This review will obviously be for next year as this is an annual event…read more Bottom line, it was fun but I'm not impressed. I absolutely love oysters and if I could dream up a fantasy oyster festival, I would dream up all the different varieties of oysters for a super low rate. $18 for a half dozen?! Not the business. And there were only 2 options. You also have the option of going into the restaurants for oysters, $15 for a half dozen. Sounds like the going price anywhere else if you ask me. You can't go wrong with $3 beers in the restaurants and $6 drinks on the streets. This is a smaller festival, spanning across 3ish blocks. The music this year was awesome (don't remember the name of the band). On the opposite end they had an inflatable jumper and slide for the kiddos. There was 2 street food vendors (I think). One was the same Asian family at every festival that sells the corn dogs and fries bucket. The other was also the same gyro people at see at a lot of festivals. They also had donuts. Sorry if this is a pretty crap review because I got too drunk too fast.

ATMOSPHERE: A lot of young families ready to dance and drink. A few dogs as well. :) The festival…read morewas smaller than I had imagined, only two blocks worth of festival. Walk around first and take a lap before deciding what to spend your money on. PRICING: Oysters were very over priced, the Shock Top oysters were $3 per oyster, at $18/ half and $36/dozen. OYSTERS: Oysters were good, but only serving Fannie Bay and Blue Points ADVICE: If you want more bang for your buck, check out any of the other surrounding restaurants for their alcohol and oyster deals, you'll find $25 per dozen and $5 margaritas, etc. PERFORMANCES: the performers were great with very high energy and a lot of talent ALL IN ALL: the surrounding restaurants and performers made the fest. Shock Tops oysters dos not.

Love Next! Simply inspiring and refreshing, Next draws out the vibrance and curiousity in all that…read moreobserve. Full of funk, color, metal and creativity, the spread of ideas and theoligies go on and on. When I mean on and on, I mean it both figurtively and litterally...its huge! The Next show sprawls the eighth floor of the Merchandise Mart, a few floors below Art Chicago. Next is part of a larger compilation of shows including Art Chicago and the International Antique Show, making up Artropolis Chicago. It features local and distant artists, galleries, performance art and organizations. I believe that the name is well suited for the show, as it is what is on the left side of now and what is next, after viewing the antiques and contemporary art of the other 2 shows. With that said, in comparison to previous years, it seems as though Art Chicago and Next are growing greatly in similarites. Perhaps that can be attributed to more of an acceptance of what we think of as "low-brow" art and fully beginning to understand that art is just that...art. As such, it is individual, personal and public, and drawn from energy and thought. I like to refer to it as an Avant-garde revival. Evocatively pushing the envelope on the status quo. Wow, so this is what I can use that degree in art history for. Anyway, a fabulous showcase of youthful and eclectic pieces, Next is a show that should be experienced by all. Make sure to watch out for tickets next year so that you too can be inspired.

Next Art Fair for 2009 is, like Art Chicago, housed in the Merchandise Mart, though events are also…read moreoccurring throughout the city. This is more than an art fair, NEXT is a showcase for the world's talents and an adventure in cutting-edge culture. The showcase is promoted as a portal to seeing contemporary art in new, innovative, eye opening ways. It includes both commercial and non-commercial art organizations - galleries, project spaces, art publications and key private contemporary collections from around the world. Unlike Art Chicago, NEXT is a different animal...........and though it was housed just 5 floors below the main event, it had a totally different look and feel. Now I'm a fan of contemporary art, but up to a point. After viewing the classic art on the 12th floor at the Art Chicago preview event I headed down to the 7th floor to view the NEXT artists. First, the noise level was 10 times higher and as much energy and much younger crowd that were trying very hard to push the envelope of fashion at each and every opportunity. There was what I call "live art" where sexy young ladies went walking about the space blowing whistles and carrying baseball bats yelling something to the crowds that I couldn't understand. When I see this type of art I think of the saying, "Different Strokes for Different folks." Though I enjoyed a portion of this space, it was a small portion. The photography was mainly digitally manipulated images, but I think the real treat was the paintings. Some were really great works of art. Unlike the 12th floor where you had to pay for drinks, this floor was giving away many things to attract folks to see the art..........in case you didn't know, give aways are an indication that the art probably isn't as good as one would like as free beer allows you to drink away your inhibitions and look at the art and say, after hiccupping, this isn't such a bad piece of art when in fact if you were sober you'd think otherwise. In addition to free beer (bottles of Grolsch no less) ice cream and pop corn was also being handed out. I think it was the pop corn that really made me think of this event as more of a carnival atmosphere than an art show........and some art made me think is was more of a freak show than a carnival. It was a good time and if you have time between now and May 4th, you should try and check out is event and location.

On time opening performance. Plentiful of seating to relax and enjoy the music and the Crystal…read moreGarden venue. Dance floor available for those who don't mind the public eye. ;-). It's amazing that Daniela Nardi will be playing 3 sets for the festival. CDs available for purchase.

