eJourna » Food

Celebrate Summer with Chicago Botanic Garden’s Fourth Annual Wine Festival

Tonia — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:00:31 +0000

Chicago Botanic Garden

Celebrate summer with a weekend of wine tasting, food pairings, and spectacular Garden vistas. The Fourth Annual Chicago Botanic Garden Wine Festival allows novices and experienced oenophiles to develop their palates with seminars and demonstrations conducted by event sponsors, exhibiting wineries, Chicago area chefs, restaurateurs, and specialty food shops.

Wine Festival hours are from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, June 12 and 13. The Chicago Botanic Garden will kick off its summer hours on June 5, staying open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily through September 6, to allow visitors to enjoy beautiful sunsets over tranquil lakes and landscapes transformed by dramatic evening lighting.

Staged on the West Meadow behind Evening Island, the Wine Festival grounds are surrounded by lakes and Garden vistas. More than 40 wineries, distributors, and importers will offer samples of more than 250 wines from around the world. Guests can also experience a Belgian Beer Café within the Festival, featuring samplings of Stella Artois, Leffe, and Hoegaarden beers. To complement the wide variety of wines that can be sampled, a selection of Chicago area chefs will conduct cooking demonstrations on the main stage. Wine experts will present seminars about the fine art of pairing food with wine.

A musical stage will feature jazz, blues, and light rock performances. There will be food from local restaurants including Bluegrass, Morton’s The Steakhouse, Caoba, and California Pizza Kitchen, and wine and beer by the glass available for purchase. The Wine Discount Center will be offering a 10 percent discount on all wine orders placed onsite at their booth. Designated trams will be available to transport visitors to and from the West Meadow.

Tickets are $25 in advance; $28 at the door for Garden members; $35 at the door for nonmembers. Tickets include a souvenir wine glass, 10 tasting tickets, wine tasters’ program guide and access to all demonstrations, seminars and musical entertainment. Designated drivers are admitted for $10, including two non-alcoholic drink tickets, program guide and access to all demonstrations, seminars and musical entertainment. Visitors under 21 are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Additional tasting tickets, 10 for $5, can be purchased onsite.

Parking is $20 per car; free for Garden members. The Chicago Botanic Garden Trolley will operate between the Garden and the Glencoe Metra station during event hours. Round-trip tickets are $2; Garden members and children 5 and under ride free.

The Chicago Botanic Garden Wine Festival is presented by Harris and is produced by inPLAY Events of Barrington, Ill. in joint effort with the Chicago Botanic Garden. For more information about the Wine Festival or to purchase tickets, call (847) 835‑5440 or (877) 772‑5425 or visit www.chicagobotanic.org/winefestival.

Photo by cmefish (back in the saddle)

In search of Missouri’s ‘Best’ — From Cheeseburgers to Scenic Drives

Tonia — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:00:46 +0000

What constitutes “the best?” Well, like a lot of things, it depends on whom you ask. So, the Missouri Division of Tourism recently conducted an informal Facebook poll where they asked their fans to tell them where to find things like “the best” of everything, from best cheeseburgers to best scenic drives.

As expected, there were a variety of answers, which shows the diversity of Missouri’s offerings. So if one of the following spots is something you’d like to check out, hop in the car and take a drive. Missouri is beautiful, no matter what time of year it is, and you just might find “the best” Missouri has to offer.

Blueberry Hill, St. Louis, Missouri

The Missouri Division of Tourism’s Facebook fans seemed to have a variety of opinions about which of the Show-Me State’s eateries offers the best cheeseburger, but Blueberry Hill, in the Delmar Loop in St. Louis earned a couple of mentions. Famous Dave’s, which has locations in Branson, Kansas City and St. Joseph, also earned a nomination for having the best burger, as did the Tater Patch in Rolla.

Looking around Missouri, you may also be interested in the burgers at Paddy Malone’s Irish Pub, in Jefferson City and Billy Gail’s Café, on Route 265 in Branson. (While Billy Gail’s is said to serve up a mean burger, the restaurant was, in 2009, honored by a regional magazine for having the best breakfast in the entire 417 area code. The pancakes there are literally fall-off-the-plate huge.)

Missouri is also famous for its breweries, from Anheuser-Busch InBev, in St. Louis, to Schlafly Beer, in Maplewood, to Boulevard Brewing Company, in Kansas City. Our Facebook fans also suggested Springfield Brewing Company, in Springfield and Prison Brews, in Jefferson City. If you’re traveling in southeast Missouri, don’t forget about Crown Valley Brewing and Distilling Company, outside of Ste. Genevieve.

