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Goodbye, Red Line

By Mitch Smith — Sun, 19 May 2013 14:48:00 -0500

Hours into a Red Line construction project that promises to snarl commutes for months, the southbound train steered away from the Dan Ryan Expressway on Sunday morning and instead traveled down the Green Line tracks.

As the operator reminded riders about the new route through the South Side, passengers compared notes -- and aired frustrations -- about the five-month effort to rebuild Red Line tracks south of Roosevelt.

Red Line trains stopped servicing their regular stations south of Roosevelt early Sunday as crews began rebuilding aging tracks. When construction ends, Chicago Transit Authority officials say riders will enjoy a faster, smoother commute to downtown. In the meantime, though, passengers are trying to navigate a network of shuttle buses and redrawn transit maps.

At the Garfield Green Line Station on Sunday morning, passengers were often outnumbered by CTA officials on hand to offer directions. Ralph Greenwood, who lives near the closed 95th Street station, had been riding the trains to familiarize himself with the alternate routes.

"The CTA was highly helpful," he said. "I was blessed."

Others weren't as enthusiastic. Demicio Campbell, on his way home after a night shift on the North Side, boarded a shuttle bus at the Garfield Green Line stop. Campbell called the shutdown "bogus" and said he suspected the heavily black South Side ridership influenced the decision to close so much of the line for so long.

CTA spokesman Brian Steele said that's far from the case. The shutdown, he said, was unavoidable as the agency completely reconstructs tracks and refurbishes stations.

The agency had been working for more than a year to prepare for the closure. They've instituted shuttle buses between stations, handed out brochures with tips on finding the best alternate route and held community meetings.

Still, Sunday was something of a trial run. The real test starts Monday when workweek commuters head north by the thousands.

mitsmith@tribune.com
Twitter: @MitchKSmith

Inside a $2.9M Chicago home

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:34:00 -0500

Why Shake Shack is so, so good

By Lisa Arnett and Elite Truong @redeyeeatdrink — Fri, 17 May 2013

Months ago, rumors started swirling that Shake Shack, a popular fast-food eatery that started as a food cart in New York's Madison Square Park, would be opening a Chicago location.

This month, the company has made it official with an announcement that it is planning its first Illinois location at 66 E. Ohio St., which is part of the Shops at North Bridge complex.

The restaurant is slated to open in late 2014, according to Greg Waters, senior manager of marketing and communications for Shake Shack.

Details have not yet been released about the Chicago location's menu, but we're keeping our fingers crossed that it's similar to the original. Here are 5 reasons we're excited for the arrival of Shake Shack in Chicago.

1. The burgers. "They serve the best fast-food burger that I've ever had. Everything tastes like it's been grilled in butter," said Elite Truong, an intern for RedEye's sibling site Metromix.

2. The cheesiness. "Shake Shack knows that you already want a cheeseburger, so cheesy options dominate the burger menu," Truong said. "Who orders burgers without cheese?"

3. The custard. There are only a few custard shops in town -- Scooter's, Lickity Split -- and as far as we're concerned, more is more. Shake Shack uses its frozen custard to make shakes, floats and concretes (custard with toppings and mix-ins). Creative concrete options at other locations include Jelly's Last Donut made with vanilla custard, strawberry preserves, cinnamon sugar and doughnuts from NYC's Doughnut Plant. Maybe there's an opportunity to pair up with a local doughnut shop here for something similar? Here's hoping ...

4. The vegetarian options. Here's a thought: Just because vegetarians don't eat meat doesn't mean they always want to eat a super-healthy quinoa/black bean/kale burger. Shake Shack delivers with a veggie burger that's seriously indulgent: A deep-fried cheese-stuffed portabella mushroom.

5. The fries. There are simply not enough burger joints in Chicago selling crinkle-cut fries. Shake Shack's will be a welcome addition.

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Chicago getting more ice cream--soon

By Samantha Nelson, @samanthanelson1 — Fri, 17 May 2013

Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream is opening its first Chicago shop this August in Lakeview's Southport Corridor.

Located at 3404 N. Southport Ave., the shop will have seating for about 25 and standing room inside, along with outdoor seating in front and on the side of the long, narrow space. They're hoping to have doors in front and back to avoid customer traffic jams, said founder Jeni Britton Bauer. The décor will be simple, possibly involving painted wood tile walls.

"Each spot that we do is different," Bauer said. "We do design and artwork in house."

