Chicago Food Planet Food Tours
How well do you know your city? Do you venture out and eat at new places, or do you stay within the same 7 mile radius most of the time? Are you a suburbanite who rarely if ever travels into the city for a bite to eat? If any of these applies to you, then you may want to check out one of the “Chicago Food Planet Food Tours” available. I had a chance to tag along with the “Near North” food tour recently and had a great time! Be warned, this is a walking tour so make sure you wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to be on your feet for about 3 hours (insert Gilligan’s Island joke here). Our group met our guides Rebecca and Nikki in the Gold Coast at the Ashkenaz Deli where we got our itineraries and our first taste! While New Yorkers are blessed with many deli’s, us Chicagoans are not (Subway doesn’t count). At the deli we sampled a rueben made with sliced Vienna pastrami, sauerkraut, and homemade Russian dressing atop delicious marble rye. Off to a good start, let’s keep going. A short walk leads us to Tea Gschwendener for a tea lesson. We learned about the difference from tea bags and loose leaf tea as well as sampled a lovely hazelnut infused oolong tea. If you think walking from place to place can get boring, fear not! The tour guides also share their knowledge about some great architectural sites along the way. Our next stop isn’t a restaurant but is a must stop for any foodie. The Spice House in Old Town is loaded with amazing spices of all sorts. We get to learn and sample a few different types of cinnamon including a monster stick from Saigon that has the most intense cinnamon flavor I’ve ever tasted! Walk a couple of doors down and we head into Old Town Oil for a unique experience. More than a dozen different olive oils and balsamic vinegars are on display here and the fun is in the tasting! Sample them on their own or mix and match to find a combination you love. With all this walking we deserve some chocolate! At the Fudge pot we are greeted by an array of hand made confections and a large sample of milk chocolate butter toffee, yum! Still want more sweets? Delightful Pastries offered us some buttery apricot and cheese kolachki’s. A stroll by the Lincoln Park Zoo and Oz Park eventually lead us to Bacino’s. While like most Chicagoans I am a big fan of sausage pizza, the stuffed spinach pizza at Bacino’s is worth a bit of veggie love! Creamy mozzarella is loaded with finely chopped spinach and brings grins to the faces of all of on the tour! The tours run $42 per person and are a great way to learn about some great food and local architecture. Unlike going to these places on your own, the tour guides have great personality and a wonderful amount of knowledge about the food and our great city. So stretch your legs and prepare your taste buds for a fun afternoon with one of the “Chicago Food Planet Food Tours.” Tour Stops Ashkenaz Deli 12 E. Cedar St 312-944-5006 Tea Gschwendner 1160 N. Sate St 312-932-0639 The Spice House 1512 N. Wells St 312-274-0378 Old Town Oil 1520 N. Wells St 312-787-9595 The Fudge Pot 1532 N. Wells St 312-943-1777 Delightful Pastries 1710 N. Wells St 312-255-0724 Bacinos's Pizza 2204 N. Lincoln Ave 773-472-7400