I seem to remember that Taste was more like Sydney in its first year or two, when it evolved out of Jane Bryne's Chicagofest®. The idea actually was that you could explore a broad sampling of Chicago's small ethnic restaurants that were in neighborhoods you might never find yourself in. Or at least that's how it seemed to me at the time. Then it changed.

dear zr

there are some of the sorts of events you describe, things like the benefit for the Green City Market, and the Share our Strength events, and the one they do in the art galleries (what's that one called?). Unfortunately the Taste of Chicago event is not that one. So chin up, there will be more festivals as the summer goes on

Wanted to post my quick (and mostly pleasant, surprisingly) impressions of Taste.

Best thing tasted: the goat biryani at Zam Zam. Never had goat before. These pieces of goat were tender and tasty, and the rice they were nestled in had a really interesting, herby, slightly spicy flavor. Advisory: There was a bone chip in my rice, something that might have been problematic had I swallowed it. (I'm not talking about the piece of goat in there that was "on the bone," which was cool, I'm talking about a loose piece of bone in the rice that I was unsuspecting of. Eat carefully.)

Second best thing tasted: Harold's fried chicken wings. Nothing spectacular, nothing unusual--except insofar as it was something tasting as it should, which, for the Taste, is pretty unusual I guess. These were nice pieces of fried chicken. Who could ask for anything more?

Most disappointing experience, taste-wise: the jambalaya from BJ's. Glutinous glop. Threw it out after a couple bites. Life is too short, and I still had tickets.

Most disappointing experience, line-wise: Wanted to try Sabor Latino's "plaintain sandwich with beef and garlic," and got into the crowd (I hesitate to say "line") even though the crowd-size for the place looked daunting. Nobody ended up moving any closer to the counter than where he started. Realizing this after a few minutes, I examined what was going on behind the counter. Lots of staff running around busily, somehow involved in the making of food--but no one actually, you know, completing a transaction with a waiting customer. I left the horde. My guess: Sabor Latino has a ways to go in figuring out how to deal with Taste of Chicago.

As for the crowd at the event in general, I thought Mike G's comparison to the evacuation of Shanghai was a funny exaggeration, until I experienced Taste yesterday. I can't even imagine what it will be like on July 3. Can there be less than one square foot per person? Yet--it didn't bother me. It was kind of fun. I think if you go with that attitude, that being in that environment can actually be a fun thing and not a horrible one, it will be.

Thanks to all for your guidance. In particular your guidance to the goat at Zam Zam. There's no way I would have tried ZZ's booth if I hadn't read about it here, and I'm glad I did.

riddlemay wrote:I seem to remember that Taste was more like Sydney in its first year or two, when it evolved out of Jane Bryne's Chicagofest®. The idea actually was that you could explore a broad sampling of Chicago's small ethnic restaurants that were in neighborhoods you might never find yourself in. Or at least that's how it seemed to me at the time. Then it changed.

ChicagoFest, how I miss thee.

Taste of Chicago, you are just a pretender.

I haven't gone in years also, and by the comments in this thread, I see I am not missing anything. Still I love being down there just for the fireworks.

This is the ultimate winner of The Sheeple's Choice Award.

Speaking of Taste, of which I am not a fan, Monica Eng tasted every single item in one day. Video, including a point where it looks like she is going to loose lunch, may be found on the The Tribune blog here.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:Speaking of Taste, of which I am not a fan, Monica Eng tasted every single item in one day. Video, including a point where it looks like she is going to loose lunch, may be found on the The Tribune blog here.

Enjoy,
Gary

LMAO! Thanks, Gary, for the link. Ms. Eng is my new hero!

=R=

G Wiv wrote:Speaking of Taste, of which I am not a fan, Monica Eng tasted every single item in one day. Video, including a point where it looks like she is going to loose lunch ...

I'm neutral on the Taste of Chicago. But I was really turned off by Monica Eng's piece in the Tribune. She could have tasted all the food over the course of three or four days and it would have been more useful to Taste attendees. As it was, all literally crammed into one day, it said nothing about the quality of the food or the venue. Reading it was like watching someone shove a hundred hot dogs into his mouth.