Chicago is the third biggest market for Jeni's pint-shipping business and Bauer said she constantly gets emails asking her to open a shop in the area. About a year ago, she decided it was time to expand beyond her 11 Ohio and two Tennessee locations and began looking for a space.

"The location kind of chose us," she said. "We like neighborhoods where you can walk and ride bikes, where there are interesting things going on, where you might come and do a few things -- one of which is getting ice cream."

The shop will stock 26 to 30 flavors at any given time, including seasonal varieties such as double-toasted coconut and chammomile, that can be made into sundaes by mixing and matching toppings and sauces. They'll also sell all flavors packaged in pints to take home, as well as handmade ice cream sandwiches inspired by French macarons in flavors such as chocolate hazelnut, orchid cream and salted caramel with smoked almond.

Bauer often visited Chicago when she was growing up in Peoria, Ill. and plans to be in the Lakeview store regularly, flying in from the company's headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. "I only open stores I want to spend time in," she said.

Bauer's ability to open new locations is limited by supply rather than demand; since the company focuses on using local ingredients and doing everything by hand, this is likely to be the only Chicago location opening for a while.

"Even if it does really well, it doesn't mean we'll open another shop," Bauer said. "It's a challenge we want to take on and see if we can do it."

If you need to get your fix before August, you can find Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream at more than 20 Chicago-area stores including Southport Grocery & Cafe, Olivia's Market and Publican Quality Meats. The stores will also soon be stocking Jeni's new line of sundae toppings and sauces.

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Ruff and tough

By Jack M Silverstein — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:50:00 -0500

If you've ever owned a dog, you know the importance of finding the perfect name. Maybe you picked a family name, the name of a childhood dog or even the name of a city you love.

Dog lovers Bridgid Nolan, 36, and Sue Naiden, 41, had a different source of inspiration: the Blackhawks.

Nolan owns Project Rescue Chicago (1535 N. Dayton St., 312-623-0939), an agency that takes in homeless and abused dogs and finds them homes for adoption. She also runs Unleashed, a doggy daycare at the same location.

She partners with Naiden, whose organization Trio Animal Foundation (516 N. Ogden Ave., 312-909-9680) raises money for the dogs' medical bills. They are friends as well as business partners, and while each had run her organization since 2009, their friendship and shared love of dogs and the Blackhawks converged in late 2011 when they learned about a dog in New York.

"There was a pit bull that was really beat up," said Naiden, of Roscoe Village. "My dog Trio had just passed in the end of November. This dog looked just like her. He was going to be euthanized-he was hit by a car: broken leg, broken hip. It was the cathartic, 'gotta go do it,' you know what I mean?"

"It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing," said Nolan, of Lincoln Square, about going to New York to adopt. Most of their dogs come from the Animal Welfare League at 6224 S. Wabash Ave.

"We were trying to think of a strong name that represented something that we loved," Naiden said. "We thought of Hossa. It went from there. The next one was 'Shaw.' It was Shaw's first game, and he got in a fight and had a cut on his face, and we had a dog that was slit from ear to ear from its collar, so from that we got Shaw."

From there, the two friends began naming dogs after Blackhawks based on the dogs' looks, injuries and personalities. There was Toews ("super chill-a good leader of the group"), Kaner ("runs in circles and has all these little deke moves"), and recently, Carcillo ("a scrappy little meatball").

Most dogs were given one name-Toews, Kaner, Sharp, Crawford-though Brandon Saad got a full name (since naming a dog "Saad" bums out potential adopters who mistake the dog's name for "Sad") as did Duncan Keith (since naming a dog either "Duncan" or "Keith" misses the point).

Almost the entire roster is represented. And while the Blackhawks dogs make up a small percentage of the dogs Project Rescue Chicago has assisted with Trio, they are among the most popular.

But that's only in Chicago. As Naiden points out, some of their non-Chicago clients are none too happy about adopting a Blackhawks dog.

"I was like, 'People are going to love it and rally around it,' " Naiden said. "Well people from Michigan and the Detroit area especially don't appreciate a dog named Hossa. So you have to be cautious."

Nolan and Naiden admit, however, they would be the same way.

"[A dog named] Sid Crosby?" Nolan said, laughing. "I don't want that."

