Christkindlmarket Chicago – One Week Left!

If you:

-Need help getting into the holiday spirit

-Still need to get some Christmas gifts

-Are hungry for some meat

-Are thirsty for some Glühwein

Then head down to Daley Plaza for the Christkindlmarket.

The first thing I do when I am there is head to the Glühwein line. Depending on the time and day it can be long so by the time you order you might be a bit cold and ready for a warm drink.

The mulled wine comes in a souvenir boot you can get refilled and take home.

Next is the food line. I’ve been to the market more than a few times so have had the pretzel (comes in about 6 types), potato pancakes, brat, Thueringer, snowballs and curry sausage. All was good and pretty authentic, although any German will tell you, not so cheap. But hey, you are here for the novelty and entertainment.

If you have a sweet tooth there is a whole shop where you can buy kettle corn, cotton candy, gingerbread, roasted nuts and much more. Now that you have stocked up on all of the essentials you can peruse the many shops for your holiday gifts.

If you get cold there is a warming tent with tables to take a break. They have a live band at night and the sing-a-long participation is directly correlated to the Glühwein intake.

Great place to bring kids during the day with educational activities offered, check the website for event calendar. It does crowded at night but if you don’t mind a crowd it is a fun party. Usually Mondays are the least crowded. The market ends on December 24th so just under a week left to go. Prost!

Some history from the Christkindlmarket Chicago website:

Inspired by the Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg, Germany, which began in 1545, the Christkindlmarket Chicago brings a cherished German and European tradition with international flair and local charm to Chicago. Chicago’s largest open-air Christmas festival was first held on Pioneer Court in 1996. By special invitation of Mayor Richard M. Daley, Christkindlmarket Chicago moved to Daley Plaza in 1997 and has become a stable event on the plaza ever since.

Dispatch from Munich – Day 1

Getting off a red-eye is always nice but stepping into Munich Airport was even better. Well designed and surprisingly quiet. There were plenty of people there but there was not the noise level I associate with O’Hare. I loved it.

Rental car rented and off to get rid of the luggage I was excited to see Munich for the first time and hopefully discover some great food in the process. Everyone I spoke to about the city raved about it and declared it their favorite city in Germany. So I had high hopes for the two days I would be there.

First stop was Marienplatz to walk around and get some coffee. Stopped at an Italian cafe that served up great cappuccino. I was too jet lagged to remember to take a picture; you’ll just have to trust me on it.  The first thing I noticed about the squares around Munich is that everything looks perfect. Every building is beautiful, in order and no trash. It looked like a movie set to me.

After some sight-seeing and shopping came the first obvious drink/snack stop, Hofbräuhaus München.

It was early evening on a Monday so I avoided the packed weekend/college/tourist crowd. Murals cover the ceiling of the different rooms in the restaurant. With the outdoor seating there is easily a 500-person capacity. A band was playing and it got me in the mood to order a beer.

The Bretzel (pretzel) I got was nothing special but I guess you don’t come there for the food, do you? “In München steht ein Hofbräuhaus – oans, zwoa, g’suffa!” (In Munich there’s a Hofbräuhaus – one, two, down the hatch). Prost!

I was getting hungry so off to L’Osteria im Künstlerhaus, which was recommended by a neighbor. A stroll through Maximiliansplatz on the way proved Munich is just as beautiful at night.

The Künstlerhaus, also known as the Munich House of Artists, is an event venue that hosts weddings, banquets, conferences etc. founded in 1893. According to their website, “The idea of this house from the circle of artists Allotria society, in which both famous painters, sculptors, musicians and prominent representatives of the Munich society together.”

L’Osteria is one of two restaurants in the Künstlerhaus. The front dining room is dramatic and unexpected compared to the entrance of the restaurant which, is more modern and trendy. This restaurant is worth visiting if only for the architecture.

Image via exklusiv-muenchen.de

I went with a really basic order, Caprese and spaghetti and meatballs. The Caprese had really fresh buffalo mozzarella and the balsamic was sweet and rich. My dinner mates ordered the mussels but I am allergic so I could not partake. Judging from the 5 minute silence that ensued I believed them when they said they really liked the mussels. It looks like the thing here to order is the pizza. Pretty much every table had one and it looked and smelled delicious. Next time.

Day 1 complete I headed back to the hotel for some much-needed sleep. Day 2 coming soon. Guten nacht. Bis später.

Get Dosed! | Dose Market & Open House Chicago

Image via Dosemarket.com

The Dose monthly market is tomorrow from 10am – 4pm at the River East Art Center.