That's exactly why it was so awesome. Monica Eng experienced it in exactly the same way an average visitor would: by shoving as much food in her mouth as fast as possible.

Katie wrote:

G Wiv wrote:Speaking of Taste, of which I am not a fan, Monica Eng tasted every single item in one day. Video, including a point where it looks like she is going to loose lunch ...

I'm neutral on the Taste of Chicago. But I was really turned off by Monica Eng's piece in the Tribune. She could have tasted all the food over the course of three or four days and it would have been more useful to Taste attendees. As it was, all literally crammed into one day, it said nothing about the quality of the food or the venue. Reading it was like watching someone shove a hundred hot dogs into his mouth.

I agree. The journalistic value was nil and frankly it lessens the "Taste" recommendations that she's following up the story with. It was a silly stunt tailor-made for the Red Eye crowd. I expect a little more from Ms. Eng.

But, it is the season for boring displays of gluttony, disguised as heroics.

Best,
Michael

Katie wrote:As it was, all literally crammed into one day, it said nothing about the quality of the food or the venue.

I thought it spoke volumes.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-0705_d_taste_listjul05,1,2273449.htmlstory?coll=chi-homepagenews-utl

If I wasn't alreay unimpressed with Ms. Eng, this pushes me over. She rated everything we've loved in this thread (and in person) as a FORGET IT or EH, from the Arya Bavan bhel to the Zam Zam chili chicken and goat, and she raved about Sweet Baby Ray, Ricobenes (wtf?), pizza places, and bland as Begley alcapurria. Boo.

I hit Taste of Chicago on my way home from class today in order to sample a few things before my husband and I go tomorrow, and my experience was not too bad. High praise, indeed.

I started out with the steak empanada from Vermilion. I'm a sucker for an empanada, and this one was pretty tasty, steak and cilantro with a chimichurri sauce over it. Expensive, at 8 tickets, but I'll probably get it again tomorrow (or make the husband get it, and eat his).

Next, being the starch queen, I headed for Polka's pierogis. Got the Taste Portion--one potato pierogi. A little bland, but inoffensive. Potatoes are always a good thing in my book.

Moved on to Vee-Vee's, where I got the jerk chicken Taste Portion. Very disappointing--no heat to it at all. The chicken was nice and smoky, but just not jerk chicken as I think of it. The rice and beans were dry and kind of flavorless.

From there, I headed over to BJ's Bakery for the major disappointment of the day--the mustard fried catfish. I've had it before, and I wanted to love it then, too, but both times, it's just let me down. The crust is great, and if they could only put some decent catfish inside it, it would easily be my favorite dish there. Unfortunately, both times I've had it, the fish has been rubbery and/or stringy, with an overwhelming fishy flavor. I choked down the first piece and threw out the second piece, which was just hopelessly rubbery. My bad experiences with this dish surprise me, since I normally love catfish in every preparation I've ever had it. Has anyone else had this problem there, or am I just lucky enough to get bad servings both times?

Anyway, with my hopes all but dashed, I headed over to El Sabor Latino for a jibarito. I've never actually gotten around to having one before, though I've gazed longingly at the pictures I see here and elsewhere. My sandwich was hot, garlicky, salty, and beefy--all I could ask for between two starchy fried plantains. It was really very good, and it's definitely on my list for tomorrow.

After the jibarito, I had planned to pick up a couple of Kasia's potato pancakes with applesauce and sour cream for the walk to the bus, but the thought of anything more greasy and salty was too much even for me. Instead, I grabbed a watermelon sherbet cone from an ice cream vendor near Jackson. It was tooth-achingly sweet, but it was cold and somewhat refreshing after my fried food binge.

Tomorrow I'm planning to visit Bolat (though I haven't decided between the goat or the oxtails yet), Zam Zam for goat biryani, Arya Bhavan for bhel, and Pars Cove for either the koubideh or the chicken. Big plans...