Nolan and Naiden have even seen the passion of baseball fans leak into their work, particularly in light of Trio Animal Foundation's fundraiser Saturday at U.S. Cellular Field. "I was just like, 'It's a cool location,'" Naiden said of the ballpark. "It had nothing to do with being a Sox fan or a Cubs fan. But it definitely turns into that when you talk to that. It's very interesting. People are so loyal."

Naiden and Nolan are too. They can regularly be seen wearing Blackhawks gear and try to attend as many games as possible. But while many fans treat sports as escapism, these two women are escaping from the gruesome images of abused dogs. Dogs have arrived with ripped mouths or slit throats, while others have been delivered in garbage bags. Naiden calls attending Hawks games her "saving grace."

"It literally keeps me sane," she said. "There have been times we've gone where we literally haven't talked. You're straight faced. The only time there's any excitement is if they get a goal. Even when they have the video at the beginning and the national anthem, I literally get goose bumps because everything bad goes away. It's the best escape possible. I don't have anywhere else I go."

"It's the one thing we can sort of control when we're faced with so many things that are out of our control," Nolan said. "A couple weeks ago, we were at a game, and we had a dog that was really, really sick. We didn't know what was wrong with her. She was a puppy. We were at the game and the vet was trying to call, but my phone randomly died.

"I checked my voice mail in the morning, and the vet had been trying to call us while we were at the game, because the dog died at the vet. It was just so weird that my phone turned off, because obviously that's not great news. And we were at the one place where you hope not to ever get that kind of news."

"Nowadays with iPhones, it's email, it's texts, it's nonstop," Naiden said. "And you think about it nonstop. I can barely sleep at night thinking about the things I've seen in the shelter. The abuse cases that come in are so horrific. So to be able to go to [Blackhawks games] and escape-I have a very humble living. I don't have much, but that's one thing I will spend my money on."

Jack M Silverstein is a RedEye special contributor. @readjack.

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Nice weekend musts

By Julia Borcherts @Julia Borcherts — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:52:00 -0500

EAT

Late-Night 100 Percent Club

Taverna 750 750 W. Cornelia Ave. 773-904-7466

Order $5 tapas from the special menu-including heirloom tomato bruschetta with walnut pesto and parmesan; and picatta wings with a lemon, white wine, butter and caper sauce-and all proceeds benefit the Election Cycles team's efforts to raise funds for the Ride for AIDS Chicago in July. 11 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Friday-Saturday.

Cheeses of France Cafe

1051 N. Rush St.

Get cheesy at this pop-up cafe features cooking demos, cheese-based comfort food bites and more than 20 French varieties-including brie, camembert and fourme d'ambert-to sample and take home at wholesale prices. Sip complimentary wine and soda, chat with brand reps and take part in a cheese-themed cyber-conversation displayed on a Twitter wall. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday. No cover. More info at cheesesoffrance.com.

DRINK

Meet & Drink

Riverview Tavern 1958 W. Roscoe St. 773-248-9523

Tip one back with local brewers Begyle and 18th Street as they tap their creations in honor of Chicago Craft Beer Week. Begyle offers its Crash Landed pale wheat ale and 18th Street introduces its Sinister double IPA, both of which you can order for $4 each. 7 p.m. Friday. No cover.

Andersonville Wine Walk

Swedish American Museum 5211 N. Clark St. 773-728-2995

Grab a commemorative wine glass and sample 30 vintages at 10 retail shops including Andersonville Galleria, City Olive and Found Vintage Living on this Sunday stroll. A wine reference booklet is included so that you can remember your favorites for future drinking. 3-6 p.m. Sunday. $40. Tickets: andersonville.org.

Illinois Beer Flights

Park Tavern 1645 W. Jackson Boulevard 312-243-4276

Central Standard 169 W. Kinzie St. 312-527-9409

Chicago Craft Beer Week means $4 build-your-own local flights at both spots, where you can choose four four-ounce tastings from Illinois brewers including Half Acre, Tighthead, Two Brothers, Finch's, 5 Rabbit, Metropolitan, Revolution, Goose Island and Chicago Beer Company. Park Tavern: 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Friday-Saturday. Central Standard: 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Friday; 11 a.m.-3 a.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday.

Stingray Touch Exhibition

Shedd Aquarium 1200 S. Lake Shore Drive 312-939-2438

Get up close and personal with approximately 40 cownose and yellow stingrays-and pet their wings!-as the Shedd unveils its new seasonal exhibition, which takes place in a 20,000-gallon shallow pool under a tented structure on the museum's south terrace. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. $5 plus $28.95 museum admission. Tickets: sheddaquarium.org.

