Chicago is the “largest city of the American Midwest” and “the third largest city” in the U.S. Founded in 1830, the city was “Established as a water transit hub; the city evolved into an industrial metropolis, processing and transporting the raw materials of its vast hinterland.” 

With almost 3 million people today, Chicago has 100 neighborhoods, 36 annual parades, 40 annual film festivals, 250 live music venues, 600 parks, 29 beaches, more than 7,300 restaurants, 7 AAA Diamond-rated restaurants, and even 144 dog-friendly eateries. It’s definitely a destination for foodies. This great city also has 26 Michelin-starred restaurants and 40 James Beard Award-winning restaurants as well.  

 

What’s Old is Now a Trendy Foodie Spot

In a city that was known as the meatpacking capital of the nation, things have certainly changed in Chicago. In 1971, the famed Union Stockyards were closed while “Fulton Market’s slaughterhouses have been replaced by food halls, swanky cocktail bars, and gastropubs, the city’s steakhouses remain bustling, mostly due to tourists, as well as businesspeople and conventioneers armed with buoyant expense accounts.”

Today the area that is known as the West Loop is a haven for foodies. “A former meat-packing district, the West Loop has become one of the most dynamic dining destinations in the city.” The area is now filled with some of the city’s most popular restaurants. Here, you’ll find Restaurant Row and Greektown. When you’re not eating your way through the area, you can check out art galleries, boutique hotels, and fun shops.

 

Tour Chicago for All of the Hype as well as the Food

Un'esperienza personale e ravvicinata con la pizza al piatto di Chicago

When you’re in Chicago, you have to try the deep-dish pizza. The city is known for it, brags about it, and the classic is just about everywhere you go. This Chicago-style pizza, cheesy and tomato-filled, was put on the map in the fall of 1943 when Pizzeria Uno opened.

This deep–dish pizza had:

• Tanto formaggio e una crosta di pasta frolla spessa e dolce
• High oven temperatures when baking “with plentiful amounts of cornmeal sprinkled in the pan to help insulate the bread”
• Tempi di cottura molto lunghi

Fu fatta la storia e a molti venne l'acquolina in bocca. Le torte si diffusero non solo a Chicago, ma anche in tutto il Paese. Quindi, quando vi trovate a Chicago, la pizza deep-dish è un cibo che dovete assolutamente assaggiare.

 

Oprah ha radici in questo quartiere alla moda

Fin dai suoi primi giorni, il West Loop è stato un'area di contrasto, e scoprirete la sua storia "dagli stracci alla ricchezza". È stata persino aiutata da Oprah Winfrey in persona. Scoprirete di più durante questa passeggiata nel quartiere!

What was once Oprah’s former Harpo Studios building is now the headquarters for McDonald’s.  A developer bought the studio in 2014 while production on Oprah’s Show ended in 2015. “Harpo was home to the Oprah Winfrey Show from 1990 until it went off the air in 2011, staking Chicago’s claim as a media center and giving new life to the area west of the Loop.”

 

Il cuore di un panino con carne in scatola

Then it’s time to take a stroll and stop at the next food establishment on this tasty tour. You’ll pop into a total neighborhood institution: a corned beef sandwich shop where the corned beef is prepared just around the corner—a true nod to this area´s meatpacking past!

È in questa fermata che troverete un intero panino con carne in scatola prodotto in loco. Nata come fabbrica, in seguito è stata aggiunta una vetrina che la rende il luogo perfetto per assaggiare questo delizioso panino.

 

Un assaggio di Grecia

Next on the list, you’ll continue to explore the West Loop hotspots and step into the popular food hall among the locals in Chicago. It was opened in 2019 and is truly a food lover’s paradise. It has provided up-and-coming chefs with the opportunity to try out their craft before they are able to open their own restaurants. The West Loop is the place to see and be seen, so it’s important for new chefs.

The West Loop is home to Greektown, which has the third-largest Greek population in the US. Here, you’ll try delicious Greek food from a local Greek restaurant and get a taste of the traditional culture.

 

Le deliziose ciambelle di una volta con un nuovo tocco di sapore

Next up on the tour is a taste of the sweet stuff that this neighborhood has to offer. You’ll stop for donuts at a small-batch donut shop owned by two former Michelin-star pastry chefs who met while working in the pastry kitchen at a Michelin-star restaurant. The chefs found out they were from the same town in California and each enjoyed the same favorite donut shop there.

A Chicago, producono ciambelle in piccoli lotti per includere sapori come il bacon all'acero. Assaggerete il tipo vecchio stile, che è la ricetta più difficile da realizzare a causa del processo di fermentazione dell'impasto.

Concluderete questo straordinario tour gastronomico con i cupcake artigianali di uno chef locale vincitore del premio James Beard.

Chicago non ha mai avuto un sapore così buono. Dopo aver fatto la vostra parte, entrando e uscendo dal quartiere e assaggiando il salato e il dolce, potreste essere pronti per un pisolino. Ma sognerete le delizie che Chicago ha da offrire e vorrete tornare ancora una volta.

Data di pubblicazione originale: 11 ottobre 2022