Though I don't visit yearly, when I do go I enjoy myself at the Taste. After work this evening I walked over to Grant Park - the weather was glorious. This was a good night to visit because the crowds were not too heavy and the lines at the food stalls were short, with maybe one or two exceptions (and at the ticket booths, too!). There was some good music, also.

I'll start with what I liked best:

Zam Zam - Goat biryani (Zabina-halal, goat with basmati rice, spices and saffron)



This was the best tasting of the five food items I sampled. The offering was well spiced, but not overdone.



Sabor Latino - Jibarito (plantain sandwich with steak)



Though I didn't detect much in the way of spices, it made for an unusual and satisfying small sandwich. This was the "Taste" portion.

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria - Cheese Pizza



Next to the pizza I get at Costco in Niles, this slice of pizza ranks as the best in terms of excellent cheese - and lots of it. However, the crust didn't hold up well and the tomato sauce tasted like someone opened up a can of stewed tomato's and poured it on top of the pizza - an embarrassing performance for Lou Malnati's, IMHO (of course, I loved the cheese!).

Tuscany - Toasted Cheese Ravioli



This was a "Taste" portion, and it reminded me of fried cheese balls you're sometimes served at cocktail parties; no better, no worse.

Pars Cove Persian Cuisine - Baklava

No photo of this - it was the worst baklava I've ever tasted. I was walking out of the Taste and thought of having a desert, and I happened to be passing Pars Cove with a few left-over tickets in my hand. I should have kept walking, without stopping for this sampling.

Celebration Creamery seemed to be the most popular food booth during my visit - 5 and 6 deep covering every inch of the counter space, serving: Funnel cake with vanilla ice cream and chocolate topping; Brownie with vanilla ice cream and chocolate topping; Scoop of ice cream in a waffle cone; Scoop of sherbet in a cake cone.

As I said, the weather along the lake was great and the crowd very congenial, it was fun.

After I returned home one of my elderly neighbors called to say she'd just taken some cottage cheese pancakes out of the oven - and she was on her way up with a plate for me. What a night!

I used to work at the short-lived Lou Malnati's in Flossmoor back in the '70's and if I recall correctly, they don't use sauce on their pizza -- it is indeed tomatos and their natural juices mixed with a variety of spices that are smushed into the crust and put on the top. So, Bill, if your pizza tasted like tomatos instead of sauce, it was prepared correctly.

By the way, great photos of your dinner!

Suzy

Suzy, thanks for the information.

Bill wrote:Pars Cove Persian Cuisine - Baklava

No photo of this - it was the worst baklava I've ever tasted. I was walking out of the Taste and thought of having a desert, and I happened to be passing Pars Cove with a few left-over tickets in my hand. I should have kept walking, without stopping for this sampling.

Too bad you didn't get a pic. You might have been able to use it as evidence.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/ ... 2051.story

David Hammond wrote:Too bad you didn't get a pic. You might have been able to use it as evidence.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/ ... 2051.story

Words can't express my gratitude for the posts upthread that said to avoid Pars Cove, which I read as part of my preparation for our ToC outing. LTH, you're a life-saver!

Man, I tried a taste portion of the hummus at the Pars Cove booth and thought it was pretty tasty. I'm glad I didn't go around recommending it to a bunch of people now.

Too bad you didn't get a pic. You might have been able to use it as evidence.

I read the Tribune article on the way into the office this morning and I paused for a mement, thinking I was fortunate not to have tried some of the other items at Pars Cove.

David Hammond wrote:

Bill wrote:Pars Cove Persian Cuisine - Baklava

No photo of this - it was the worst baklava I've ever tasted. I was walking out of the Taste and thought of having a desert, and I happened to be passing Pars Cove with a few left-over tickets in my hand. I should have kept walking, without stopping for this sampling.

Too bad you didn't get a pic. You might have been able to use it as evidence.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/ ... 2051.story

Thankfully, there was no foie gras or people would have really been endangered . . .

=R=

JimTheBeerGuy wrote:Man, I tried a taste portion of the hummus at the Pars Cove booth and thought it was pretty tasty. I'm glad I didn't go around recommending it to a bunch of people now.