Champagne Saturday

RM Champagne Salon 116 N. Green St. 312-243-1199

Kick back in the courtyard patio-with two glasses of bubbly and macarons-as Cityblue Apparel & Denim owner Mallory Ulaszek presents runway shows featuring spring fashion and accessories and offers seasonal wardrobe tips. Admission includes raffle entries and access to an on-site pop-up boutique. Noon-2 p.m. Saturday. $15. RSVP recommended: citybluersvp@bettiebombpr.com.

(Free!) Explore Fulton Market

Various locations

See what's new in the 'hood as nearly two dozen galleries, design studios, boutiques, cafes and more-including Mars Gallery, Jan's Antiques, La Colombe, Green Home Chicago and Morlen Sinoway Atelier-open their doors for your perusing pleasure. Stop by K2 Apartments (365 N. Halsted St.) from 4:30-6:30 p.m. for an after-party barbecue with complimentary food and drinks. Noon-5 p.m. Saturday. Participating locations: explorefultonmarket.com.

REDEYE TIP OF THE DAY

Plan your outdoor dining and drinking adventure with our guide at redeyechicago.com/patios.

Julia Borcherts is a RedEye special contributor.

South Side Red-ache

By Tracy Swartz, @tracyswartz — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:48:00 -0500

Ready or not, the Red Line South reconstruction starts Sunday. Until Oct. 19, nine South Side Red Line stations will close as crews rebuild the line south of Roosevelt Road.

During this $425 million project, which is expected to rid the southern Red Line of slow zones, the CTA will run free shuttles from closed Red Line stations to the Garfield Green Line stop and operate Red Line trains on Green Line tracks.

There will be headaches as thousands of commuters are rerouted during the next five months. The CTA has posted alternatives at transitchicago.com/redsouth. To prepare for this project, RedEye has assembled nine facts about the southern section of the Red Line-one for each station that is closing for construction.

1. The southern section of the Red Line opened Sept. 28, 1969. On that day, the Kansas City Royals beat the White Sox 10-3, while the Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1. The Cubs roster included Ron Santo, Ernie Banks and Billy Williams. The '69 Cubs team would go on to experience a faster deterioration than the Red Line, holding on to first place for 155 days before finishing second to the New York Mets in the NL East.

2. The Dan Ryan Red Line branch cost $38 million to build more than 40 years ago, more than $240 million in today's currency. It will cost the CTA $425 million to rebuild. The difference in prices is about the amount of the $180 million contract extension Justin Verlander signed with the Detroit Tigers this year. While Verlander has been linked to supermodel Kate Upton, the CTA hopes to eventually link the rehabbed Red Line to future stations south of 95th Street.

3. When it opened, the Dan Ryan branch had skip-stop service, in which trains would alternate between stops for express service. It's been a while since trains along the Dan Ryan could be considered express. This month, 45 percent of Dan Ryan track has been under slow zone, meaning trains run 35 mph or slower. The majority of this section has trains running at 15 mph, which is about how fast some Olympic athletes can run. No gold medal for you, CTA.

4. In the early '90s, the CTA connected the Dan Ryan branch to the northern Red Line branch that terminates at Howard Street. To tell riders about this development, the agency created "HoDar," a fictional character and mnemonic device that stood for "Howard-Dan Ryan." The name for the upcoming rehab project is the less amusing "Red Line South" and its accompanying Twitter handle @RedLineSouth.

5. Three stations-Garfield, 63rd, and 87th Street-will get elevators to make them accessible for riders with disabilities. When the project is over, 97 of 145 stations will be accessible. As the Meat Loaf song goes, "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad."

6. 45,000 riders pay fares at Red Line South stations on an average March weekday. That's about the number of people who participated in the world's largest tomato fight last year in Spain.

7. It currently takes 31 minutes to ride the Red Line from Cermak-Chinatown to the 95th Street stop-just enough time to watch a "What Would Ryan Lochte Do?" episode and scratch your head. The CTA says the project will cut commutes between 95th and Roosevelt by up to 20 minutes-just enough time to watch only the commercials in a "What Would Ryan Lochte Do?" episode and nod along because English is your first language.

