There's more than food in Wicker Park/Bucktown: Chicago Food Planet Food Tour part 2

September 2, 8:46 AMChicago Dining ExaminerEmily Szopa

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Chicago Dining Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Check out the full photo slideshow by clicking on the
image above. Photos by Steven Johnson.

 (Note: This is the final part of a multi-part series profiling Chicago Food Planet Food Tours. To start at the beginning, click here. Check out the photo slideshow by fellow Examiner and food photographer Steven Johnson here)

After a brief introduction and caution to remain close by way of a "March of the Penguins" analogy (appropriately fitting, given the brisk weather), we filed into George's Hot Dogs, where we were seated toward the back and almost immediately served traditional, Chicago-style hot dogs.

Toppings and traditions

"What goes on a Chicago-style hot dog?" our tour guide Kent asked the group. Not surprisingly, the tour group was able to come up with most of the ingredients (save the celery salt, which I offered up), but for many it was the first time they had ever tasted the classic dog.

While we inhaled our dogs (we were advised to eat quickly, as none of us wanted to be "left with cold meat on a bun."), Kent gave us the history behind George's, explaining that George and his wife Mary had immigrated here from Greece and opened up shop in 1948 in the same spot where we were now seated. The two can still be found behind the counter, and despite competition from more than 2,000 independently operated hot dog stands in Chicago, they continue to thrive.

I've had countless Chicago hot dogs, but I rarely think about the history behind any one of them. How have I lived in this area and never stopped by George's? Easy: As a Chicagoan, I take the Chicago hot dog for granted. It was a delightful surprise to see the salad-topped sausage appreciated and enjoyed by those less jaded than me. Perhaps I could learn something here.

Warming up and cooling down

We left George's and walked down Damen to Mindy Segal's Hot Chocolate. When we arrived at the restaurant, it was busy with brunch business, so we waited outside while Kent went in to make sure there was room for us. He came out and waved us in, saying "I had to be a bit of a thug, but I got us in." There were no tables available to seat us, so we huddled in the entryway, a possibly inconvenient gathering spot that shed its sense of discomfort as we were each treated to a "Medium," easily the most delicious iced chocolate drink I've ever had, and a homemade marshmallow.

Kent shared a bit of Pastry Chef and owner Mindy Segal's background, touching on her past at Ambria as well as her James Beard Awards and devotion to the locavore movement. We didn't linger, as the door traffic was getting to be a bit unwieldy, and so we headed to our next stop, to-go cups in hand, pausing briefly down the street for Kent to give a "comfort food" nod to Silver Cloud before we packed ourselves into the relatively tiny Goddess and Grocer.

Although at the end of the tour most of the folks in our group named Hot Chocolate as their favorite stop, I heard more oohs and ahhs and "I'm coming back"s at the Goddess and Grocer than anywhere else. And for good reason: With a huge selection of to-go food, wine, chocolate and cheese packed into a narrow yet bright space, it's one of my favorite stops in general.

We learned a bit about the catering and theatre background of Debbie Sharpe, the truly personable and creative owner of G&G, and then were served a delicious antipasti pasta salad of spiral pasta, capers, banana peppers, fresh mozzarella, salami, red peppers, kalamata olives and artichoke hearts. Simple, bold flavors, and also the perfect foil to the sweet chocolate drink we had just sucked down. (Well, mine was gone before we stepped off the curb outside Hot Chocolate, anyway)

Did you know that the guitarist from Cheap Trick co-owns Piece Pizza? Now you do.

From there we headed to Piece for some New Haven-style pizza ("We don't tell you this on the other tour," Kent said before we tore into the pizza, "But in Chicago, thin crust outsells deep dish 3 to 1.") and Golden Arm beer, and I chatted with  Allan and Kristie, a sunny, enthusiastic couple in town from Port Huron, MI, along the way. When asked why they had decided to take the tour, Allan broke into a smile and said, simply, "I like to eat." He went on to explain how they were taking a trip for their anniversary and they "wanted to do something just for adults." They had taken several food tours in other cities, but they were enjoying this one in particular because, "having an entertaining food guide helps."

