Summer isn’t officially over until Sept. 22, so why the long face? There’s still plenty of time to take advantage of the city’s festivals and activities. Here are five to try this weekend.
1. Taste 30 pork dishes
More Top Picks Best Gaming Mice
On Sunday, the porkiest celebration of them all, Cochon555, returns to Chicago for its third annual Heritage BBQ. Five chefs (Chris Pandel, Swift & Sons; Andres Padilla, Topolobampo; Frank Valdez, Broken English Taco Pub; Won Kim, Kimski; Ashlee Aubin, Salero/Wood) compete by each creating six dishes from a whole heritage pig for a crowd of pork lovers and professional judges to sample. Yes, that’s 30 dishes in all. $100. 4 p.m on Sunday, Sept. 11 at the Loews Hotel, 455 N Park Drive, www.cochon555.com
2. Drink wine in Grant Park
For the 12th consecutive year, the Windy City Wine Festival is taking over Buckingham Fountain with enough wine to fill Lake Michigan (we’re guessing). More than 90 tables will feature international winemakers and producers, from the likes of Napa and Sonoma to France’s Rhone Valley and South Africa’s Stellenbosch. In between sips, enjoy live music and snack on bites from wine-friendly Gayle’s Best Ever Grilled Cheese and even Taco in a Bag — great with rose! $35 advance tickets, $45 at the door. 4:30-10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9 and 2:30-8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10 at Buckingham Fountain, Grant Park, 301 S. Columbus Drive, www.windycitywinefestival.com
3. Fuel up for shopping
Wander through the stalls of more than 400 artists can work up an appetite. At Renegade Craft Fair’s flagship festival, chow on snacks and dishes from Dia de los Tamales, Puffs of Doom, DonerMen, Black Dog Gelato and more while browsing everything from home goods and clothing to cycling accessories. Beer from Half Acre and vodka-lemonades via Tito’s will also be on offer, because it’s not a street fair without a little day drinking. Free to attend. 11 a.m to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10 and Sunday, Sept. 11 on Division Street between Damen and Ashland Avenues, www.renegadecraft.com
4. Pretend you’re in Italy
The Waldorf Astoria Chicago has partnered with Eataly to transform the hotel’s courtyard into a piazza for an afternoon of music and Italian food. While guests stroll through the transformed “Piazza d’Oro,” or gold piazza, they can enjoy bites from an arancini bar, a gelato cart (made with dairy from Appleton’s Lamers Dairy) and more. To drink: prosecco, summery spritz cocktails and beer. A $40 advance ticket ($45 at door) nets you 14 gold coins that you can spend on food (1 coin per dish) and beverages (2 coins per alcoholic drink). 3-7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11 at the Waldorf Astoria Chicago, 11 E Walton St., buy tickets here.
5. Clink steins to Oktoberfest
It’s that time of year to ready your stein and gird your stomach: Lincoln Square’s German-American Oktoberfest kicks off on Friday. As always, you can expect a non-stop flow of golden lagers with an endless supply of pretzels, all backed by merry-making oompah bands. Free to attend. 5-11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9; noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept 10; and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11 near intersection of Leland and Lincoln Avenues, www.germanday.com
[email protected]
Twitter @joeybear85
.galleries:after {
content: ”;
display: block;
background-color: #144A7C;
margin: 16px auto 0;
height: 5px;
width: 100px;
}
.galleries:before {
content: “Food & Dining Photos and Video”;
display: block;
font: 700 23px/25px Georgia,serif;
text-align: center;
color: #1e1e1e;
var playlist = ‘chi_dining’,
layout = ‘autoblurb5plus1’,
iu = ‘%2F4011%2Ftrb.chicagotribune%2Fent%2Fdining’;