybody can get some sort of nourishment borne sickness. la fiesta grande somerset ky

    ReplyDelete
  8. This type of wine business is different from the customized crushing sector of the wine business. winecoon

    ReplyDelete
  9. Menu for a diabetic person just entail portion control, keeping insulin levels and healthy glucose and looking for meals everybody in the household will enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
  10. You ought to seriously think about working on growing this web site into a serious voice in this market. You obviously have a respectable knowledge of the areas all of us are searching for on this internet site anyways and you could potentially even earn a dollar or three from some advertising. I would explore following recent news and raising the volume of blog posts you make and I bet you’d start earning some great traffic in the near future. Just an idea, fine luck in whatever you do! new restaurants lahore

    ReplyDelete
  11. Kitchen counters and surfaces are the key spots which if messy can defile nourishment. These spots must be purified completely alongside hardware utilized for planning sustenance. food

    ReplyDelete
  12. Interesting topic for a blog. I have been searching the Internet for fun and came upon your website. Fabulous post. Thanks a ton for sharing your knowledge! It is great to see that some people still put in an effort into managing their websites. I'll be sure to check back again real soon. wine news

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thank you so much for sharing this great blog.Very inspiring and helpful too.Hope you continue to share more of your ideas.I will definitely love to read. best-small-food-processors

    ReplyDelete
  14. wow, these all dishes seems so tasty, i want to taste these dishes one by one, Thanks for sharing this amazing information with us, Great post keep sharing. car rental service in agra

    ReplyDelete
  15. AMazing festival Thanks for sharing this wonderful festival memories with us, The Historic Route begins in Chicago at Grant Park on Adams Street in front of the Art Institute of Chicago. Great place. Golden Triangle Tour 5 Days

    ReplyDelete
  16. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Twice the same number of American grown-ups are large today as in the 1960s. The greater part all things considered and a fourth of all kids are currently large. Over this same period, drive-thru food has turned out to be less expensive and less demanding to purchase. fast food franchises

    ReplyDelete
  18. Try this jelly with cream cheese and crackers as an appetizer, or as a sauce for roasted meats (delicious with lamb as a replacement for that mint jelly some folks use) jalapenos

    ReplyDelete
  19. Not a solitary second abandoned abandoning me in absolute shock.
    black garlic

    ReplyDelete
  20. Very great post. I simply stumbled upon your weblog and wanted to mention that I have really enjoyed surfing around your weblog posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon! Food Recipes

    ReplyDelete
  21. I’ve learn some excellent stuff here. Definitely value bookmarking for revisiting. I wonder how so much attempt you place to make this sort of great informative site. Pumpkin carving Ideas

    ReplyDelete
  22. absolutely agree with the beauty and the info you shared with uscookandfoodieblog

    ReplyDelete
  23. Little enough not to take up loads of significant ledge space yet ground-breaking enough to chop down food planning time to a base, food processors are not simply one more machine you will utilize two or three times and after that store away in the cellar when the novelty wears off. Best small food processors

    ReplyDelete
  24. In order to eat a vegan diet, you can no longer eat anything made with honey or dairy products. Vegan Recipes

    ReplyDelete
  25. Absolutely indited content , Really enjoyed looking at . diabetes foods you can eat

    ReplyDelete
  26. Some truly good content on this web site , appreciate it for contribution. fermented food

    ReplyDelete
  27. After years of trying to learn how to prevent a hangover there have been very few solutions that truly work for me. Recently stumbled on to Detoxicated- hangover pills- and found that they work really well for me. As I believe everyone should be an educated consumer, you can check out more information on their website.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Outstanding post, I think blog owners should larn a lot from this blog its really user genial . https://www.continental-delight.com.sg/Continental delight

    ReplyDelete
  29. Get the best Investment Schemes and Mutual Find Advise by professional and well experienced mutual fund advisor.
    Mutual Fund Advisor

    ReplyDelete
  30. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  31. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  32. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  33. I was reading some of your content on this website and I conceive this internet site is really informative ! Keep on putting up. fanta mela verde

    ReplyDelete
  34. Excellent article. Very interesting to read. I really love to read such a nice article. Thanks! keep rocking. cd duplication services

    ReplyDelete
  35. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Wow, This is nice and informative blog.