8. The last time the CTA closed multiple stations for a large-scale rehabilitation project was in January 1994, when the Green Line was shuttered until May 1996. Not all the work was done at reopening, but nine stationhouses were ready, the Tribune reported at the time. The Red Line project will concern the same number of stations but will take about a fifth of the time to complete.

9. If you add up all the rail the CTA is installing for this project, you get 76.5 miles-the approximate distance between Chicago and Racine, Wis. That city is known for its Kringle, Danish pastries filled with nuts or fruits. There are plenty of nuts along the Red Line, from the convenience store at the 95th Street stop to the concession stands at U.S. Cellular Field.

tswartz@tribune.com

Local buzz

By Tom VanBuren | @tomvanbeast — Thu, 16 May 2013

Chicagoans take their coffee seriously, and not just when they're drinking it.

"For a long time in Chicago, coffee shops were split into two camps," said Zaida Dedolph of HalfWit Coffee Roasters. "Ones that served Intelligentsia, and ones that served Metropolis."

While some pledge unyielding allegiance toward one of the city's two big-name roasters, a number of more modest, small-batch operations opening over the past few years have brought even more richness to the local coffee-roasting community. That, coupled with existing roasters opening-or planning to open-new locations, means a cup of coffee made from beans roasted within city limits is easier to find than ever.

"There is so much room for growth in Chicago," said Chris Chacko, founder of Sparrow Coffee Roastery, which opened its facility last year in the West Loop and now roasts coffee for more than 80 restaurants, including fine-dining destinations such as Grace and El Ideas. He's also actively looking for a retail space. "I really want to see Chicago like another Portland," he said.

It's clear coffee drinkers are embracing the perks of both Chicago's established roasters and artisanal newbies. The numbers speak for themselves.

A Chicago original that has spread to New York City and Los Angeles since its 1995 inception, Intelligentsia opened a Logan Square coffee bar in April and plans another for Old Town in June.

Think you go through a ton of coffee? Metropolis Coffee Company is on track to roast 800,000 pounds of beans this year -- that's more than 2,100 pounds. per day. The company's plans for a Midway location are on hold, pending the airport's privatization.

Every roaster has to start somewhere. Four years ago, Tim Coonan started planning his roasts for Big Shoulders Coffee, experimenting with 12-ounce batches he roasted on his stovetop. Now his West Town cafe sells more than 1,000 pounds every week.

Since opening in 2011, Joshua Millman of Passion House Coffee Roasters has watched his reputation and his beans spread throughout Chicago, with his roasts now available in approximately 40 locations around the city.

Sharing is caring for some roasters. In March 2012, HalfWit Coffee Roasters started humbly, roasting 140-gram batches of coffee in an employee's kitchen. Now, they share a space in Logan Square with 8-month-old Gaslight Coffee Roasters, where their 12-kilo roaster has helped them land their beans in four cities (with a fifth on the way).

Though Asado Coffee Company has maintained only one coffee shop since its 2009 opening, it plans to add two more locations by the end of 2014. A West Town location at 1651 W. Chicago Ave. will open later this year, with another to follow next year in the Loop's Pickwick Stable building at 22 E. Jackson Blvd.

Year-old Lakeview outfit Bow Truss Coffee Roasters expanded its reach earlier this year by opening a new location in River North. With 14 seats, it's designed more for grab-and-go than camping out for the afternoon.

If your brewing skills stop with popping in a fresh K-cup, Ipsento Coffee House wants to help you step up your game. The cafe hosts regular Coffee 101 classes that teach you how to choose better beans and brew like the pros. The frequently-sold-out 2-hour classes host 8 people each.

Later this year, Bridgeport Coffee will branch out from the neighborhood from which it takes its name. The coffeehouse will expand into the Roosevelt Collection development in the South Loop, occupying a new, 850-square-foot location.

Dark Matter Coffee wants to bring coffee lovers closer to where it all begins, but just a few at a time. The owners recently opened a coffee bar located inside its Ukrainian Village roasting facility with an ultra-exclusive seating capacity of four.

Finding your favorite blend takes experimentation, and lots of it. Beverly Bakery and Coffee Roasters offers 26 different types of coffee, making the choice significantly more complicated than "regular or decaf."

Coffee flavors are strongly affected by the conditions in which the beans grow. Just ask Stefan Hersh of Buzz Artisanal Coffee Roaster, who has been roasting for Buzz since 2011 and sources beans from more than 12 locales around the world.

