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Summer Festival Guide 2010

Peak season

Milk, yogurt and cheese Top off frozen kefir—a frozen-yogurt look-alike from Starfruit—with fruit for a treat that has more digestion-aiding “good” bacteria than average  fro-yo. About $5, Do-Division Festival (Jun 5, 6).

La Sardine offers cream-filled chocolate éclairs. About $4 each, Taste of Randolph Street (Jun 18–20).

VegetablesWe’ll yell “opa!” to Andies Restaurant’s spanakopita, Greek spinach and feta cheese on phyllo dough. About $4, Andersonville Midsommarfest (Jun 12, 13).

While it’s pretty meaty,  St. Basil Church volunteers’ sarma, a cabbage dish stuffed with beef and pork, is also served up with potatoes and salad to help you reach your five a day. $10, Taste of Serbia (Sept 4, 5).

Mana Food Bar’s vegetarian sliders—mini burgers made with brown rice, mushrooms and spicy mayonnaise on top of a roll—fulfill heartier appetites. $4, Do-Division Festival (Jun 5, 6).

bread and riceWe’d ditch our Atkins diet for Dakshin Indian Cuisine’s dosa, a traditional South Indian pancake filled with rice  and black beans. $5, VeggieFest (Aug 7, 8).

Harold’s Chicken #71’s hush puppies, deep-fried balls of cornmeal, are everything you want in festival food: easy to carry, no drippy sauces and deliciously greasy. About $2, Taste of Chicago (Jun 25–Jul 4).

Chinese rice cake dessert is made with sticky rice, milk and sugar, and comes in plain or red bean flavors. About $3, Chinatown Summer Fair (Jul 18).

Find a plethora of Eastern European pierogi filled with meat, cheese or vegetables served by Kasia’s Deli, Buscia’s, Nina’s Pierogi  and others. About $1, Pierogi Fest (Jul 23–25).

FruitTake green banana puree, cram it with meaty fillings like pork and beef, create a dumpling and then deep-fry it to create Sabor Boricua, Sabor Latino and Coco Restaurant’s traditional Puerto Rican alcapurrias. $2–$3 each, Fiesta Puertorriquenas (Jun 15–20).

Wholesome blueberry tarts from West Town Tavern were a hit last year and will make a comeback this summer. $5, Green Music Fest (Jun 26, 27).

 The food pyramid 

takes on a new 

dimension when 

summer hits.   

By Jenny an

Illustrations  

by Joel Kimmel

Meat, poultry and FishDan Cordis’s shuttered Cordis Brothers Supper Club took home the Ribfest title last year. He’s back with his new venture, called Pitchfork, and the same saucy ribs. About $17 for a full slab and $9 for a half slab, Ribfest (Jun 11–13).

Jasper Meats promises its made-from-scratch German meatloaf, called leberkäse, is never frozen. About $7 for plate and $5 for sandwiches, German-American Fest (Sept 10–12).

Fats, oils and sweetsSure, most festival food is glutinous, but traditional Italian sfingi, cooked by the Missionary Sisters of St. Charles, might win the artery-clogging crown: It consists of deep-fried ricotta covered with powdered sugar and honey. About $2, Taste of Melrose Park (Sept 3–5).