527608 Tue Jun 10 09:37:10 -0700 2008 14 7 Chicago Area 0 3766686 Hi there, still planning our July trip to Chicago and I found this on the internet... can anyone on this board tell me what the tour is like? For $40, I'd really like it to be worthwhile. It seems like a good way to get acquainted with the city... Looking forward to seeing what you have to say about it! Louise Link: http://www.chicagofoodplanet.com/html/public_tours.html Text copied and pasted from the site: Near North Food Tasting and Cultural Walking Tour Our guided, narrated Near North Food Tour visits 8 food tasting locations in the historic, delicious Gold Coast, Old Town, and Lincoln Park neighborhoods. All food tastings, enough for lunch, are included in the ticket price. Delicious food specialties are served on the Near North Food Tour from: An award-winning Italian stuffed pizzeria (est. 1978) America’s top spice and herb specialty shop (est. 1957) A fudge and confectioner specialty store (est. 1963) A gourmet foods store and cheese shop (est. 1977) An authentic Middle Eastern-Jewish deli (est. 1975) An aged balsamic vinegar and olive oil specialty store (est. 2007) A high-end specialty loose tea and tisanes merchant (est. 1978) A gourmet chocolate lounge (est. 2005) Tour Information When: 7 days a week, April - December Check current schedule and buy tickets online Time: Tours start daily at 11 am to early afternoon How long: Approximately 3.25 hours How much: $40 per adult ticket (plus $2 ticketing fee) What’s included: All the food tastings, enough for lunch Who: All age groups and fitness levels Capacity: 16 people per tour What to wear: Comfortable clothing and shoes Weather conditions: Tour takes place rain or shine Where: Meets near Michigan Ave and Lake Michigan in Gold Coast (Exact meeting location information provided with ticket purchase) Tour Includes Our "Foods of Chicago Neighborhoods Guide" with Store Tasting Coupons All food tastings; enough for lunch for most participants Insight on local entertainment, diverse boutiques, and restaurant "finds" Historical, architectural, and cultural commentary Pollution free, self-propelled, "Green" walking tour Fun, qualified, and respectful tour leaders Tue Jun 10 09:37:11 -0700 2008 12413 pâté chinois 1 3767500 Based on the pictures from the website, this looks like a tour of N Wells St in Old Town. None of these places, in my humble opinion, are really Chicago specialties that one cannot miss. They are all just great little places in Chicago. You can do this tour yourself by starting at N Dearborn and W Division @ Eduardo's (the pizza joint) then walk west a couple blocks to N Wells street and walk North on Wells to W Armitage street. At Armitage make a left and you'll be at Ethel's (the chocolate shop). At least one of the desciptions is confusing, the Middle Eastern place is not a jewish deli, it is a great lebanese joint called Old Jerusalem. They make one of my favorite falafels--maybe third only to a couple of spots in the old city in Jerusalem. And don't forgot to stop on Division street after Eduardo's at Mother's, the bar in About Last Night where Demi Moore and Rob Lowe meet. The rest of the bars around there are a bit cheesy, but open till 4 or 5 am, so it's raucous. Tue Jun 10 13:01:05 -0700 2008 3766686 92421 jbontario 2 3767585 Thanks Jbontario! Great information :) We might just do our very own Chicago food walking tour... If you have other recommendations on not-to-be-missed Chicago restaurants and specialties, please send them my way! We're staying at the Palmer House and I've already looked up a lot of CH posts for eateries in that area, but if something seems like a must-see, by all means... Tue Jun 10 13:20:42 -0700 2008 3767500 12413 pâté chinois 1 3768620 Chicago Food Planet's Near North Food Tasting & Cultural Walking tour is absolutely fantastic. Try your own if you'd like, but it's with a knowledge filled, fun guide when Old Town, Lincoln Park, and the Gold Coast neighborhoods really come to life through excellent narration about the history, culture, architecture, and of course, unbelievable foods in the way of plentiful tastings! This was a highlight of our recent family get-together. Our guide was perfect. We had a wonderful time walking, talking, laughing, tasting, and learning about the north neighborhoods of Chicago. After the tour we back tracked our route so we could make purchases at the different stops we didn't know existed (with our Coupon Sheet containing awesome discounts which you only get with Chicago Food Planet!), and we're locals! All the store owners who were available were extremely, very friendly and helpful. We have already recommended this tour to other local friends and all our friends visiting us this summer; in fact some of our friends have already signed up for this weekend via their www.chicagofoodplanet.com website or directly from their ticketing company, Zerve at http://www.zerve.com/ChicagoFoods/CFTour. One last thing: Regarding jbontario's post, since it appears he hasn't taken the tour he might not realize that Chicago Food Planet, although they actually highlight Old Jerusalem during the time in Old Town (one of 3 neighborhoods explored), there is a 30+ year old Jewish Deli in the Gold Coast (it's great!) called Ashkenaz which the tour visits for a delicious tasting. Go have some fun, sit in the passenger seat with a guide, meet some of the owners, learn the history of these 3 beautiful neighborhoods, eat delicious foods, and you will get your $40 worth. Tue Jun 10 18:45:28 -0700 2008 3766686 199690 chicagofoodie1958 2 3769656 Actually, I exchanged emails with the owner of chicagofoodplanet and his description is incorrect. The tour stops at Ashkenaz which is a Jewish Deli, but it is an Eastern European Jewish Deli and in no way Middle Eastern. All "Jewish Delis" are ashkenazic, which is the term that refers to Eastern European Jews. The name Ashkenaz necessarily implies that it is not Middle Eastern. That all