Chicago.com
This Saturday and Sunday is the 27th annual Taste of Lincoln Avenue. This exciting and very popular street festival features more than 40 musical acts on five stages, an art fair, food vendors, and a kids’ activities area.
Musical entertainment includes: local pop, rock, blues, and local cover bands. Headliners this year are Soul Asylum, The Freddy Jones Band, soul/R&B legend Otis Clay, and Australian harmonica/didgeridoo player Harper.
Over at the art fair area local artists will showcase their works along with sale items. Browse everything from paintings and sculptures to jewelry and accessories. There will also be a shaded wine garden for wine enthusiasts. While you are shopping or listening to the live musical acts you can sample food from local restaurants. Food and beverage vendors will have booths along the event.
The Kids’ Carnival is open everyday from noon to 6pm on Altgeld between Lincoln and Halsted. There will be live children’s entertainment, inflatable playthings, a petting zoo, and pony rides. A face painter, magician, and puppeteer will make special appearances as well.
There is a $7 suggested daytime donation and a $10 suggested evening donation. Proceeds benefit the Wrightwood Neighbors Association which makes grants to charitable and educational organizations serving the local community.
The Taste of Lincoln Avenue is a great weekend event for the whole family.
Last weekend was the 42nd annual Sheffield Garden Walk, a festival in Lincoln Park which celebrates everything summer has to offer. Live entertainment included bands from the Chicago area as well as special guests. There were many local food vendors to choose from including: Bacino’s Pizza, The Abbey Pub & Restaurant, Quang Noodle, Starfruit, Robinson’s Ribs, and Sal’s Deli. The event was sponsored by Blue Moon beer, 93 WXRT, the Home Depot, Treasure Island grocery store, and many others.
photo by Hanna Pageau
There was something for everyone at the Garden Walk event. For music lovers, live entertainment in the parking-lot behind the St. Vincent DePaul Church was a hit. Many of the bands drew large crowds, especially the headliners in the evening. For history and architecture enthusiasts there were guided architectural tours. The tours wove around the beautiful and often historical homes in the area, covering the different styles of architecture that the neighborhood embraces. There were also signs on various gardens for self-guided garden tours. It was an exciting experience to be able to enjoy some of the otherwise-private, beautiful gardens in the area.
photo by Hanna Pageau
For children, there was a “Kids’ Corner” on Kenmore, though it was more like a whole block than a corner. There was a face painting station, a petting zoo with sheep and goats, pony rides, a mini roller-coaster and Ferris wheel, and a moon jump. There was also an activity area where kids could do craft projects to take home as a keepsake. The kids even had their own live entertainment — there were story readings from the public library, a few firemen came to visit, and some children even performed music themselves.
photo by Hanna Pageau
There were people all over Sheffield, Webster, Kenmore, and Fremont enjoying the beautiful weather. But the fun didn’t stop there, just farther up on Webster and Halsted (and even down to Armitage) was the Lincoln Park Sidewalk Sale. Stores along these streets had sale items out on the sidewalk along their store-fronts as well as special deals inside. It was a rather eventful weekend in Lincoln Park — definitely something not to miss next year.
photo by Hanna Pageau
It was a scathingly hot day during the kick-off of the Taste of Chicago on Friday. Hundreds of thousands of people packed Grant Park and the surrounding area to sample the delicious offerings of this year’s vendors. The 53 represented restaurants lined the streets in decorated booths. Some vendors shouted or sang to draw in customers.
Taste favorites Harry Carry’s, Eli’s Cheesecake, and Lou Malnati’s had long lines of eager customers in front of their booths. Another popular vendor, Rainbow Cone also had quite a crowd of people craving cold items to beat the heat. Tons of people were walking around with ears of corn from Abbey’s Pub, or Italian ice from Franco’s. Newcomers Iyanze, a West African restaurant, thrilled Taste goers with their interesting selection of foreign delicacies. Beverages included Pepsi products- 20 oz. bottles are 5 tickets.
We tried several “Taste Of” portions at different booths. Here is what we tried and what we thought:
Star of Siam – Pad Thai – 4 Tickets: “It’s spicier than I remember, but still very delicious. I got a few nice pieces of tofu in my portion which I really enjoyed.”-Zoe
The Grill – Gazpacho – 3 Tickets: “I love gazpacho, this is fantastic!” -Bela
Cubby Bear – Garlic Fries – 3 Tickets: “They’re good, but they should be warmer…” -Vujadin
Bacino’s – Stuffed Spinach Pizza – 4 Tickets: “The top is soft and the bottom has the perfect crunch” -Bela
Iyanze – Bissap Sorbet (frozen hibiscus tea with whipped cream)- 3 Tickets: “It’s very refreshing!” -Bela “I like how it’s sweet and flower-y. It’s such an interesting and pleasant flavor” -Zoe
Vermilion – Grilled Shredded Tandori Turkey – 4 Tickets: “It’s good. It tastes like grilled turkey” -Vujadin
Franco’s – Watermelon Italian Ice – 4 Tickets: “It’s a good flavor, messy to eat though.” -Bela
Eli’s Cheesecake – Plain Cheesecake – 3 Tickets: “Simple and delicious.” -Zoe
There are a lot of great options this year at the Taste of Chicago’s 30th anniversary event. For more information be sure to check out our Taste of Chicago preview and our Taste of Chicago FAQ.