Another great lineup of fashion, art and of course food. Some debuts by Salted Caramel caught my eye:  pretzel-graham toffee, Salted Caramel cocoa mix and salted bourbon caramel sauce.

Get Dosed! | Dose Market.

Image via openhousechicago.org

The perfect opportunity to see some of Chicago’s most important and fascinating architecture for free.  From the openhousechicago.org website:

“Over the weekend of October 15-16, 2011, the Chicago Architecture Foundation is proud to present openhousechicago 2011 (OHC), a free public event that gets you behind-the-scenes of many of the city’s greatest spaces and places and illuminates areas that are normally open “by invitation only”.”

You can plan your itinerary here.

The Weekend | 6th Annual Andersonville Dessert Crawl, Circus In The Parks & More

Beautiful weather this weekend makes just being outside enough of an activity but for those of you looking to combine food or entertainment with the outdoors here are a couple of ideas.

Image via brownpapertickets.com

The Andersonville Dessert Crawl is this Sunday from 2-5pm at the Swedish American Museum. This year there will be 3 routes to choose from:- Candy Cane Route

- Gumdrop Route

- Lollipop Route

Restaurants include M Henry, Ann Sather, Vincent, Swedish Bakery and many more.  Tickets and a complete list of restaurants for each route can be found here. Does not look like any route will leave you hungry or unsatisfied.

6th Annual Andersonville Dessert Crawl.

Circus In The Parks was created by Midnight Circus a troupe of performers and the Park Advisory Council to bring their show Chicago and to raise money for an ailing park that was about to become downsized. The show was a success and continues to grow and is in parks throughout Chicago.

All proceeds from the Circus in the Parks will be split between all participating parks to fund their local parks improvements. To date over $160,000 has been raised by this one-of-a-kind community event.

This weekends show will be October 8th & 9th at Mt. Greenwood Park  on 3724 W. 111th St., Chicago, IL. Ticket and showtimes can be found here.

Of course the Chicago Marathon is this Sunday. It will be a perfect day to be a spectator (for those of you not running) and cheer everyone on.

For some indoor activities:

Quay is serving a strawberry mascarpone tiramisu and will donate 20% of proceeds from the dessert go to benefit the H Foundation in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Image via Metromix.com

- “Girl in the Kitchen: How a Top Chef Cooks, Thinks, Shops, Eats & Drinks” – Stephanie Izard’s, of Girl and the Goat and Top Chef winner fame, new cookbook is available for your reading pleasure. Great gift for yourself or anyone that loves food. Hmm…my birthday is coming up, wink, wink.

Link to book info and details, here.

Image via GrubStreet.com

“A beautiful setting full of happy people” – Dose Market Chicago

The next Dose Market is this Sunday September 25th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m in the River East Art Center. Dose is a year-round monthly event that features local vendors that are handpicked for their food or fashion innovation. Food and fashion — can’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Especially as the weather cools off and you need to escape indoors. The hot cider and looking at one-of-a-kind handmade jewelry will make the cold weather bearable.  If hot cider doesn’t do it for you they have drinks as well:

Image via dosemarket.com

You can find a list of vendors and event information here. I am looking forward to tasting the food, drinking the drinks and trying on the wares. I’ll post pictures and keep you updated on the next Dose Market.

A peek at some of the food line-up:
• Wild-caught Alaskan salmon and smoked salmon on New York Bagel + Bialy bagels with Zingerman’s cream cheese
• New candy company Sea & Cane’s sea salt caramels, pistachio cherry nougat and chocolate “sausage” logs
• City Provisions’ Bloody Marys, plus two exclusive beers brewed by chef Cleetus Friedman
• Sweet Cakes Bakery’s brioche bostock (think portable French toast), individual bread puddings and quiche
• Franks ‘N’ Dawgs’ fanciful sausage sandwiches

Some fashion visuals:

Image via mineralogydesign.blogspot.com

Image via cultureclubfashion.com

Market Info.

Dose Market – River East Art Center, 435 E. Illinois St., Chicago, IL

Brilliant Corners of Popular Amusements | September 16-18, 2011 – Eckhart Park

Image via www.popmatters.com

Just another Chicago festival? The more I read about Brilliant Corners of Popular Amusements the more I realized it did not sound like the typical Chicago festival. The About page of their site states, “Our ultimate goal is to create a distinct environment that allows a wide audience to be entertained with the most creative ideas and performers regardless of genre. As a production the event has no stylistic boundaries, it can  incorporate circus artists, music, comedians, short film and hopefully more.”

