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The Taste of Chicago Food Festival: 2011 Information

For ten days every summer, Chicago’s Grant Park morphs itself into a food lover’s paradise for the Taste of Chicago Food Festival. The festival, first held in 1980, has become the city’s most popular event, bringing in over four million people every year. Some of the information for this year’s festival has been made available. Here’s some of the basic stuff, just in case you’re planning to check it all out.

2011 Festival Dates/Times: 6/25 – 7/4; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., except on 7/3 when the festival closes at 7 p.m. and on 7/4 when it closes at 6 p.m.

Location: In Grant Park, between Balboa Drive, Monroe Avenue, Lake Shore Drive, and Michigan Avenue.

Getting In: The festival is free to get into, but you do need to buy tickets to be able to eat and drink. Twelve tickets will cost you $8. How many tickets you pay for food or drink will be dependent on the size of the food portion. To be fair, most vendors offer a sample-type plate for minimum tickets.

Public Transportation in Chicago: You can get to the festival in Grant Park a few different ways. The red and blue line subway stops are a few blocks away, and the 145 and 151 buses stop near Grant Park as well.

Parking: As far as parking goes, you can make use of the numerous parking garages around Grant Park. There is no parking right at the festival site. You also have the option of parking farther away and taking one of the public transit options to get to Grant Park.

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What Is A Chicago Pizza? Do Not Leave The City Without Eating One

Homemade Chicago Style Pizza
Image by laviddichterman via Flickr

First timers to the city of Chicago or often puzzled by the hype surrounding the Chicago Pizza. At first, the dish seems to be no different than the standard pizza that Americans have been eating for centuries now. However, all it takes is a single bite to realize that Chicago pizza is worth all the hype and a bit more.

The primary characteristic of this pizza is that it is a deep dish delicacy. It was invented in 1943 in a pizzeria named Pizzeria Uno. In simple words, the club is called Pizza number one.

The club is always packed with clients and has been around for more than sixty years now. The specialty with Chicago pizza is that the base is more than two inches thick. That is right, the base itself will be this thick and the pizza will include other toppings as well. As always, the crust will be covered with lots and lots of mozzarella cheese. Uncooked tomatoes are crushed and a sauce is prepared and is arranged along with meat to complete the crust.

This happens to be the standard Chicago Pizza. You, on the other hand, are free to experiment and come up with any possible concoction. Chicago respects those individuals who can come with the wildest combination possible when ordering the Chicago Pizza. How about spinach on your Pizza? Or how about a combination of mushrooms, peppers, olives combined with pineapple?

If you, for some reason, feel that the Chicago deep dish pizza is not deep enough, you can opt for a stuffed version instead. The stuffed version is obviously going to be thicker and you probably would not be in a position to eat more than one pizza despite being a heavy eater. There are numerous restaurants that are dedicated to the deep dish Pizza. It is impossible to hide from these in Chicago.

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A Chicago Pizza Is Incomplete Until You Have A Chicago Hot Dog As Well

Grilled hot dogs
Image via Wikipedia

If you have tried Chicago pizza for lunch and if you plan to visit a restaurant for a fancy dinner , then why don’t you have quick snack by opting for a Chicago hot dog? Technically speaking, the hot dog was invented in the nineteenth century. However, it was only during the Great Depression that an enterprising snack vendor came up with this idea.

The hot dog is a completely pre manufactured dish. The seller simply assembles all the ingredients and hands it over for a quick bite. With sufficient vegetables and accompaniments, the hot dog gives the individual a feeling that he or she has had a good meal. The idea of placing a piece of meat between two buns may not seem like a big thing. However, when you have many other dishes to have with the hot dog and when you top it off with a drink, you will definitely feel as if you have a had a proper meal. Of course, the low cost does not hurt either.

There are certain shops outlets in Chicago selling the Chicago hot dog that has obtained iconic status. For the sake of photo opportunities, you can always visit such outlets. On the other hand, if you just want a good hot dog that you can eat even as you window shop, then you can choose any roadside outlet selling it spicy hot.

Just make sure you are careful with the spices when you are feeding the dish to your children. The last thing you want is for your kids to end up with an upset stomach. However, most kids have the habit of eating foods like the hot dogs much better than adults. Hence, there is no harm in giving this dish a try as long as you know that your family members will not be worse for the experience.

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