It's not just about deep-dish pizza and beer – Chicago wants to be known as a gourmet city too. Hot on the heels of the repeal of the much-derided foie gras ban, Mayor Daley has announced that the city will be hosting a second food festival, Chicago Gourmet, to follow the famous Taste of Chicago. At this year's Taste of Chicago in Grant Park (June 27–July 6), Zagat will have a dining pavilion adjacent to The Chef's Table and Dominick's Cooking Corner, so patrons will have somewhere to sit and savor their samples from chefs like Art Smith and Jimmy Bannos. Book signings will take place there too.
Then, less than two months later (September 26–28), Millennium Park will be transformed into Chicago Gourmet, a celebration of the finer foods the city has to offer. Organized in conjunction with the Illinois Restaurant Association, the so-called "Gourmet Taste" will feature over 30 chefs – including Rick Bayless, David Burke and Christian Delouvrier – and their special dishes, over 150 wineries, cooking demos and seminars.
Attending Chicago Gourmet will cost you a lot more than the Taste, where admission is free and 12 food-and-beverage tickets cost $10. A weekend pass for the Chicago Gourmet goes for $250 per person; a one-day pass will run you $150. However, if you purchase your tickets before June 30th, you can get a one-day pass for a mere $130 on www.chicagogourmet.org.