Chicago Tribune’s Food Bowl kicks off with a launch party Aug. 7 and runs for three weeks. From tastings to panel discussions to hands-on cooking classes, more than 100 events make up the community-driven affair, with restaurants, chefs, food-makers, sommeliers and tour operators taking part in showing off Chicago’s energetic diversity of food. Being on the frontlines of the city’s food and dining scene, our reporters have their own favorites for can’t-miss events, so we’ve tapped them to share what they’re looking forward to the most at Food Bowl.
For tickets to each of these events, go to the festival website ctfoodbowl.com.
Chinese Cuisine Boat Tour: From Downtown to Chinatown
Taking a boat from downtown to Chinatown is one of my favorite things to do in the summer, especially if I have relatives and friends visiting. You get great views at a great price and a great meal once you get to Chinatown. So imagine my excitement to learn the eating will start on the Chicago River when Chihuo, a Chinese language online food guide, and Chicago Tribune’s Food Bowl will present a Chinese cuisine boat tour Aug. 19. The two-hour event promises on-board chef demos, tastings, an open bar and my Tribune colleague Louisa Chu, an expert in Chicago’s culinary lore. The boat tour is being billed as “your best opportunity to learn and enjoy the most authentic Asian food.” After the tour, guests are free to go on to Chinatown and check out the restaurants and stores there. $49.90, 6 p.m. Aug. 19. Boarding Dock No. 4 is on the lower level of Rush and Kinzie streets behind the Trump Tower Hotel, 401 N. Wabash Ave. — Bill Daley
Night Market
Around this time of year, when the summer nights start fading fast, my wanderlust kicks into high gear, my mind wandering to the social open-air bazaars from the south of France to Singapore. Because of this, I’m most looking forward to the Night Market along the lakefront. Vendors like Ina Mae Tavern, HaiSous and Black Dog Gelato will bring their creative cuisine. Also on hand will be Chicago-style Byron’s Hot Dogs and Chop Shop, which will be attempting to set a world record for the most meatballs served in a day. If the three-night Food Bowl finale sounds both exhilarating and exhausting, Kyoto Black will serve its exquisite cold brew coffee too. Note that Night Market requests a $5 suggested donation for entry, which will benefit charitable partners Green City Market, Pilot Light and The Trotter Project; all bars and restaurants will accept cash and credit; plus it’s dog-friendly, so please look for me and my pup. 3-10 p.m. Aug. 24-26, across the Lakefront Green at Theater on the Lake in Lincoln Park — Louisa Chu
An Evening with Bistronomic
This one’s for the cheese-lovers. Chef/owner Martial Noguier will serve a five-course menu, each course matched to Midwest cheeses. In attendance will be Judy Schad, founder of Capriole Farm, and Andy Hatch, partner and cheesemaker at Uplands Cheese Co. (makers of Pleasant Ridge Reserve). Both cheesemakers will visit tables, giving unique insights into their products. $60. 7 p.m. Wednesday; 840 N. Wabash Ave. — Phil Vettel
St. John at Tied House
St. John is one of those restaurants that I’ve known about for years, mostly because it was doing nose-to-tail eating way before it was ever a trend. Yet I could never quite justify traveling all the way to London to visit. (Though, believe me, I thought about it.) And while eating pig’s ear and bone marrow isn’t quite as unexpected as it was when the restaurant opened in 1994, I’m fascinated to see what this pioneering restaurant can do. Tickets are $125 for six courses. 7 p.m. Aug. 21. Tied House Loft, 3157 N. Southport Ave. — Nick Kindelsperger
Feasts of Resistance
I’ll never understand why people think food is “just food.” Food is the product of time, place, culture and history — it is geopolitics, identity and survival, on a plate. Which is why I’m excited for Peterson Garden Project’s Feasts of Resistance event, a cooking class that explores the effect conflict has on cuisine and culture. Exploring iconic dishes from countries like Burma, Ethiopia, Syria and Haiti, the hands-on session explores how food was shaped by social and political unrest, culminating in a communal meal. Even better? Ticket proceeds benefit PGP’s refugee programs. $65, 7-9 p.m. Aug. 9, 6306 N. Broadway. — Joseph Hernandez
Ice Queens Social