This was me and The Heiress Apparent (La J) first time at this event. We are both lovers of Mac…read moreand Cheese, so of course when we heard about this event, we were in. Tickets were $65 for General Admission and and $105 for VIP. Both tickets got you all you can eat samples and five drink tickets. We got the VIP tickets because there was priority check in, free tee shirts and a VIP section we could sit in so we could be comfortable eating our mac and cheese. The VIP section was good, plenty of seats. This was our first time at the fest, so we have no comparison in terms of organization. But I would say that the event was very well organized. There were a good number of vendors representing different types of mac and cheese, very creative. The samples were a good size for getting a flavor of eat one. It was a brilliant idea to have the samples already out on the table ready to pick up. The only vendor that had a line was Public House (Chef Jeremy Tannehill) for the Chicken, Mac, & Waffles. It eventually settled down and we go to sample it...waffle cone, mac/cheese and a chicken meatball in hot sauce. It was good. Millie's Supper Club had a a great Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese. Texican (Chef Kim Dalton) Texas Chili Mac, Warren's Ale House (Chef Kevin Hay) Ghost Pepper Mac with Smoked BBQ Brisket (wasn't that hot and that was good), and ConeCepts (Chef Turn Cummings) Beer Braised Brisket Mac & Cheese were all good. Another favorite for me was Carmine's. They came up with a Mac and Cheese slider and it was so good. Other favorites were Carnivale's (Chef Rodolfo Cuadios) Mac & Cheese Cake Pops. I could not wrap my mind around a mac and cheese dessert, but it was like eating cheese cake. That was my personal favorite of all the vendors. La J enjoyed Mahoney's Pub & Grille's (Chef Alex Gomez) Strawberry Mac & Cheesecake and Kitty O'Sheas at the Hilton Chicago's (Chef Mario Garcia & Chef Erica McGhee) something like an apple crumble. Again, not thinking of mac and cheese as a dessert, but both worked. The five drink tickets were good and I ended up getting more from some nice people. Not sure what all was there for adult beverages as I hit the table serving wine. Pretty decent whites and they have a sparkling, so I was in heaven. The pours were very generous. We didn't get to hit all of the restaurants as we got so full! We had a plan of attack for hitting all of the vendors, but made the mistake of repeating samples that we liked. All and all, it was a good time and I look forward to doing this next year.

Tubular elbow pasta has been one of America's favorite comfort foods ever since Yankee Doodle stuck…read morea feather in his cap. This annual one-day indoor festival provides a venue for talented local chefs to flex their creative muscles and compete for the Golden Noodle Award, and for foodies to sample something potentially more awesome than the familiar Kraft product. Tickets are pricey but the event donates a portion of the proceeds to a worthy charity. This was the first time the Missus and I attended the Fest (we were invited as VIP lunch guests). Many of the offerings we tasted were truly a quantum leap above the comparatively bland grocery aisle version. Some had unusual twists. For example, mac & cheese cake pops (Carnivale), whose flavor is best described as cheddar cheesecake. My personal fave was the sweet-and-savory concoction of Kitty O'Shea's (a past award recipient); it was redolent of caramelized onions. Several of the booths were elaborately decorated. To wash down the high-carb repast, participants could choose from an array of 5 oz. pours of beers, wines, and hard ciders. A deejay spun contemporary songs. The feeding frenzy concluded with the announcement of the winner and runners-up (by popular vote) for the Golden Noodle Award, a trophy that looks like a drainpipe on a pedestal. What a hoot! We're longtime fans of food festivals, and this exceptionally well-run event was among the best we've attended.

Good fest! Entry fee is $5 recommended but they let you in for $3 as well. We were not carrying…read moreenough cash and they let us (party of 2) for $3. Once inside, there were a few local vendors with rings, hats and clothes. If you like henna tattoos, they had a couple of those. Coming to the ribs, each participant had its own booth. They were long lines at almost each stall. You can also participate in rating the ribs if you would like. Once you are loaded with food and drinks, head over to the back and grab a seat to enjoy some nice local music. Take the dance floor if you like or just groove on the spot.

I really enjoyed the festival. That said, I am not a fan of ribs. I will eat them but they are not…read moresomething I seek out. My biggest gripe is there is no way to eat ribs without having sauce, seasoning or something on your fingers. And, BBQ sauce does not do it for me. But fortunately, this festival offers so much more. For a $5 cover charge, you are granted in and out privileges of the festival which features quite a few food vendors, clothing vendors and two music stages. Not a fan of BBQ, well there were non BBQ vendors there too. My favorite non BBQ vendors were the Acapulco style Piña Coladas and the wood fire corn. Also, an Australian BBQ vendor offered some of the best cornbread I ever had and Shrimp on a Barbie which was incredible. The shrimp was also very reasonably priced ($6 for 9 shrimp). ... I know you are wondering how can you eat all this stuff while standing. Well, there were table and chairs provided by Budweiser and standing only tables for the transient bunch solely looking for a quick spot to eat quickly. The BBQ vendors had their trophies displayed from various competitions and attendees were able to vote for this year's favorite. ****Most companies accepted credit cards and there was an ATM on site.....The only thing missing was towelettes.