Small-batch coffee roasting is steadily gaining popularity, but some local artisans are ahead of their time: The Coffee & Tea Exchange in Lakeview, family-owned since its inception, opened in 1975 and has been roasting daily ever since.

Sparrow Coffee Roastery is focused on making the roasting process as earth-friendly as possible. Owner Chris Chacko reports that the operation uses one-fifth the natural gas as a typical roastery of the same size, thanks to an eco-friendly coffee roaster that operates without an energy-hogging afterburner.

It takes more than coffee to make a cafe. The mural in University Village's Demitasse Coffee, hand-painted by international mural artist Joel Bergner, took 2 months to complete in 2001. He spent at least four days per week on the mural, which was the first of his career; if redone today, he estimates that it would take as little as one day to paint one of comparable size.

ASK THE ROASTERS

Why is locally roasted coffee booming?

"People don't want to think of coffee as something corporate, but as more of a style choice. Choosing a specialty coffee can make you seem more discerning." --Stephen Morrissey, director of marketing and communications for Intelligentsia

"For a long time, coffee was just considered a commodity. It wasn't a special thing or a treat, it was something you had in your cupboard ... Now people are more conscious of environmental and global issues of food production. It's easy to think of Joe the farmer down the street with his pitchfork, growing carrots. He's local, he's part of the community. It's harder to relate to coffee, but we're trying to get people to think of a larger global community." --Zaida Dedolph, director of operations of Time Bandits LLC, which operates HalfWit Coffee and The Wormhole

"People want to have more say in where their money goes. There's a market for well-done crafts, whatever they might be. People are just more thoughtful about consumption." --Tim Coonan, owner of Big Shoulders

How much influence does the roaster have over the quality of the coffee?

"There's nothing a roaster can do to make coffee better. That's determined much earlier, by the farms and the farmers." --Stephen Morrissey, Intelligentsia

"You can have an OK green coffee and roast it to be a great coffee. It's all about figuring out what it takes to draw out the best in it ... it's a little bit of science and a little bit of magic." --Zaida Dedolph, Time Bandits LLC

"You can go buy the best beans, but ... without a quality roaster, not only the equipment, but the person who stands behind it, you're not going to be able to pull the flavors out of it. More people are beginning to realize that there are more layers of flavor to coffee and that it can be like a fine brandy or wine ... if the layperson can't taste those nuances, then the roaster did something wrong." -Chris Chacko, founder of Sparrow Coffee Roastery

"It depends on the quality of the beans when they leave the farm, but it's also the roaster's job to bring out the right flavors. If you roast the bean right, you can turn any coffee bean into a really great cup of coffee. You just have to know the right technique." --Jessica Shaver, Asado Coffee Company

How competitive is the coffee industry?

"It can be challenging. At the same time, though, the more coffee roasters there are, the more people are educated about coffee, and the more people want a better cup of coffee. And that's good for everyone." --Joshua Millman, owner of Passion House

"When you try to explain why a cup of coffee is special, it can be really difficult. It's still served in a paper cup for three dollars. So it can seem really pretentious and disingenuous. ...When you only have a few people making that argument, it's hard. When you have more and more people making that argument, it's a good thing." --Stephen Morrissey, Intelligentsia

How do you educate people about coffee?

"While we take it seriously, how we make it, how we brew it, we want to downplay that. I don't want to participate in the sort of drama that can happen so easily with coffee. We have to remember: It's just a cup of coffee." --Tim Coonan, Big Shoulders

"If you cover it up with sugar or flavored syrups, you're not going to taste the bean. We don't do that here, and I don't know why people think of that as snobby, because really, it's for their benefit. If they're getting a coffee drink, we want it to be the best coffee drink they can get." --Jessica Shaver, Asado Coffee Company

Tom VanBuren is a RedEye special contributor. Additional reporting by Lisa Arnett. redeye@tribune.com| @redeyeeatdrink

Fest planner: May 17-19

By Kate Bernot, RedEye — Thu, 9 May 2013 15:28:00 -0500

Let's clap it up for ourselves, fellow Chicagoans. We made it through snow and what seemed like a straight month of rain to arrive, blinking and dazed, at the start of summer festivals. Mayfest annually marks the season's kick-off, and it offers a great refresher on all the major components of a true Chicago-style summer bash: beer tents, fest food and of course, the musical stylings of Too White Crew. Because there's only one major party going on this weekend, consider the 17th annual Mayfest your easy reintroduction to all the warm-weather madness. And in case your memory's rusty, don't forget that you'll need some cash, a pair of comfy shoes and maybe a friendly pedicab driver to wheel you home.
kbernot@tribune.com @redeyeeatdrink

