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February to me means that it’s time to eat as many wings as I can at Wingfest, which consequently is a lot of wings. This was Wingfest’s eleventh year and during that time they have raised over $112,000 for various charities. This is a win-wing situation. We get to feast on great wings and great charities are helped in the process. I told my parents that my big mouth would help people out someday. One of those charities is Chicago Neighbors United http://chicnu.org/, a community based organization which provides educational scholarships to inner city youth.
Pricing at this event is definitely reasonable. $24 gets you all the wings you can mangia, a live band, a raffle ticket, and tons more. Or you can do it VIP style for $50 and get all of the above and drink package, parking pass, goody bag, and access to the VIP area. My advice to the wise: if you can afford it, GET THE VIP. You will thank me. Sure it’s pricier, but you have a nice table and time to get away from the masses. If you can’t get VIP, then get your rear end there early and beat the crowds. Also get ready to stand in line if you have Will Call tickets but don’t worry it is handled in an orderly and courteous fashion. Parking is challenging, but not a major issue. You may have to walk a couple blocks, but that walk will be good for you after eating all of those wings. Make sure you have cash for the bar. They do not accept credit cards and the ATM in the building charges $4.50 (outrageous!). Last but not least use the buddy system. You man the table while your buddy grabs the wings and drinks or vice versa.
There are so many varieties of wings: hot, sweet and sour, smokey, orange flavored, and more. Leading us through this sloppy sauce covered event was the Master of Ceremonies WXRT’S Lin Brehmer. He did not come alone either. Along side him was his sidekick the Chicken Man, a 6-foot man dressed as, you guessed it, a chicken! He was hysterical and really got the crowd motivated. Besides drinking, eating delicious wings, and meeting great Chicago wing lovers, we listened to the live music of Cadillac Dave and the Chicago Redhots with special guests Peaches and Rico McFarland.
The point of Wingfest is that Chicago’s best chicken wing culinary artists compete for the coveted title of “Best of Fest”, and let’s not forget that they earn Chicago street cred and bragging rights for the whole year. Last year’s winner was Mahoneys Pub, which proudly showcased their “Best in Fest 2009″ t-shirts, complete with Rickey Bobby quotes. Awesome! The 2010 winner will be announced after the event. Please check back soon to see who won.
So here it goes!
Vinnie’s “Hot Wing, Hot List”
These were my four favorite wing joints in the fest.
So when you come to Chicago, check out these fine “wingeries”! For a complete listing of competitors go to wingfest.net. And stay posted to Chicago.com/videos to see the event via video with your favorite host, Chicago.com’s “Cousin Vinnie”.
Second City’s “Taming of the Flu” is a gracefully structured show. The layered scenes and characters were as memorable as the people that performed them. One of my favorite scenes of the show was a hysterical Andy St. Clair and very funny Tim Robinson as Chicago cops on bicycle patrol. The duo wore unbelievably short shorts and ridiculous helmets, poking fun at current events, crime and segway cops (It is a delectable scene).
To further appease the Chi-townish pallet, Napier (producer) throws us a curve ball with a spin on cabbie life. Being from the city and having ridden in many a cab, I understand the plight of the cabbie. Tim Robbins cabbie is set solo. He reaches his arm around the passenger seat, turning to address the audience with his justification for fare hikes like boogers on the seat and cleaning puke. He carried the scene away with his over sumptuous Middle Eastern accent, screaming about drunks in his cab and farts. “Classic.”
Aside from cabbies and bike cops this troupe touched up on everything from the 1950s to political satire and even treacherous Chicago winters. The Chicago winter song was great, but the star in my eyes is the “wonderfully talented” Lauren Ash. Her angelic voice and verbally challenging tongue twisters of comedy made my side hurt. This show is great for the locals and the outta-towners. Ruby Streak (musical director) is a talented musician. I wish I could have heard a little more but she delivered a charming interlude to the 1950s prom era.
My favorite part of the whole show hands down was “Frank Lagouse” performed by Andy St. Clair. His impersonation of an Italian seminar speaker complete with gold chains, hairy chest and utterly ridiculous sun glasses was so spot on I thought it was my cousin Joey “up der”. Keep your eye out for St. Clair, I am sure we will be seeing a lot of this “rising star” on the big screen very soon. “Second City” my butt, this bright minded group of highly motivated funny people is another reason why I know Chicago is number 1.
Even if you aren’t Irish, St. Patrick’s Day is one of the best celebrations in Chicago. We dye the river emerald. We wear green. We host parades. We eat corned beef and cabbage for breakfast, and we eat fish and chips for lunch. We drink enough Irish stout to actually see a leprechaun (or at least act like one). We sing about sweet Molly Malone. We catch a game of hurling on TV or try to play it ourselves. Basically, unless you head to Dublin, Chicago is the number spot to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
Click here for Chicago.com’s complete guide to St. Patrick’s Day 2010 in Chicago!