I was lucky enough to attend the Harvest Dinner which was put on by the Logan Square Camber of…read moreCommerce. The dinner brought together the neighborhoods best restaurants including Fonda del Mar, Urban Belly, Vella Cafe, Treat, Tiny Cakes, Rustic, Provenance, Orbit Room, and a few other area locals. The dinner was buffet style and each establishment did a dish. A few of the standouts where Vella's butternut squash au gratin, Treat's curry gnocci, and Urban belly had an outstanding eggplant dish. I eat very few sweets but Tiny Cakes did an soft and moist carrot cake muffin with some tasty cream cheese frosting. The event held about 100 locals at the Stan Mansion, there was a silent auction and proceeds went to the Logan Square Farmers Market. It was a relaxing casual event and I will look forward to attending again.

I really liked the event because I love the idea of drinks, food and fun. The place combines…read morewhirlyball, bowling and laser tag with food and drinks. It makes for a fun adult time out with friends, coworkers, date night, etc. I went to this event with my dad and we had a good time. I was worried that he wouldn't be able to do whirlyball with his bad knees but luckily was just able to fit in the bumper car. The food was great and there were a lot of vegetarian options with some healthier options as well. I really liked the broccoli and the I guess it was a healthier margarita like pizza with balsalmic glaze on top. It made a full dinner and the two drink tickets a person was very generous. We just kind of shared everything. It was only a touch difficult to go right from eating a dinner and drinking with then being full to go right to whirlyball but I guess there wasn't a better option. Then we started a game of bowling but weren't able to finish as the lanes shut off precisely at 8pm. I understand the event ended officially then but with only being open 1 more hour and without other people waiting I don't know why they couldn't just let us finish the game. I really loved the event and thought everything went smoothly it was just too rushed. That being said we did arrive a touch late from traffic but we still wouldn't have been able to do all the activities provided. I don't even know if anyone got a chance at laser tag or not. One employee even threatened they would take our drinks that we weren't yet finished with but then changed their mind. It just was a let down to be unwelcome suddenly instead of just making the event a 3 hour time which I think would have been a lot more appropriate. In any case that's what they chose to offer and it was still a great event. If I were choosing to go here on my own I definitely would have wanted a longer than 2 hour visit.

I had the pleasure of hanging out with my family at the Oaktoberfest. We walked around and enjoyed…read morebeautiful weather, food and live music. Located in the downtown of Oak Park on Marion Street. There were activities for the kids and giveaways. There was a live music lineup where different bands came out and performed. Lots of people dancing and enjoying the music. A seating area with tables and chairs. Local restaurants and liquor stores to purchase beer and wine. A nice end of the summer festival to enjoy with your family and friends. Or just come out to mingle and have a good time.

Good food, good people, good times…read more This event was HUGE. Literally 100 times more lively than I would have expected, which is great for the township of Oak Park. Lots of neighborhood businesses selling their wares, several beer vendors, and a massive crowd of people enjoying a beautiful weekend in late September. $20 got you three booze tickets and a 22oz refillable Oaktoberfest mug, which came out to about $7 / beer. Not bad, especially considering that a few choices were IPAs and darker, hoppier lagers that could fudge up your vision in a hurry. Hundreds of tables and chairs were set out for fest-goers, most of which were facing the stage just east of Marion Street. The two bands that played during the time we were there had decent sounding stuff. The first one had more of a rock/alternative edge to them which I loved to hear, but the following act was more folksy rock and did absolutely nothing for me. It would've been nice to have heard some more recognizable tunes (covers of Bon Jovi, Mumford & Sons, anything really) instead of the indie nonsense that was played. After a few high ABV% beers, I decided that eating something sustainable would be a good idea. I got a rice and beef shish kabob plate from Jerusalem Cafe for something like $6.50, which absolutely hit the spot. Tasty and a great portion size for the money. Other places sold pizza, bratwurst, meatball subs, pad thai and popcorn, a reasonably good selection overall. Bread = 4.5 Circuses = 4 I didn't check-in or even take photos, as I didn't think this event page even existed on Yelp, but I guarantee next time around I definitely will. However I did leave the festival with my commemorative beer cup and.....well, something else. Can't say what exactly, but it's roughly 10' x 2' and hanging in my apartment. #stickyfingers #kleptomania A fun town event that attracted a giant crowd of locals. Would highly recommend and will return in 2017!

So the fest was this past weekend, and it far exceeded my expectations…read more Unfortunately for everyone in attendance, it was a sweltering 95+ degree summer day, but the delicious food, music and huge amount of beer options made the sweat dripping down my neck and back bearable (Brew Fest Organizers, pleaseeeee consider making it an Oktoberfest!)   The sample punchcard was printed on the back of the paper map of the fest that you get when you arrive.  Another fest I went to had a lanyard punch card, which I thought was a nice touch...but not as green as this was.  So, yay for recyclables!    It really didn't matter if you had a punchcard once you were inside...because no one marked off your samples unless you literally put it in their face and asked them to.  Not that anyone needs more than 20 beer samples, but they almost seemed offended when I asked them to mark my card!   The music was good, the food was fabulous and I especially loved the Bravazzi Italian hard sodas. I saw them at Caputo's the next day.  Now I know where to buy them next time I'm craving one. My MOST favorite-ist beer of the entire night was Roaring Table's 5:00 tap special - a fruity/berry sour with whipped cream on top.  What a way to finish off the night!!!