being said, it would be fun to listen to someone talk about the neighborhood, but Old Town, as Pete says, is really nothing special when it comes to the strip of restaurants/stores on Wells. Veering away from Old Town, every visitor must try Terry's Toffee on West Grand. It's a quick cab over the river in West Town and so worth it--their toffee was featured in the gift bags for one of the Academy Awards. This is by far my favorite sweet in the city, except maybe sweet mandy b's. http://www.terrystoffee.com/index.php Wed Jun 11 06:51:11 -0700 2008 3768620 92421 jbontario 1 3768730 Sounds like a rip to me. $40 for lunch? If they have other fun activities, fine. But from the description, they are going to mediocre restaurants in Oldtown along with non-restaurants. What is Spice House going to offer, all the cinnamon you can eat? Notice my nick. I live here. Tue Jun 10 19:23:56 -0700 2008 3766686 104864 Pete Oldtown 1 3772740 To me, this sounds like a nice walk through some nice Chicago neighborhoods with stops off at some local shops. Several are on Wells St between North and Division - which is a very nice strip with a dozen very good restaurants and the Spice Shop which really is the best spice store in Chicago. But a walk through the mansions of the Goldcoast (ex. Astor Street between Division and North), a swing through Lincoln Park (the park, not the neighborhood) and a stroll down Wells Street for food would for me be a nice way to spend a day away from the hoardes on Michigan Avenue. Chinatown would be another interesting half day. For an interesting perspective on the City, the boat tours along the river, those old standbys, are really kind of interesting for first time vistors. If you're interested in sampling some local ethnic food and eateries, I'd check out the LTH Great Neighborhood Restaurants. (http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=15149). It might not be convenient for you, but a trip up to Devon (from 2200 - 2600 West maybe) would also be very interesting. Tons of Indian/Pakastani stores and restaurants. If you have time free on Sunday morning, Maxwell Street Market (on Canal St...) is a treat - big local Mexican market (http://www.dchammond.com/gorilla/HammondMaxwell.doc). None of this is quite as refined as a guided stroll through Old Town and Lincoln Park (the neighborhood, not the park), but if you're in it for the food they might be more interesting. Wed Jun 11 21:25:16 -0700 2008 3766686 38577 wak 1 3773073 Thanks everyone for all your great suggestions! Now I feel like I need to cram 12 days of activities into 4-5 days! gasp! :) Once I'm back from Chicago I'll report back on what we did - in the meantime, keep sending suggestions... I can see another trip coming :) Thu Jun 12 04:24:10 -0700 2008 3766686 12413 pâté chinois 2 4472579 Pate, I’m so grateful you posted this last year. My friend and I are planning a girl’s trip to Chicago this July and came across this tour on the internet. While we are visiting the Taste of Chicago, we were hoping to go off the beaten path and experience some hidden jewels. We found this tour interesting and brought it up to another friend we have who is a native from Chicago. He was hum drum and admitted the tour sounded fun in theory but he felt the selected restaurants weren’t really representing the food found in Chicago. Did you ever experience the tour? If so what was your thought and if you didn’t what was your game plan? We are open to any additional suggestions ANYONE may have… Thanks a bunch. Wed Mar 04 08:56:38 -0800 2009 3773073 271655 Mrs. AMB 3 4472781 I haven't participated in this food tour, but I know a little bit about Chicago's best restaurants and food shops in all categories and price ranges. I can understand your local friend's hesitation about the tour; I agree that the selected restaurants are not representing the best that Chicago has to offer. You can put together your own itinerary of visits to restaurants and food shops that *will* hit the best spots. That being said, one thing a "do it yourself tour" does not offer is the idea of tasting. IOW if you go to a pizza place, you're probably going to be getting at least a full lunch portion size of pizza, if you go to a deli you're probably going to be getting at least a sandwich... and how many stops will you make before you're full? You also won't get as much attention from the business owners as you probably will through this organized tour. So I can think of some advantages to doing a tour like this. And it's only $40 and a few hours, not a huge investment of time or money; why not try it? Since you're also asking for suggestions on an overall strategy for sampling some of Chicago's best food... The very first suggestion I'll make is this: Skip Taste of Chicago (or at least, don't plan on spending a lot of time there). The Taste does not have the best of Chicago, either, even if you're very picky about what you get. Most of the restaurants there are nothing special at all. If you want to spend a few hours there, go ahead, but it very likely will NOT be the fondest food memory of your trip (not even close). The second suggestion I have is to think about what you want to accomplish, come up with a strategy to meet that, and look to Chowhound for advice in arranging your itinerary. For example, if you want to try local specialties that you can find in Chicago but not elsewhere, you can plan itinerary stops for your trip that will include a deep-dish pizza place, an Italian beef place, etc. If you love pastry, you can include stops at our best places for pastry. If you enjoy fine dining at the top temples of haute cuisine, you can plan a couple such dinners for your trip. If you love Mexican food, or pizza, or Thai food, or any other specific kind of food, you can determine specific restaurants which you'll make sure to visit. Some of these places may be daytime or lunchtime stops, while others may be evening destinations. There are discussions on Chowhound