The creator is Mike Reed of Pitchfork fame. He designed the event to have something for everyone in a unique and oddly entertaining way. Its sounds intriguing enough to go see for yourself. Of course my question: Is there food?  Yes, there is FOOD. There will be a farmers market on Saturday and Sunday featuring some great Midwest vendors.

Besides the farmers market there are also a number of free events as well. Here are a couple:  Walk for Fun and for anyone that missed Renegade Craft Fair  last weekend, a Renegade Craft Fair Pop Up Market.

The website itself is really well designed and is packed with information so go there and check it out for more info:

Brilliant Corners of Popular Amusements | September 16-18, 2011.

Eckhart Park (Chicago Ave. & Noble St.) Chicago, IL 60622

Chicago « Renegade Craft Fair & Other Weekend Fests

Even though the weather has indicated summer is over and fall has arrived it’s still nice enough to enjoy some of the last Chicago festivals this weekend. Here are a few of my favorites:

Image via withlovexox.com

Renegade Craft Fair Chicago - One of the best fairs to showcase handmade crafts and art. The emphasis for this fair is on original DIY works by artist. Even if you don’t end up buying anything it’s a visual treat to see new ideas and work that you won’t see at other Chicago fairs. Now for the real reason I love this fair, the FOOD:

Food will be available for purchase from Antique Taco, Big Bite Catering, and MANA Food Bar, while Black Dog Gelato and Puffs of Doom will be selling sweet treats. Intelligentsia Coffee will be on-hand providing your caffeine fix.

Beer will be available for purchase from Goose Island, and wine will be available for purchase from Lulu B.

via Chicago « Renegade Craft Fair.

Image via www.foursided.com

Lakeview East Festival of the Arts-  This is a great fest for families and art lovers. Artists in almost every medium will be represented including photography, printmaking, mixed media, ceramics, clay, collage, fiber, glass, sculpture, furniture and more. Unique and original artwork is on sale in all price ranges.

The Festival also hosts children’s entertainment featuring puppet shows, interactive arts and crafts and activities to foster an appreciation of fine art in the youngest participant. The Lakeview East Festival of the Arts hours are 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. (Saturday) and 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Sunday).

Image via gozamos.com

German American Fest - This is truly a party starting on Friday evening through Sunday in Lincoln Square. There will be a parade on Saturday at 2pm ending in Lincoln Plaza. Lincoln Plaza  located at Western, Lincoln and Leland. Admission is free. Entertainment-wise there will be traditional cultural programs with participation of many societies, plus German music for your singing and dancing pleasures. Last but not least great FOOD and lots of German beer. There will also be activities for children.

PETER BJORN AND JOHN & JONAS | LONGMAN & EAGLE

Image via LongmanandEagle.wordpress.com

Longman and Eagle will be hosting an art exhibition starting tomorrow August 23rd and running through September 19th. The artwork will feature Peter Bjorn and John‘s latest record “Gimme Some” created by Jonas Torvestig. For those of you that have been to the Logan Square restaurant you know the wait is worth the farm-to-table food. If you happen to like whisky there are currently 148 selections.

L&E  was also just featured in the Bon Appétit restaurant issue for their Sweet Potato-Pork Belly Hash. Yum.

The band will be hosting an opening preview event tomorrow Tuesday, August 23^rd, at 10 pm at L&E. Go and eat some great food, hear some live music and enjoy some art!

PETER BJORN AND JOHN & JONAS | LONGMAN & EAGLE.

Pilsen Community Farmers Market – Sundays 9am – 3pm

Image via Wikipedia

 

If you need to take a break from the Chicago Air & Water Show noise, head west this weekend and stop by the Pilsen Community Market. Get  some fresh and delicious food and support your local farmers.

Pleasant Farms  is a regular vendor at the market and also offers gardening classes. The next class will teach you how to get your garden ready for fall.

 

Pilsen Community Market. Located on 18th and Halsted streets behind the Chicago Community Bank. 

 

Image via pilsencommunitymarket.org/index.php/archives/222

Eye What You Eat

Via Erik Shirai eyewhatyoueat.com

These are some amazing videos from Erik Shirai, a cameraman on No Reservations. Erik has worked for a number of other well-known channels and has his own production company called Cebu Osani Films. The films follow creation of three dishes: Potage, Soba and Capri. It’s a beautiful way to tell the story of a recipe.

Eye What You Eat.