If wine is more to your liking, Missouri has plenty of brands you might consider “the best” and there’s no shortage of opportunities to taste the state’s wine, thanks to its five wine trails: the Missouri River Wine Trail, the Hermann Wine Trail, the Route Du Vin, the Ozark Mountain Region Wine Trail, and the Missouri Weinstrasse. For a map of these trails, log onto www.MissouriWine.org, select the “Wine Trails” link and then open the map in the drop-down menu.

If you like the eating and drinking establishments Missouri Facebook fans have directed you so far, you might also check out Shakespeare’s Pizza, in The District (and near the University of Missouri Campus) in downtown Columbia, or The Pear Tree, a fine-dining restaurant in Bevier. Fan favorites include the steaks and prime rib dinners.

Looking for a relaxing getaway, Facebook fans suggested Lake Springfield Park, and Mark Twain State Park, Stoutsville, which offers scenic views of Mark Twain Lake. And if you’re interested in a relaxing drive, one recommendation is to try Highway 14 from Ava to West Plains, particularly in the fall.

If you’re looking for “the best” in sweet treats around Missouri, you’ll likely hear plenty of debates about chocolates, cakes, cookies, pies and ice cream. In the interest of fairness, it’s probably best for you to figure out for yourself which is best (just don’t tell your dentist).

Central Dairy, in Jefferson City, where a variety of flavors can be heaped on to your cone, in your dish or complement that massive banana split.
Café 37, West Plains, which features a mammoth brownie trifle, a generous bread pudding, classic turtle cheesecake and chocolate layer cake.
The Blue Owl, Kimmswick, home of fresh-baked pies, cakes, cheesecakes, pastries and candies.
Main Street Bakery and Café, Cuba, which is famous for its peanut coffee cake and filled doughnuts.
Charmed Cakes and Fine Desserts, in St. Robert, where the focus is on a variety of cake truffles, with flavors ranging from chocolate and coconut to red velvet and chocolate cherry chip.
Oooey Gooey Chocolates, Excelsior Springs, where you’ll find a variety of cakes, cookies, signature creations and things described simply as “gooey items.”
Joe’s Bakery and Deli, Washington, where the carrot cake is tempting and you’ll feel like eating at least two pieces of gooey butter cake. (While you’re in Washington, check out the homemade fudge and turtles at The Fudge Shoppe or the toppings on the pie at Cowan’s Café, home of the mile-high pie.)

But Missouri doesn’t just have some of “the best” food and drinks you’ll find anywhere. The state is home to a variety of unique, fun and educational attractions, as well as special events. So, whether you’re interested in the presidential history you’ll find at the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, in Independence; a jaunt down Historic Route 66, which spans from St. Louis to Joplin; or you simply want to listen to a great yarn at an event like the Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival, you’re sure to find it in Missouri.

To find out more on a Missouri destination that’s close to home but far from ordinary, or to order a 2010 Missouri Travel Guide, log onto www.VisitMO.com or call 800–519-4800.

Photo by mockstar

Good Eats: The Depot American Diner, a Chicago Original

Tonia — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 15:00:54 +0000

Pot Roast Sandwich, Depot American Diner, Chicago

Want somewhere new to get something old? Try the Depot American Diner on the west side of Chicago. A friend suggested it to us on a recent day in the city, so we gave it a try. It was worth the trip, and the self induced food coma it brought on.

Our entire group of four ordered the Pot Roast Sandwich (pictured at right) based on all the advance raving we’d heard about it. We paired it with a round of egg cream sodas. As if that weren’t enough to send our blood pressure into the stratosphere, we topped it off with their signature dessert of hot donuts, coated in cinnamon sugar, with a side of thick mocha sauce for dipping.

Everything we ate and drank was absolutely delicious! This is diner food as it was meant to be: thick, hearty, generous portions of mouth watering goodness.

The Depot is not a “contemporary take” on or an “upscale” version of a diner. It is the original thing. This isn’t a fancy place, the seating is beyond limited, the menu consists of your traditional diner fare. In today’s world of upscale versions of dining, it is a rare gem to come across a true original.

The Depot American Diner
5840 W. Roosevelt Rd
Albany Park Neighborhood
773–261-8422

average main dinner price $8

Photo by ehfisher