Every year since I moved out to California, I’ve tried to arrange to get home for the Taste of Chicago, a huge food festival in Grant Park. (It just ended this weekend.) It’s a little overpriced, a lot crowded, and still a great experience. More than 70 restaurants set up booths where they sell their best dishes, including some of the tastiest pizza and hot dogs (without ketchup) anywhere.
Unfortunately, the high cost of air travel over the July 4th holiday meant that I couldn’t get home this year. I’m glad I stumbled across Tastes of Chicago by Lou Malnati’s, one of the better pizza chains in the city. I knew that they’d ship me out a deep dish pizza packed in dry ice – my parents used to send me those while I was in college – but they’ve teamed up with some of the other great Chicago options like Eli’s cheesecake and Vienna Beef hot dogs to produce a full Chicago package. I’m not convinced that I can steam a hot dog like I used to get at Irving’s or Nathan’s or Hot Dog Island, but I’m going to try.
(And if anyone knows somewhere in the Bay Area to find a great Chicago-style hot dog or hard salami, let me know. 10 years and I’m still looking.)
Mike Lewis
Researcher
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