• Home
  • About
  • Contact
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

The Tasty Escape | A Food and Travel Blog

  • Restaurant Reviews
  • Destinations
    • Argentina
    • Brazil
    • Dominican Republic
    • Italy
    • Mexico
    • Portugal
    • Switzerland
    • United States
      • Arkansas
      • California
      • Chesapeake Bay – Maryland
      • Chesapeake Bay – Virginia
      • Colorado
      • Connecticut
      • Florida
      • Georgia
      • Illinois
      • Lousiana
      • Maine
      • Maryland
      • Nevada
      • New Jersey
      • New York
      • North Carolina
      • Ohio
      • Oklahoma
        • Oklahoma City
      • Rhode Island
      • South Carolina
      • Tennessee
      • Texas
      • Vermont
      • Virginia
      • Virginia Wine Country
      • Washington DC
  • Work With Us
  • Blog

Exploring Chicago & Eating All the Classics

Food & Drink· Illinois· Our Tasty EscapesPosted by Kacy

6 Apr

As Tom mentioned in our last post, we spent the past weekend exploring Chicago. We were in town for a wedding (which turned out to be downright epic and so much fun), but made time for a few adventures of our own. From brewery hopping to a Weird Chicago tour to eating the most famous food the Windy City has to offer, here’s a rundown of our trip.

Chicago skylineWe stayed in an awesome Airbnb in the Ukranian Village not far from Wicker Park, and a short distance from the wedding we were attending. The house was a converted firehouse with all the modern amenities we needed. We shared it with our friends Pat and Amanda, which made it even more affordable and all the more fun to have some traveling buddies by our side.

Chicago Airbnb

But First, Beer (and Wine)

As soon as we dropped off our luggage, we headed out to meet more friends from DC at a nearby brewery – Forbidden Root. They had a lot of fun and funky botanic beers and delicious food (don’t miss the pork schnitzel sandwich). They also have wine, cocktails and a selection of house shots served in tiny beakers that we couldn’t not order. Service was excellent and the music was on point. I think we could have stayed at Forbidden Root all day – but we had other plans.

Forbidden Root ChicagoUp next, we walked over to On Tour Brewing for one more beer. These were more Tom’s style than mine with a very IPA-heavy beer list, but I got to meet a few more wedding guests and chat with old friends. The place was packed and there was a local company serving up Japanese-style tacos. Definitely a place we’d hit up again when we return to Chicago.

On Tour Brewing Company

Speakeasy Tour with Weird Chicago

Our main event for Friday night was a Roaring 20’s Speakeasy Tour with Weird Chicago. Chicago has so much interesting history pertaining to Prohibition, so we were excited to check this out. I can definitely say the tour lived up to its name. It was weird from the start, and just got weirder. Our first stop was to Simon’s Tavern in North Chicago. Simon’s started out as a dry goods store, but quickly morphed into a speakeasy during Prohibition. Patrons in the know would crowd into a tiny basement under the store to drink and play cards. After Prohibition was repealed, Simon decided to capitalize on his success and turn the upstairs store into a full-fledged bar. It’s now one of those welcoming neighborhood bars that just beckons you to pull up a stool and order something stiff.

As part of the tour, we got to check out the original basement, and it was certainly…. um, weird. And creepy. One of the first things we spotted upon our descent into the dim room was this young lady. No comment was made about her purpose, so we tried to avoid her judgmental glances.

weird chicago tourOur quirky tour guide told us a couple of famed ghost stories about Simon’s, but we were more freaked out by the objects strewn around the basement. As a This Is Us fan, I was terrified of one particular item…

creepy slow cookerUnfortunately, several people on the tour got a little too drunk and ruined it for the rest of us. So we bailed out early and went back to our house for an early night. For this reason, I’m not sure I would recommend this particular tour. But if you like history and loud drunk people, give it a shot!

Deep Dish Dreaming

We woke up the next morning dreaming of pizza. When in Chicago, pizza is a must. And while we considered going a few different routes, we ended up just grabbing a deep dish to-go from nearby Tortorici’s. Pat ordered a pie loaded with meatballs, pepperoni, mushrooms and peppers. It was so gloriously cheesy.

deep dish pizza

Walk It Off

Giant slices of pizza were not exactly conducive to squeezing into our wedding finery that evening, so we decided to go for a long walk in an attempt to beat the bloat. We walked through Wicker Park and Little Puerto Rico before turning around and heading home. It was, as is to be expected, quite windy but the temperatures were the warmest we got all weekend. It was a nice chance to get outside and stretch our legs.

Little Puerto Rico

Love is in the Air

The wedding was at an eclectic antique warehouse called Salvage One, and it was seriously one of the coolest venues ever. I’m kicking myself for not taking more photos of the amazing space, but we were too caught up in the fun to pull out our cameras. We did take advantage of the photo booth, so at least there’s proof we were there.

wedding at Salvage One

Doing it Chicago Style

The wedding raged on well past our bedtime, but a final stop at Fatso’s Last Stand for chicago-style dogs was mandatory. This is late night eating at its finest.

late night eats

Chicago style hot dogDespite all the walking and showcasing of our epic dance moves, my pants were definitely on the tighter side the next day. Which is exactly how I know it was a good trip.

We finished off the weekend with a delicious brunch at Beatnik and some more walking (this time about four miles worth) before grabbing a quick dinner – look a salad! – at The Vig and heading to the airport.

The Vig berry saladThe Windy City is one of my favorite U.S. destinations, and this trip only made my love grow fonder. We hope to return in the summer for more foodie adventures!

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Share20
Pin
Tweet
Share
20 Shares

1 Comment

« Tasty Escape in Chicago: Brunch at Beatnik
OKC Living: Starlight Supper 2018 »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter




Recent Posts

  • Oklahoma Getaway: A Weekend Trip to Broken Bow
  • Chester Minima Suitcase: Doing Away with the Travel Blues
  • Tasty Escape’s OKC Dining Guide: Volume IV
  • Eating and Exploring: Folly Beach, Charleston & Sullivan’s Island, SC
  • Let’s Eat: Nashville Restaurants You Must Try




Archives

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Work With Us
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 · Design by Bd Web Studio

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×