Above: Chicago.com interns Zoe and Bela enjoy some Bissap Sorbet
Above: Taste goers cool off by Buckingham Fountain.
Above: people enjoying all that the Taste has to offer.
Nella Pizzeria Napoletana is the newest venture from the owners behind Francesca’s Restaurants in Chicago. Chef Scott Harris and partner Nella Grassano opened this authentic pizzeria in November of last year with the hope of bringing the passion and the craft of Italian pizza making to the heart of Lincoln Park. Their wood burning pizza oven was imported straight from Naples, and with the help of Corporate Chef of Mia Francesca Massimo Salatino, their recipes have stayed modern and yet still reminiscent of their originals.
We started out with a seafood salad to share. This insalata di mare was bright and fresh with large pieces of cuttlefish, squid, octopus and shrimp. It was served with arugula dressed in lemon juice, sweet peppers, fresh herbs and olive oil. It was a great combination of flavors and a complete surprise from the monotonous, one note seafood salads I’ve had before. This was perfect for a warm day and really whetted our appetites. And thank goodness, because we were in for a feast!
As for the pizza, we went with the recommendation of the General manager Jeff Downing – Prosciutto e Rucola, a white pizza with smoked mozzarella, prosciutto di parma, fresh arugula, shaved parmesan and olive oil. Let me tell you, growing up in the Midwest and living with the corn fed stereotypes most “Coastal Americans” give us, I really appreciate fresh, quality ingredients. Italian food isn’t always all about carbs. True Italian cooking almost always revolves around vegetables and seasonal local ingredients, and Chef Salatino has definitely taken advantage of this. I would absolutely recommend this pizza to every one of our readers. The leftovers were great too!
The next pizza (yes, we had two) was the Pizza Diavolo. Covered in homemade tomato sauce from my favorite San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, spicy salami, basil, and I think a hint of heaven, this pizza was definitely a keeper. Absolutely delicious. Their dough is so good with a slightly charred edge (what you’re looking for with a good wood burning oven) and soft center. This is not just a pepperoni pizza; far from it. The heat from the salami was just right and I’m pretty sure I had strands of melted mozzarella hanging from my face. Yes, I am that sexy. It was embarrassingly good. Perfect for a date, this pie is seductive.
For the lunch crowd, Nella offers a variety of fresh paninis as well. We tried a prosciutto crudo panino with fresh mozzarella, basil, and arugula. Noticing a theme? Prosciutto crudo is a different type of cured Italian ham, thicker than prosciutto di parma but just as savory. And talk about smart cooking, the sandwich bread is leftover pizza dough, cooked up in the oven into perfect rolls. This is a great idea for the local lunch crowd prowling the area. These hearty paninis would definitely keep me satisfied during a long work day and give me just enough incentive to go back for dinner.
Now, if you hang out with Cousin Vinnie, chances are you get treated right. Jeff and Chef Salatino had another surprise for us that wasn’t even on the menu yet. I’ll call it a Banana Galette. Or a Banana Tart. Or….a Banana Pizza. Whatever it’s called, it was amazing. Bananas were roasted in the pizza oven on fresh dough with sugar until they caramelized. Once it’s out of the oven, it gets doused with powdered sugar, mint, and a healthy scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. We enjoyed ours with a cup of strong Mati espresso, perfectly complementing our dessert. My photographer Lauren Palminteri doesn’t like bananas. Or so she told me. I still have the fork mark in my hand where she stabbed me to get the last bite. Let’s hope they keep this on the menu and have band aids available for customers.
Nella is perfect for just about any occasion and even offers a private room for parties or special dinners. Great for families, the menu also provides kid friendly pizzas at parent friendly prices. It really is a treat to get to have a meal that was so completely enjoyable and it definitely makes my job more fun. Timothy our waiter was awesome and took great care of us. He and Jeff obviously love their jobs which made our lunch even better.
Don’t wait for the opportunity to eat at Nellas. Make some time and get there, before the seats are taken. I see this place being a huge hit for a very long time. Make it one of your favorites today.
A special treat is coming to the south Loop just blocks away from Solder Field, Millennium Park and the museum campus. A’Cappella – Your Friendly Neighborhood Bistro is planning its grand opening this month to great hype. With a menu focusing on comfort food and home cooking, A’Cappella has a cozy neighborhood feel in the heart of the city. For those lovebirds that want to pick up a delicious sandwich served on spectacular Labriola bread and head to the lake for a picnic, A’Cappella offers a generous take out menu as well. Come visit for their soft-opening this Sunday for a Mother’s Day Brunch sneak preview people! The official opening is on Thursday, May 13th at 10am!! A’Cappella is exactly what south loop needs. Do yourself a favor and show your Mother how much you love her. Take her to A’Cappella and she’ll be singing your praises.
Just a sample of their menu:
Mother’s Day Brunch Buffet Details:
Located: 1301 S Michigan Avenue
Phone: 312.922.0600
website: www.acappellabistro.com