    We VSRK Wealth Creator Private Limited Are one of the Certified Financial Planner in Delhi provides you services like Wealth Management Services Mutual Funds, Bonds, Corporate Fixed Deposits, Life Insurance, General Insurance, Mutual Fund Advisor Delhi Tax Saving Funds, Financial Planning.

    ReplyDelete
  37. amazing pictures
    loved going through the blog
    thank you so much for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  38. Amazing food, Thanks for sharing, I will try these dishes at my home, i feel hungry to see this pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  39. The blog is clear demonstration of the fact that, you can’t compromise with the quality.
    Raw Plant

    ReplyDelete
  40. IVC-Services do not represent Government Department of any Country, also not affiliated or tied up with any Embassy/Authority. IVC-Services is a private Consulting Agency, which caters various professional services related to various Countries and Charges a Consulting fee. Grant or rejection of Visas/or any listed services is solely the discretion of the respective.
    Malaysian passport renew in Singapore

    ReplyDelete
  41. Golf Clubs Open to the General Public Beer, Wine and Liquor utilization on premises
    Liquor Store in Clinton mo

    ReplyDelete
  42. Great article! This is the type of information that are meant to
    be shared across the internet. Thank you for sharing such a useful post. Nice post ! I love its your site after reading ! thanks for sharing.
    Website: top boarding schools in the country

    ReplyDelete
  43. I am very happy to have seen your website and hope you have so many entertaining times reading here. Thanks for all the details. Nice Post thanks for the information, good information & very helpful for others. you sharing such a useful post. Very Interesting Post! I regularly follow this kind of Blog.
    Website: kalyan night result

    ReplyDelete
  44. Raptorroof is one of the Best , Window Repair Contractor in Frisco, Texas, Offers you Roof and Window Repair, Window Screen Repair. residential window repair services. Get a quote today.
    Roof and Window Repair in Frisco Texas

    ReplyDelete
  45. Hi there i amm kavin, its my first occasion to commenting anywhere,
    when i read this paragraph i thought i could also
    create comment due to this sensible post.부산오피


    ReplyDelete
  46. Great article! This is the type of information that are meant to
    be shared across the internet for college assignment writers

    ReplyDelete
  47. I thank you for the information and articles you provided
    essay help

    ReplyDelete
  48. Keep up the work, great job! The Azerbaija government has introduced an online visa system that allows citizens to obtain a visit visa electronically. Azerbaijan sticker visa requirements you can check online via Azerbaijan visa website.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Great I really like your post. Such amazing information, all the best for more updates. Thanks for sharing. It is such a very amazing post...
    Click here: Kilt outfits

    ReplyDelete
  50. The marketing is continuously changing that builds excellent customer experiences. There have been numerous digital marketing strategies in recent times, so you need to select the right one to promote your business. With the latest online marketing trends 2022, you can achieve your business goal quickly.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Safety House is Delhi, India-based manufacturer& supplier& a wholesaler& retailer& exporter of high-quality or Safety Lockout products or Devices.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Social Media Marketing Agency: FSC is the best social media marketing company in Delhi, offering low-cost social media optimization services in Delhi, India. GET A FREE QUOTE!

    ReplyDelete
  53. This program is free to download and you don't have to pay anything. You can use this program immediately after installing it. OLA TV Apk Download supports platforms like Android, FireStick and Windows PC. Cyberflix, TVZion and Cinema APK are some of the available apps for movies and TV series.

    ReplyDelete
  54. With India Taj Tours Obtain deep insights into the pristine Taj Mahal’s history with our bespoke Taj Mahal Tour Packages. Our Tours are exclusively designed to ensure you enjoy the beautiful prehistoric architecture of India while learning our history. Designed for first-timers and repeat travelers, our packages include the Taj Mahal Tour From Delhi, Golden Triangle Tour Packages, Rajasthan Tour Packages, New Delhi Tours Packages, and tours from Delhi.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Nice Word. I liked your article very much. Thank you!
    APL India Packers and Movers as the best packers movers in Kolkata provide 100% safe house shifting, office shifting, bike moving, and car transportation services to the customers. Our basic objective is to provide the best management.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...