A Taste of Chicago
by Lori Enos

If you'd love to take a culinary trip around the world but can't afford the air fare, then Chicago's Grant Park is the place to be. The annual Taste of Chicago is a food-lover's dream. You can sample food from more than 70 different restaurants, including ribs from Sweet Baby Ray's, pizza from Gino's East and cheesecake from Eli's.

"The best part is being able to sample the best of many of Chicago's restaurants without having to go there and buy a whole meal. I found a lot of good food I never would have found otherwise," says Chicago's Amanda Cohen.

One huge festival fan is St. Louis native Martin Hochstein, who's been trekking to Chicago annually since 1984. He enjoys Taste of Chicago because of "the overall ambience of fun, anticipation, and excitement, of people (locals as well as visitors) who really seem to be enjoying themselves and having a genuinely good time."

Visitors to this year's taste won't only get to grub, they'll also get to learn the ins and outs from local culinary wizards and well-known cookbook authors. Some of the highlights at Dominick's Cooking Corner include Andy LoRusso ("The Singing Chef"), who'll be singing selections from his Sing and Cook Italian and Maureen Sorosky of Eating on the Run.

Food isn't the only thing on the menu. There also will be plenty of entertainment. For every type of cuisine that is served, there's a dance to go along with it. Stop by Summer Dance for free lessons, including swing, salsa, blues and ballroom.

Music will also be a big part of this year's event, and no matter what your musical taste, you'll find entertainment to satisfy it. Headliners include Chicago, Cheap Trick, The Isley Brothers, Peter Frampton and The Brian Setzer Orchestra. Local groups will provide rock, blues, R&B, Caribbean, soul, alternative, bluegrass, Tex Mex and a slew of other sounds.

What draws Martin Hochstein back year after year? "The spontaneous performances by street musicians in the park areas adjacent to the food booths."

Grown-ups aren't the only ones who'll enjoy this year's Grant Park festivities. Some of the activities planned for kids include stage shows, hands-on activities, free computer games at the Sears Funtronics/Q101 tent and rides on the United Airlines Giant Ferris Wheel and the White Water Flume Ride.

"[The] family-style atmosphere manages to appeal to and attract people of all ages, races and persuasions --- a very heterogeneous and interesting melting pot of all kinds of folks," says Hochstein.

Parking at this year's Taste of Chicago has become a little tighter than in years past, according to Tracy Shields from the Mayor's Office of Special Events. One of the parking garages at Grant Park is undergoing maintenance. Shields advises festival-goers to rely on public transportation. Extra bus lines will be running during the festival.

Summertime in Chicago can get hot, and it's easy to get distracted by the goings-on and forget to drink enough water. Free water stands will be scattered throughout the park and bottled water will be available from vendors (although you'll probably pay at least $2). It's also a good idea to wear comfortable clothes and shoes and pack some sunblock. You might even want to swipe a couple of extra wet wipes to wash your hands after you've eaten those messy ribs.

Shields said there's really no "best" time to attend the festival because there will be something new every day. However, families with children may want to come out during the day because the pace will be a little slower and the park will be less crowded. Last year, more than one million of the total 3.6 million food-lovers attended the festival July 3.

The city of Chicago also does its best to keep visitors. According to Hochstein, "In spite of their reputation as gruff, mean and nasty guys, I have observed that the Chicago police officers do a good job of crowd control and keeping the peace while at the same time maintaining a fairly friendly disposition. You are aware of a substantial police presence at the event, which gives one a feeling of security, yet, at the same time, they manage to keep a fairly low profile."

Taste of Chicago tickets are the only acceptable currency at the festival, and they can be purchased at booths throughout Grant Park. Six bucks will get you 10 fifty-cent tickets. And according to Margaret Jones DeNard of the Mayor's Office of Special Events, just one ticket will get you something to eat.