I had it too, and liked it. I guess I got lucky in not getting sick. (I also had the baklava, which I agree with the above posters wasn't too great.)

It's too bad this happened. I like Pars Cove (the restaurant), which is only a few blocks from my condo. I hope they don't lose too much business over this.

eelton wrote:It's too bad this happened. I like Pars Cove (the restaurant), which is only a few blocks from my condo. I hope they don't lose too much business over this.

I guess how I feel about that depends on the answer to a question that I don't know the answer to. Namely: Is serving food that contains salmonella something that could happen to any restaurateur? I.e., is it something a restaurateur has no control over, and only sheer good luck saves other food purveyors from being salmonella sources themselves? Or, on the other hand, does a degree of negligence need to be involved for a restaurant to be serving food with salmonella?

If the sun times is to be believed, the source of the salmonella was likely the tahini Pars Cove bought from Ziyad, a huge cicero importer of middle eastern foods, which supplies (I think) nearly every middle eastern restaurant in the city with at least something.

So if that's actually the problem, then in this case, it's something that could happen to any restaurant.

Salmonella can come from a lot of places, and the cause hasn't actually been announced in this case, though, so we don't know.

gleam wrote:So if that's actually the problem, then in this case, it's something that could happen to any restaurant.

Or to any home, as I have no less than 4 Ziyad products in my fridge and pantry right now.

Yup.

Actually, they recalled some of their tahini in 2005 over suspected salmonella contamination, but no one reported getting sick from that one.

Here is the relevant part of the Sun-Times article:

Max Pars, owner of the Pars Cove restaurant at 435 W. Diversey, said health officials were zeroing in on tahini, which the restaurant purchased in late June. Pars bought the tahini from Ziyad Brothers Importing, a Cicero distributor whose products are in 48 states and six countries.

Nemer Ziyad, one of the company's owners, said they import tahini from several countries, including Guatemala, Turkey and Egypt. Ziyad said health officials had not contacted him, but he doubted there was a link between the tahini and the outbreak.

In 2005, the company recalled tahini because of possible salmonella contamination. No illnesses were reported in that recall.

"Our door's an open door. You can literally eat off the floors," Ziyad said. "If it was our product that was suspect, I would have heard about it, believe me."

While not singling out tahini, Tim Hadac, spokesman for the city's Health Department, said "the arrows are pointing in the direction" of the hummus. But he said that does not rule out the possibility of contamination by workers handling the food.

I think it isn't clear whether it is the tahini specifically, or the hummus more generally. For example, the guy who made the hummus could have used a contaminated utensil while handling the tahini. The article portrays this as a he-said, she-said issue.

If it was the tahini specifically and Pars Cove is completely innocent, I'd suspect that Pars Cove's tahini wasn't the only tahini infected. In assigning blame, therefore, it would be useful to know if other restaurants that bought tahini from the same batch as Pars Cove's also experienced problems. If not, that suggests to me that the problem originated at Pars Cove. I presume this is an angle the authorities are investigating.

Kitchen Monkey wrote:ChicagoFest, how I miss thee.

I went to Chicagofest once and still haven't got that smell from the open garbage cans out of my mind. Just an awful experience. I'm glad its gone.

If I remember correctly many of the vendors at Taste depend on some firm specializing in events for some of there logistics like water for example. It's entirely possible the person removing "grease water" could of come into contact with the fresh water supply.

Be interesting to see if a manager at said firm remembers correcting someone about cross contamination.

Really don't want people earning min wage in charge of your water supply.

imsscott wrote:

Kitchen Monkey wrote:ChicagoFest, how I miss thee.

I went to Chicagofest once and still haven't got that smell from the open garbage cans out of my mind. Just an awful experience. I'm glad its gone.

I still remember seeing local band Loose Lips being booed by the fans of the headliners, the Scorpians LMAO. Richie Mayer, the leader of LL actually was so pissed he threw his vintage salmon colored Strat into the lake and ended the set! It was retrieved later. I liked Chicagofest more than Taste.