Fest File

Where: 3100 N. Ashland Ave. (Lot at the corner of Ashland and Barry avenues)

When: 5-10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday

How much: $10 admission fee, plus food and drink

Expected attendance: 15,000

Don't miss: Cover bands provide the main entertainment all three days, including 16 Candles (7-8:30 p.m. Friday), Too White Crew (8-9 p.m. Saturday) and This Must Be The Band (8-9 p.m. Sunday). Those with Instagram-worthy puppies should also mark their calendars for the free Pet Pageant and Expo (11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday).

Mini-detours

For frozen custard: Not only is it fest season, it's finally frozen dessert season. Head just a block west on Belmont to Scooter's Frozen Custard (1658 W. Belmont Ave. 773 244-6415) to a order a concrete (custard with your choice of fruit, candy or nuts mixed in). Scooter's closes at 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 9 p.m. Sunday, so make this a pre-fest stop.

For shopping: If spring temps have you dusting off your bike, outfit your ride with high-quality accessories from Heritage Bicycles (2959 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-245-3005). Helmets and messenger bags are more stylish than the average reflector-and-neon crop, and there's also an attached coffee shop for a quick caffeine fix. Open 7 a.m.- 8 p.m. daily.

For better beer: If you've had your fill of standard domestics at the fest, walk north on Lincoln to Northdown Cafe & Taproom (3244 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-697-7578) and order off their impressive list of craft beers from the likes of Mikkeller, Three Floyds and Firestone Walker. With hours until 2 a.m. Friday and Sunday and 3 a.m. Saturday, you can post up for a while after the fest.

For pizza: To fuel up before the shows, dig into the "NeapolAmerican" pies at Pizzeria Serio (1708 W. Belmont Ave. 773-525-0600). Somewhere between East Coast- and Neapolitan-style, the slices have enough chew to fill you up without being a nap-inducing bomb. The pizzeria is open beginning at noon Saturday and Sunday and 5 p.m. on Friday, with hours until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 9 p.m. on Sunday.

Upcoming fests: May 25-26: Belmont-Sheffield Music Fest (Lakeview) and Randolph Street Market outdoor debut (West Loop). See the full summer fest calendar at redeyechicago.com/fests.

16 food trucks apply for Taste

By Leonor Vivanco, @lvivanco — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:10:00 -0500

A total of 16 food trucks submitted applications to be part of this year's Taste of Chicago, the city said Thursday.

This year's food fest, scheduled for July 10-14 in Grant Park, will include licensed food trucks for the first time. The trucks will be parked at Butler Field right by the lawn seating for the Petrillo Music Shell where they will be able to set up starting two hours before each night concert and operate for the duration of the concert.

Applications to sell food at the Taste were due Wednesday.

Of the 16 who applied, how many will make the cut?

"At this point, until we have reviewed the applications, we cannot determine how many will be at the event. Once we have reviewed and coordinated the available space, we will release that information," Cindy Gatziolis, spokeswoman for the city's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, said in an email.

Those picked will be able to sell goodies accepting the Taste food and beverage tickets only. They will be able to sell up to four menu items plus two smaller "Taste" sample portions.

Food truck operators will have access to a hand sink, tent and refrigerated storage truck where they can keep food cold until they need to restock their trucks, according to the city's website. In addition, they will have space to prepare and cook food outside of the truck if operators have the required summer sanitation certificate.

The trucks will be charged a 25 percent commission on gross profits after paying a 10.5 percent sales tax, the application said. They will also pay $125 for a temporary food vendor license. But there was no application fee that other vendors pay to be part of the Taste.

By comparison, pop-up restaurants will be charged a 20 percent commission after taxes and avoid an application fee. Restaurants picked to participate in the Taste over five days pay a fee of $3,000.

The inclusion of food trucks at the Taste is one of the latest developments in the industry in Chicago. Last summer, the City Council passed the food truck ordinance allowing them to cook onboard. The city last week proposed adding 9 more designated food truck stands for a total of 30 where trucks are allowed to park for free up to two hours. Or they can park at metered parking spots 200 feet away from a restaurant.

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