I had the fortunate pleasure of attending the 8th Annual Barrington Brew Fest this year (2011)…read morelocated strategically directly in the North lot of the Metra train station (perfect for stumbling back to the train for an easy ride home). We decided to make a day of it, starting out with a wonderful lunch in the French Market adjacent to the station. What a delightful way to start off a cool saturday morning before an afternoon of heavy beer drinking. Sandwiches from Pastoral, modelo tallboys from the CVS located within the well air-conditioned building, and hot crispy frites from the belgian shop, SCORE, great start. After the luxuriously delicious meal, we bought our $7 weekend passes (super-cheapo bonus) and hopped aboard with previously mentioned tall-boys and played a game a Yahtzee while the hour quickly passed. Arriving at the station around 3:30, the festivities were well underway with several hundred beer-fanatics vigorously imbibing. The free t-shirts were long gone, but they offered past years T's for just $5 if you pleased. I paid my $40 ($35 before), grabbed my tasting glass and had at it. Some notable attendees included Floosmoor Station with two specialty kegs tapped early and dry soon (everyone love FS), as well as Lucky Monk's Oatmeal Stout and Wheat WIne (WOWZA WAS THIS TASTY). I also thoroughly enjoyed selections from Limestone Brewing, Half Acre, and Wild Onion's Hop Slayer was down-right awesome. I love me some IBU's and this packed in the hops. The brews and patrons were all top-notch and made for a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon (3-7PM). Best part (besides the beer of course: proceeds from the Barrington Brew Fest go to the Barrington Area Council on Aging serving seniors and caregivers. After a great day of craft-brews, we headed back one minute to the Metra and rode home, arriving before 8PM, just in time for late dinner and ready for round-2. The cold-hard facts: * Three Dozen Brewers & over 80 samplings * Bean Bag (Baggo) Contest * 50/50 Raffle * Live music by Second Time Around Food available for purchase from McGonigal's Pub, Cooper's of Barrington, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

Trying to reach 85 characters…read more Do not reach out for projects thru Yelp You will receive nothing but Spam

The restaurant has a split schedule and is closed for a brief time between lunch and dinner…read more The inside of the restaurant is very cramped. On the day of my visit, every table was occupied. Add in others waiting to order, place to go orders, or strollers, and I felt very cramped. Now, onto the food. The hotdog half dog /half cheese was amazing. I had mine with ketchup, and it was tasty. This is the item that I would return to eat. The jumbo wings were huge! I had the sweet and spicy sauce, and it was good. However, I found them to be very, very greasy. Staff was friendly. It took about 20 minutes for my order to be prepared.

Barrington's yearly 4th of July celebration includes 5 days of "Beer and Brats" in the tent they…read moreset up downtown. Its a great "small town 4th of July feel". Its also a great time to go drink some beer and eat some brats with friends! Can't wait until next year!

No I didn't do the walk. Totally wish I had, but throw drunk guys from our party into the mix and I…read morejust didn't want to risk the embarrassment, or see someone's very well-tended garden ruined. However I did enjoy the music and location of this festival. Of course you have your mix of super preppy yuppies and wasty 40-something men looking for 20-something boot-ay, but there's plenty of room to mill around and food fair other than the standard meat on a stick and piles of french fries. And thanks to the bar who so kindly thought to have misting water cascading down from their booth. It was a hot hot day and that cool cool water was just magical : )

A street festival serving Blue Moon? Splendid!…read more The U2 cover band, Elevation, was pretty good - however, the crowd just didn't seem to be feeling it. This was also an educational experience. I never knew that plaid shorts came in such a diverse array - short, long, small plaid, big plaid, men's, women's, kids, bright, dark - OVERWHELMED! I think about 50% of the population at this event were wearing said shorts. Other than the aforementioned attributes, I have very little to say. I was underwhelmed by the selection of things to entertain me. Decent food offerings. Good brews. No little kiosks selling useless crap. No second stage. WAY overpriced.

One of my favorite fests! It's not huge. Between Damon & Wood on Chicago ave…read more 2 stages at either end. One has house music DJ's. Such a great vibe & people watching. The other end (Damon) is bands. They always have great ones. Model/Actress was so good. Good amount of food vendors. Lao peng You is great with their noodle dishes. Happy Lobster, Tola, classic corn dogs too. I miss the polish vendors with the classic polish plates. They haven't been here in a few years. Lots for kids & dogs too. Chicago T-shirt's, handmade jewelry. Fun to shop & grab a drink at the beer tent.

West Fest happens to be my favorite fest in Chicago. It is one of the smaller festivals with DJ's…read moreon the East Stage and Bands on the West Stage of Chicago Avenue. People who attend this fest seem to be all inclusive and not afraid to express themselves. Nice selection of retail and food vendors. The crowd, food, and music keep me coming back every year.