I have always enjoyed this event. It reminds me of the old time dinner and entertainment scene that…read moreyou see in old movies. On stage is Elysabeth Alfano - Creator, Executive Producer, Producer & Host, and four guests, each with a specialty, usually related to the arts, and one of the guests is always a chef from a local establishment. My very first one, March 26, 2012, was with the Green Mill Poetry Slam founder Mark Smith ( who gave a wonderful performance), Chicago blues legend Billy Branch performing "Hoochie Coochie Man" on his harmonica, Naomi Beckwith Curator at the MCA, and Matt Troost from the restaurant Three Aces, making gnocchi and ribollita, and Guest artist Nicholas Barron performed that night as well! Elizabeth starts out interviewing each person, but also encourages conversation between the guests. In this case (March 2012) the guests got up and performed, and it was so wonderful. Then the chef gives a cooking lesson on the video monitor of the meal that he is preparing for the guests and then the meal is brought out with a tasting of wine to go with each and Voges Chocolates are served for dessert. It was a night to remember! So much fun, and interesting! PS - I posted the Fear No Art presents The Dinner Party's May event here on Yelp, not because I have anything to do with it, because I don't, but because they don't seem to have a presence on Yelp, and I was doing a review of it, so thought that I should give them a presence here.

Wow, not at all what we expected. City Winery is a great venue but the Fear No Art dinner party is…read morenot the best way to appreciate the space. The tickets were $40/pp (plus service charge) and promised wine tastings, dinner, dessert and great panelists. First of all there was 1 wine tasting (about an ounce of wine) other drinks need to be purchased. The food was tasty but very small & we had to wait and wait some more for it to be served. The panelists were entertaining but seemed much more interested in talking among themselves than to the audience. Tried to tweet in questions but they were not addressed. Not a great evening overall.

This festival claims to be the largest, longest running world music festival on the planet. And…read moreI'm not one to dispute this claim since this year's festival covered 21 venues and I don't even care to count how many nationalities of music. Based around the Chicago Cultural Center, which has a free radio broadcast most mornings of the festival and hosts the closing night blowout of nine or so bands, the festival kicks off the indoor festival season with a bang (or multiple ones), some tribal wailings, digiradoos, and some other vocables (including, oddly enough, yelping) which are not present in most rock music. And the best part is some of the concerts are free. Though maybe I'm just being nostalgic in these rough economic times but I seem to recall a lot more free shows in past years. I fondly recall seeing Rodrigo y Gabriela on the ground floor of one of the buildings at Columbia College (on nothing but a set of low rafters) after they were already an established charting band in Europe for free. I also recall there only being five people there with me, but that's just my brain bragging. Really there were more like 100. This year it seemed that for every two bit band with an instrument besides a guitar or two, a bass, and some drums the average charge was $15 or more. Apparently a couple of sponsors pulled out (and it was more expensive to get bands into the country) raising the ticket prices. Still, the free concerts at the Chicago Cultural Center for this week or so with that venue's beautiful acoustics and views saved this festival. The final night's performances there blended beautifully with Calexico playing across the street in Millenium Park at the Pritzker Pavilion (also part of the festival and accompanied by a full mariachi band). This indoor festival is an incredibly intimate experience overall with the bands very accessible and the venues small. And I'm glad we have it since it shows the world how international a city Chicago is. I just wish they would lower the ticket prices again so they didn't combine into the price of a flight to Mexico if you went to one show a night.

My favorite week to go out in Chicago. Over the years there have been so many great memories;…read moreGorgo Bordello, Nouvelle Vague, Cheb i Sabbah, and DJ Joe Bryl opening for Seu Jorge at Millennium Park. This festival is as precious to Chicago as Buckingham fountain or the Art Institute , and yet it is so horribly under funded. Every year we travel (without leaving our City) to other cultures through exotic music and performance and we gain many valuable lessons; compassion, understanding, empathy, and the realization that the world doesn't just revolve around us. This festival is not only one of the most entertaining but one of our City's most enlightening events.

So I role up to the Daley Center at 11am yesterday and realized I was starving…read more Inflation is real and lunch shouldn't cost $20. That's ridiculous. I'm weighing my options and wound up at the Sausagefest Truck. A decent hotdog with all the trimmings (no fries) and a Diet Coke was twelve bucks. (Welcome to Chicago). The people were friendly and efficient. It was the best I was going to do in that predicament. If You find yourself in the same position - go get a dog.

A minimalistic festival with lots of tree shade, beer, touch of sausages, and a bunch of talented…read moreband. Tables/Chairs -- sporadic high tables, no chairs except for the dethroning of Renaissance Nobles. Sound System -- background sound is dominant than vocal. $5 suggested donation