Taste of Chicago 2005

This year marked another successful year for the Taste of Chicago. Record crowds gathered near the lake front event for the annual food and music summer festival the City of Chicago proudly sponsors. This year I made my trip on a Saturday, normally I would go on a lunch break during the week. This year there seemed to be far more people than the year before. The weather was accommodating with mild heat and a nice breeze. The crowd however has too tight to find it pleasing.

Taste of Chicago Roadmap - Booths worth waiting in line for.

The city offers a map of Taste of Chicago's layout. We can one-up that. Our "Taste, Don't Waste (Time)" guide is your key to downing the best eats with the least amount of confusion. Unlike the other three million festival-goers bumping elbows in search of ribs, your man-with-a-plan approach will ensure that you don't miss a single desired morsel. (Which is easy to do, considering that Taste features more than 60 restaurants.)

Keep in mind these vital facts: Taste runs through July 4 at Grant Park. Taste opens at 11 a.m. and runs through 9 p.m. (ticket sales end a 8:30 p.m., and Taste stays open until 9:30 p.m. July 3-4).

Admission is free but the food sure isn't. Tickets are sold in strips of 11 for $7. Each "Taste portion," a smaller serving of the restaurant's regular menu item, generally costs one to three tickets. Major credit cards are accepted. In addition to the restaurant booths, be sure to check out the Dominick's Cooking Corner, which features cooking demonstrations by the chefs of Chilpancingo, China Grill, Adobo Grill and more. Musical performers take the stage, with techno-great Moby capping things off on July 4.

But on to the food: We've highlighted our favorites.

A Natural Harvest (Booth 55)
A must-stop for vegetarians, this is the only strictly vegetarian restaurant holding court at Taste. Enjoy a duo of vegetarian tamales, one spicy, one plain, and roasted corn on the cob. Double cheese nachos and Cajun cheese fries round out the offerings.

Abbey Pub (Booth 9)
You've gone for the music, now try the food. The pub's eclectic sound (past performers include Iron & Wine and Blonde Redhead) meets with a more specific Irish/American menu. Sample fish and chips, corn on the cob, baked potato with toppings and curry fries.

Arya Bhavan (Booth 52)
Spice things up with a bit of Indian; enjoy samosas and tandoori chicken, as well as matar paneer (fried cream cheese with peas...