Better than our wedding day and the birth of Lucy? Well when you are a "foodie"(I would say "food snob" but Joe says "foodie" which sounds much nicer) and Millennium Park is filled with hundreds of Chicago's best restaurants and wine/beer/liquor vendors for an "all-you-can-eat-and-drink" two-day fest, it ranks right up there. Last year when Joe went Lucy was just a few weeks old and this sounded like another Taste of Chicago to me, so I was more than happy to stay home with Lucy. But, Joe got this date on the calendar as soon as the 2011 event was announced and I am so happy I joined him!! Chicago Gourmet was the most amazing food festival right here in the city. Many of Chicago's best restaurants had a pavilion or tent - Tru, Frontera Grill, Gibson's, Aria, Mercadito.....and hundreds of wineries and breweries sharing drinks. They hand you a plate and wine glass when you walk in and for the next 6 hours is open bar/open table! We tried a ton - and although I stuck to wine I did try a peanut butter Goose Island beer and it was strangely so good! Joe was in heaven with tasting tents, demonstrations by some of his favorite chefs, and unlimited drinks. I was in heaven being downtown on a beautiful day and not pushing a stroller around, and Lucy got some one-on-one time with her Grandpa Joe, so she was likely in heaven as well.
Definitely a fun weekend in the city and we are looking forward to next year! Joe stated that he would miss the birth of a future child for Chicago Gourmet. Not sure if it was the mix of beer, vodka and eventually cognac, but let's not get crazy here.
Let's eat!
It cracked me up but there were fancy plates and fancy seating all around millennium park - couches and wicker tables like we were in a nice restaurant. (Our friend later collected 30+ of these plates from random people for a baby shower she was hosting because she liked the "wine holder" on it)
Our group at our "home base"
Joe and Aaron left to get champagne for Aaron's wife, Erin, Both came back with two glasses for themselves, but I don't see any champagne!!
Grandpa and Lulu - when Grandpa offered to babysit he said "it will be fun, we can watch football." I was thinking "have you met Lucy? She won't cooperate with that plan!" but Lucy put in a good nap for Grandpa so everyone won.