Eating frozen treats and drinking cocktails sounds like an ideal way to spend an afternoon. Luckily, Emily Spurlin, Bad Hunter’s pastry chef, is behind the Ice Queens Social, an afternoon of boozy floats, desserts and cocktail tastings. Spurlin will be joined by the likes of The Publican, Lost Lake, Mindy’s HotChocolate Bakery, Ace Hotel, Bar Biscay, The Whistler, The Drifter, Loba Pastry + Coffee, X and more. But what makes this event even sweeter is a panel discussion with local pastry chefs and mixologists advocating for inclusivity and gender, sexual and ethnic diversity in the hospitality industry. Proceeds from ticket sales benefit Common Threads, which aims to combat childhood obesity through cooking and nutrition education. $30, 3-6 p.m. Aug. 12. The Herbarium, 150 N. Halsted St. — Grace Wong
Restaurant design conversation with Jordan Mozer at Twain
Every element of a restaurant’s design is the result of a decision; this event not only offers a sneak peek at the not-yet-opened Twain (as well as tastings by chef Tim Graham and sommelier Rebekah Graham), but also provides insight into the myriad factors that go into a restaurant’s look. $25. 5:30 p.m. Aug. 20; Twain, 2445 N. Milwaukee Ave. — Phil Vettel
Ferragosto at Oak Street Beach
Ferragosto is a holiday in Italy, and who can resist a beach-side party with food by Spiaggia’s Tony Mantuano and Joe Flamm, paired with wines selected by Rachael Lowe? $75. 6 p.m. Aug. 15; 1000 N. Lake Shore Drive — Phil Vettel
A Taste of Marche 1993
In the mid-90s, when west Randolph Street was a sketchy neighborhood, Marche was the hottest restaurant in town, drawing an eye-candy clientele to its color-saturated, circus-on-acid design and sophisticated French food. Founding chef Michael Kornick relives the glory days with stories and a French-themed dinner with French wines. $65. 7 p.m. Aug. 21. Marshall’s Landing, 222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza. — Phil Vettel
Taps Through Time: The Past, Present and Future of Chicago Craft Beer
The number of local craft breweries exploded over the past decade, putting Chicagoans at the epicenter of one of the nation’s most robust and innovative beer cultures. That’s why I’m particularly keen to attend “Taps Through Time: The Past, Present and Future of Chicago Craft Beer.” It promises an incisive conversation, but if I’m being honest, I’m even more excited by the beer list, which includes several rare finds. Tribune beer and spirits writer Josh Noel says it features “easy drinking helles lager from Metropolitan to a trendy New England-style IPA from Solemn Oath to the classic booze bomb Bourbon County Stout from Goose Island. I’ll be drinking a lot of Afterburner and Foudre Red, personally.” Noel, author of “Barrel-Aged Stout and Selling Out: Goose Island, Anheuser-Busch and How Craft Beer Became Big Business,” will lead a panel discussion featuring Michael Roper, owner of Andersonville’s quintessential bar Hopleaf; Karl Klockars, of the Guys Drinking Beer website; and owners and brewers from Goose Island, Metropolitan, Spiteful and Solemn Oath. 6 p.m. Aug, 16, House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn St. Tickets are $15 or $45. — Jennifer Day
Comida de mi Abuela
Mexican food has been reduced to brick-sized chicken burritos in some corners of the American consciousness — or heaven forfend, Taco Bell — but is in reality about fascinating ingredients and deft layers of flavor when at its best. A collection of chefs and cooks — Diana Davila of Mi Tocaya Antojería, Jonathan Zaragoza of Birrieria Zaragoza, Daniel Espinoza of Anomar and Valeria Taylor of Loba Pastry — will explore the past, present and many faces of Mexican cuisine in a panel discussion moderated by Laura Rodríguez of Hoy. Amid what is sure to be illuminating chatter, guests will enjoy bites from all four chefs, plus cocktails from Mi Tocaya’s beverage director, Ulises Martinez. $100, 6-9 p.m. Aug. 13 — Josh Noel
5 Kims & a Lee: BellyQ’s Bill Kim Presents Korean BBQ Block Party
Ya gotta love the name. Bill Kim, chef/owner of bellyQ and Urban Belly, is bringing five fellow Korean friends together for a barbecue: Parachute’s Beverly Kim, Jennifer Kim of newly opened Passerotto, Edward Kim of Mott St. and the new Mini Mott, Won Kim of Kimski and Louisville chef and restaurateur Edward Lee (610 Magnolia, Milkwood, Whiskey Dry, Succotash). I’ve been fortunate enough to try the food of most of these chefs (including Lee’s Milkwood during a road trip) but haven’t made it yet to Passerotto or Kimski. What a great chance to do that and indulge in favorites from the rest, all in the laid-back vibe of the bellyQ patio. $50. Noon to 3 p.m. Aug. 11. 1400 W. Randolph St. — Joe Gray
An earlier version of this story listed an event called Introduction to Filipino Heritage on Aug. 24; the event has since been canceled.