where you can do your research, such as the ones with links below. Once you start putting together your itinerary, you may then have further questions. For example, let's say you decide that a particular stop is a "must visit"; you might then want to know what else is in the area, and we'll be happy to give you additional suggestions within walking distance. (Many of Chicago's best foods are often found in "clusters" - if you're going to such-and-such, you should also stop here, here, and here while you're in the neighborhood, etc.) Now here are those links, in case you want to do further research: Fine dining: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/368683 Steakhouses: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/359377 Seafood: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/370202 Sushi: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/362763 Italian: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/360990 Pizza: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/327474 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/319254 Upscale ethnic: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/502320 Greek: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/119233 Tapas: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/370492 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/366524 Mexican http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/463572 Chinese http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/594324 Thai http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/491970 Jewish Deli http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/307862 Barbecue: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/360674 Burgers: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/382781 Hot dogs: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/364427 Quintessential Chicago: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/372986 Brunch and Breakfast: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/364403 Pastry: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/542316 Chocolatiers: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/374386 Butchers: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/561594 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/380774 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/477536 Fishmongers: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/321210 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/418724 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/477536 Chicago food neighborhoods: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/437740 Wed Mar 04 09:48:40 -0800 2009 4472579 55363 nsxtasy 4 4475327 >> Many of Chicago's best foods are often found in "clusters" - if you're going to such-and-such, you should also stop here, here, and here while you're in the neighborhood, etc. It would be easy to put together "do it yourself" itineraries for walking tours for some of these "food clusters". For example... The "Central Street Evanston Tour" - The Spice House, Foodstuffs, Tag's Bakery, Great Harvest Bread, Homemade Pizza, with lunch at either Jacky's Bistro or Jilly's Cafe The "Clark Street Andersonville Tour" - Pasticceria Natalina, Swedish Bakery, Bon Bon Chocolatier, with lunch at M. Henry With homage to jbontario for posting about Terry's Toffee... the "Grand Avenue West Town Tour" - Terry's Toffee, D'Amato's Bakery, Bari Foods, with lunch at Twisted Spoke The "Wabash Avenue South Loop Tour" - Panozzo's Italian Market, Sam's Wine, Canady le Chocolatier, with lunch at Bongo Room or Hackney's The "Fox & Obel Tour" - the meat counter at Fox & Obel, the fresh fish counter at Fox & Obel, the cheese counter at Fox & Obel, the prepared foods counter at Fox & Obel, the bakery counter at Fox & Obel, with lunch in the cafe at Fox & Obel ;) Thu Mar 05 05:02:48 -0800 2009 4472781 55363 nsxtasy 3 4655517 Mrs. AMB, no, we did not end up doing the tour because from the comments I had gotten here it didn't seem like a good deal. I posted my report back at http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/542826. Tue May 05 08:08:38 -0700 2009 4472579 12413 pâté chinois 1 4474003 I also don't think this is a good value. If you want a feel for more ethinic specialty stores, a definite place to go is the MIddle East Bakery and Grocery in Andersonville (1512 W Foster Ave - Clark and Foster). I go about once a month and stock up on bread and other dishes - great for middle eastern ingredients You also find a few other nice stops around there for shopping. Along Broadway near Argyle there are good Asian markets and great, inexpensive Asian restaurants. The Spice House in Old Town (which is on the tour) is well worth the trip, but Ethel's and the Fudge Pot are not all that exciting (altho that's maybe because they're in my backyard) Wed Mar 04 15:27:56 -0800 2009 3766686 95335 susal54 1 4655765 I think the answer comes down basically to whether you like to be taken on tours. Personally, I would rather stay at home and stare at the wall than have somebody else, whether friend or foe or paid guide, take me on a "tour" of their planning. In Italy I saw groups of tourists being led from Famous Thing to Famous Thing like kindergarten kids on a field trip, with the teacher carrying on high (literally) a banner for them to follow---I doubt that one of them got a real sense of the place they had traveled so far to experience. Chicago is loaded like a minefield with good places to eat and we have super public transportation. (CTA, RTA). Chowhound, Metromix, Chicago Restaurant Menus, and Chicago Yelp are all good places to do research (also Chicago CTA and RTA Trip Planner websites). I would say, get yourself a map of the city and a CTA map and learn your way around. But I know that we might respectfully disagree. Tue May 05 09:22:32 -0700 2009 3766686 15521 Querencia 2 4655802 I second that. Very well said Querencia. Tue May 05 09:33:38 -0700 2009 4655765 276975 ms. chow