Thrillist Taste of Summer Food Fest

Damn, if I wasn't busy, this would be an amazing event to go to this Sunday in Bridgeport. Thinking about going? Use code CISC50 to get all the food for just $20!!! Wow! Cheap Eats!!

Kamayan Feast at Sunda

Last Sunday, I had the great pleasure of visiting one of my favorite restaurant, Sunda (110 W Illinois St, Chicago, IL 60654) for their Kamayan Feast! What is a a Kamayan Feast? Why, it's one of the best way to experience a meal. Confession: this is my second time attending Sunda's Kamayan Feast. Here's what went down this time around:

Upon arrival, we met at the bar and each got a Mai Tai. Super delicious, so pretty, and included in the price of the ticket.

While we were drinking, the chefs were busy throwing all sorts of food items on the communal table, atop a spread of banana leaf. We're talking lechon and shrimp and rice and chicken and pork belly and mangos! (but where were the longaniza?!) And perched atop all this were several fried sea basses! What a crazy sight!

Then we began eating and eating and eating. There was so much food that we were all bursting at the seam. They had to bring out boxes for us to take some home.

Once the tables were cleared, they brought out a Sunda-fied Halo Halo. OMYGOSH! It was great! We're talking fruits mixed with condensed milk and crushed ice, with 2 scoops of ice cream on top.

It was the perfect ending to that night of feasting like kings! If you guys ever get a chance to attend, do so. Until then, just keep looking and drooling at the pictures. I know I will be!

For further info on Kamayan Feast at Sunda, click here. See you at the next one!

Amazing Night at Chicago Food and Wine Fest's Toast and Taste

Toast and Taste - Grant Park August 29, 2015

On Saturday night, we had the pleasure of attending the Toast and Taste  event in Grant Park. Tickets were generously provided by Wirtz Beverages, which I am very thankful for, because the ticket prices were nowhere near my current food budget.

Taste and Toast is the evening portion of the the Chicago Food and Wine festival, which landed in Chicago for the first time this year.

It was a very chill evening with food, and drinks, and music, and best of all, an awesome crowd. There were 20 tents of food and drinks, which was enough to get us full by end of the night. The crowd was manageable. We did not have to push and shove, nor wait in long line for food, which is such a major plus in my book.

All the top chefs were in attendence at the morning festival, as well as the evening party. I really don't know how they do it, because even though they were working 12+hours, the chefs were all in great spirits and were incredibly jolly and super friendly.

Rick Bayless and his Ceviche

Stephanie Izard who brought her Shrimp and Pork Stir Fry

Duck Duck Goat

I love that I got to try some really unique things from restaurants all across America, like one from LA's Animal.

 My favorite dish of the night was from Nico Osteria. Erling Wu-Bower always hit it out of the park at every food fest he participates in. Tonight, he brought this rigatoni that was so good that his booth became the hangout for all the cooks that night.

Oh, and the drinks! The drinks were great that night. My favorite was the Bulliet Autumn Cocktail, but the Hendrick's Gin, Don Julio, Stella and various others were also stellar. Another amazing point about this fest was that instead of standing in long lines for wine, people with wine bottles were walking around pouring. There wasn't an empty cup in the party!

While eating, we were treated to an amazing concert by Tameca Jones, a wonderful singer from Austin. Dare I say that this event is as good as last year's Food Network in Concert? I mean, she's not John Mayer, but the overall night was amazing.

FREE ticket to #OysterFestChi at The Garage (@THESALSATRUCK) today

First 27 patrons in line for lunch Thursday, 8/27/15 at The Garage, 116 N. Aberdeen St WIN.

Easy win, guys. And you'll get tickets to Oyster Fest by Shaw's Crab House, happening Sept 11 on Rush & Hubbard in River North.

This is extra awesome because St Lucia will be performing! 

Details

Lucky Rice Chicago Feast + Hong Kong Plane Tix Giveaway!

I love food fests!

I'm very excited about this. I've never heard of Lucky Rice before, but after reseaching, found that it's a 6-year-old festival celebrating Asian food and culture and for the first time ever, they're coming to Chicago! They're bringing tons of great Chicago Chefs all under one roof, The tasting menu comes from Embeya, Mott St, Rickshaw Republic, Sunda, and Yusho. The cocktail menu will be from the event's sponser, Bombay Sapphire.

I will be sure NOT to miss it. And a chance to win plane tickets to Hong Kong? That would be a big win, and I can feel the win in my bones! 9/17 cannot come soon enough!

Tickets in NYC, SF, and LA go for $125-200 and sells out quickly. Luckily, Chicago tickets are FREE but unfortunately are invite-only. BUT you can win one via Glossed and Found!

More info here.