I couldn't agree more, as Kent was proving to be not just informational, but truly personable, sharing his own insight from having lived in the area and pointing out spots like the former home of Pontiac Cafe, now actively being demolished, as well as the adjacent Violet Hour, which, he exclaimed with not-so-subtle vehemence, he would never again patronize because the owners are involved in tearing down the Pontiac Cafe.

My own love of the Pontiac's outdoor patio and the subsequent emotional pain experienced when I found out it was closing were easily mitigated by the fact that Paul Kahan and Donnie Madia (who also have a stake in the Violet Hour) are to open a new spot in its place. To me, good food (and good service, which Pontiac seriously lacked) > hipster cred any day of the week. To each his/her own, I guess.

Lessons learned

After our stop at Piece, I asked Gold Coast locals Aylin and Bengi what was different about this tour from the one they had previously taken on the Near North side, to which Aylin replied, "This one is more foodie-oriented," a statement she would later retract, given that we were only an hour and a half into the tour so far at that point.

From Piece, we were led through the side streets of Wicker Park/Bucktown, gaining insight into the history behind each area's moniker (you'll have to take the tour to gain this valuable information/speculation), and stopping outside several truly amazing homes along the way. Kent tossed around architectural details like a server naming beers on tap, pointing out Queen Anne turrets and Italianate rooflines along with stories about local historical figures and even sites of movies that were filmed locally, such as the former location of Wax Records, where John Cusack's character owned a record store (called Championship records) in the movie High Fidelity.

To recant all of the tales told (and there were many) would rob you of the experience itself, not to mention it wouldn't be nearly as entertaining. Also, each tour is bound to be different. "You'd be surprised how much I'm holding back," Kent told me during the tour. With how much information I absorbed, let alone all the details my goldfish brain returned to the collective unconscious, I can only imagine how much more there still is to learn about Wicker Park and Bucktown.

"That guy from Florida"

Right before we rounded the corner at Sultan's Market, the fifth food stop on the tour, Aylin asked to take back her former statement about this tour being far more "foodie oriented." True, we had just taken about a 45 minute break from eating, but I think we all were somewhat grateful. Even now, many of us chose to wrap up the delicious falafel sandwich from Sultan's to take with us for later, trying our best to save room for ice cream. Or, I should say, "iCream."

 For those unfamiliar with iCream and its brief history thus far, click here. Simply put, it's high-tech ice cream, made to order. You pick your flavor, your dairy (or non-dairy) base, your mix-ins and your color, if desired, and they throw it all in a Kitchen-aid mixer, blast it with nitrogen and then scoop it into a cup and add a spoon. I can't lie: I've enjoyed every bit of iCream I've had, although I have to admit it's a bit pricey. The blend picked for the tour group is called "That guy from Florida," and clearly there's a story behind the name, but I'd be spoiling it for you if I were to spell it out here. Let's just say it's a blend of cream soda, nutella and white chocolate and it was "invented" by a guy from Florida. Sounds weird, tastes awesome. Really.

Backyard tourist

On this sweet note, the tour wrapped. We were each given maps and coupons to use at the stops we had already visited, so it wasn't surprising that many of the group members went off to revisit their favorites. After I walked back to George's with Kent and fellow Examiner Steven Johnson, who chronicled the entire tour in photographs (click here to view his excellent slideshow), even I headed back to the Goddess and Grocer for a bottle of wine and some more of the excellent pasta salad. I had been in the store dozens of times, but now I was seeing it with new eyes. Being a tourist in my own neighborhood had actually helped me feel closer to the city, armed with the intimate knowledge I had gained over the course of a mere three hours.

Whether you're from the Chicagoland area or you're visiting from out of town, Chicago Food Planet Food Tours provide a great framework for understanding the individual neighborhoods of our huge city and how they fit together to create the amazing city we locals know and love. I highly recommend.

I want to thank all of the locals and visitors who accompanied us on the tour, especially: Allan and Kristie, Bengi and Aylin, Laura and Joe, and Prince and Joy.

Let's start the tour already!

• Chicago Food Planet Food Tours intro
• Chicago Food Planet Food Tours part 1
• Follow the whole series, photos and stories
  

 To reserve your spot in one of Chicago Food Planet Food Tours' upcoming tours, click here.